The Central Library of Cantabria hosts the work of the Italian photographer Massimo Vitali

Since 1993, the Italian Massimo Vitali stands on a platform several meters high, and with a large camera he photographs beaches, nightclubs, ski resorts, supermarkets, swimming pools and other busy leisure areas.

The work of this contemporary photographer embodies the essence of leisure activity in the summer season.

But there’s more than meets the eye when it comes to this author’s idyllic seascapes. Vitali responded to the political turmoil in Italy in the 1940s, launching his beach series in the mid-1990s as a political commentary on mass tourism and social complacency. While Vitali’s photographs seem to depict the paradisiacal appearance from each place he captures, his work actually focuses on the individuals who appear in the composition and their collective response to society.

Using the beach as a platform for social research, Vitali sought to photograph bathers in their most vulnerable state in order to document society in its most authentic state Most of the artist’s work captures tourist destinations in Italy as it retains the idea that taking quality photos does not necessarily require traveling outside of your local community. Some of the famous places immortalized in Vitali’s work include Spargi Cala Corsara Cala Mariolu Porto Miggiano and Cefalù Viareggio however Vitali has since it has expanded beyond the borders of Italy to vacation spots in Brazil, Greece, Turkey and Spain.

Massimo Vitali photographs the latest outdoor furniture | Wallpaper*
Massimo Vitali, by Wallpaper*

Since the start of his iconic beach series, Vitali has continued to explore the natural environment, but instead focused on the impact of human disturbance on nature In contrast to his coastal scenes, Vitali focuses less on the pleasure and leisure of people and, instead, in the complex relationship between humans and their impact on the environment his most recent series entitled Disturbed Coastal Systems (April 2017) reveals an implicit message of the tension built between the man and nature.

Dates

08.09.2022- 02.10.2022

Organizer
Government of Cantabria. General Directorate of Culture and PHotoESPAÑA

Headquarters

Central Library of CantabriaC/ Ruiz de Alda, 19, 39009 Santander

Schedule

Mon-Fri / Mon-Fri: 09:00 – 21:00

Sat-Sun; fest / Sat-Sun; Hol: 11:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m.

Entrance
Free entry / Admission free

More information about this artist and his work on our website.

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MINA HAMADA’s project for LA ROCA VILLAGE: ‘Un Paseo Colorido’

The artist based in Barcelona has just presented a new series of sculptures in the shopping center La Roca Village. The collection represents a novelty for the artist who usually works on large-scale public murals.

Striking sculptures by American-born Japanese artist Mina Hamada dot the streets of the space. In June, the creator inaugurated a project conceived together with La Roca Village and the gallery LAB36. The idea behind Colorful Walk, conceived ex profeso for that place, is to support local talent.

Three colorful geometric sculptures and a set of hanging wooden mobiles can now be seen at the entrance of La Roca Village. A final three meter tall sculpture will be installed later this summer. Mina talks about her work process, her iconic style and how she approaches a new medium.

Hamada transmits its good vibrations through its free and organic forms, in a style characterized by color, rhythm and improvisation. Although it is mostly known for its mural art of enormous dimensions, the artist explores other formats such as canvas or sculpture without abandoning the artistic language that identifies her. You can currently enjoy his circular and rectangular canvases in an individual exhibition that he has done for the gallery LAB36 titled Transition.

The La Roca Village project began to take shape in 2021 and, after several meetings, Hamada and the team created for the occasion, chose to develop strong>works with volume. The artist, who has worked in various disciplines, from paintings to murals or work on paper, is the first time that she has developed such large works in three dimensions:

“It’s a new challenge for me. With Paseo Colorido I can bring people closer to my work and make them interact with it.”

Hamada’s proposal is articulated through three groups of sculptures: Dream Passage, with large-scale works (300 x 200 x 150 cm) ; Summer whims, which are three small format pieces; and Aerial landscape, a mobile installation. The artist is excited about the opportunity to give volume to her creations, because “they look like characters that come out of my paintings and have a soul.”

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Fragments of:

https://www.lavanguardia.com/gente/20220630/8372598/estallido-color-roca-village.html

https://www.revistaad.es/lugares/articulos/arte-urbano-mina-hamada

https://metalmagazine.eu/en/post/interview/mina-hamada