IDENTITÀ · IDENTITÉ · IDENTIDAD · IDENTIDAD II
9 DE SEPTIEMBRE AL 31 DE OCTUBRE DE 2021
EN EXHIBICIÓN EN
ESPINASSE31 MADRID
Espinasse31 Contemporary Gallery is pleased to inaugurate its new gallery space in Madrid with ‘Identità · Identité · Identidad · Identity’, a group exhibition featuring works by diverse renowned contemporary artists, with the purpose of introducing the artistic vision that Espinasse31 wishes to promote across its locations, and a special focus on the relationships between the gallery’s Italian roots, its new Spanish point of compass, and the international context in which this takes place.
‘Identity’ will be on view from September 9 to Ocotber 31, 2021 at Calle de Fúcar 17, located in one of the most culturally-emblematic districts of Madrid, known as the Barrio de las Letras or ‘Literary Quarter’. This group show will bring together the work of ten Espinasse31 artists, namely: Ouka Leele, Olga Lomaka, Marcello Silvestre, Oscar Estruga, Fabio Pietrantonio, Robi Walters, Paolo Ciabattini, Rodrigo Branco, Veronica Mar, Adam Lucey and KayOne.
Paintings and sculptural works by said artists occupy the new Espinasse31 space in conversation with each other. The diverse and eclectic character of this first exhibition—in terms of format, media, the artworks’ themes, and the artists’ personal and professional backgrounds—serves as the backbone of the narrative constructed by the gallery to introduce its identity and values. Harmony—as a concept, feeling, and visual effect—is the connecting thread that ties the composition together.
The artists and artworks on show, in connection with the gallery’s ‘Identity’ and vision, are as follows:
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Ouka Leele (b. 1957, Madrid) is an internationally-renowned Spanish photographer and painter. Her artistic career consolidated during Madrid’s countercultural and social movement of the 1980s, known as ‘La Movida Madrileña’; it was then that Ouka Leele (a pseudonym for the artist’s birth name, Barbara Allende) demonstrated her interest and skill in a variety of artistic disciplines, bringing great innovation through her series of unedited, hand-painted photographs—labeled as icons of her time. Her works often attempt to show human nature and to reveal the connection between life, emotion, and their translations in art language. Ouka Leele’s exhibited work at Espinasse31’s ‘Identity’ group show expresses such themes while presenting her masterful painting technique, captured through a large-scale mixed media work on linen. Its title is unequivocally poetic, as is the floral imagery and her use of light: ‘Alumbramiento. En el jardín misterioso, lugar del sueño del ser alegre. Hay luces en mis sueños. Mi amiga de pétalos misteriosos, comulgarte sería mi credo.’ (2003)
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Olga Lomaka (b. 1982, Krasnodar) is a Russian contemporary artist based in London. Her remarkable personal style, situated within the realm of pop-art, is instantly recognizable by its interplay of appealing to consumerist culture and communicating symbolic messages. Lomaka has won international acclaim in recent years, having earned Phillip’s Best Contemporary Artist of the Year award in 2017. The artist often mixes traditional materials with modern media and speaks to hidden dimensions of consciousness through a discourse of social concern. Various works by Lomaka are on show at Espinasse31 Madrid. Visitors will find her ‘Yellow Curiosity’ (2016) pink panther relief sculpture as the gallery’s welcome sign; the work is part of Lomaka’s ‘Pink Magic’ series, which has taken her to international art landmarks, from the Royal Academy of Arts’ Summer Exhibition in 2018, to the Venice Biennale in 2019, to Red Dot Miami Art Fair with Espinasse31. Two additional fiberglass sculptures from Lomaka’s later ‘Aliens’ series—‘Screaming for Chanel’ and ‘Screaming Marijuana’ (2020)—evoke a contemporary version of Munch’s magnum opus, while shedding light on the flaws of society today.
Marcello Silvestre (1977, Nápoles) es un artista, diseñador y arquitecto italiano que utiliza su conocimiento y experiencia interdisciplinarios para lograr un enfoque holístico de su proceso creativo. Entre los numerosos premios obtenidos por el artista, cabe mencionar la Targa d'Oro, obtenida en el Premio Arte 2018, que lo llevó a exponer su serie "Ciudades invisibles" en el Palazzo Reale de Milán. Las obras escultóricas de Silvestre exploran temas complejos como la relación entre el cuerpo y el alma, el concepto de tiempo, el mundo onírico de los paisajes urbanos modernos y la espiritualidad humana. Varias esculturas de Silvestre se exhiben en "Identidad" de Espinasse31; una de sus últimas obras, "Cuarentena" (2020), es una de las piezas centrales de la exposición. A través de su reconocible uso de PLA impreso en 3D con acabado oxidado, el artista ofrece su representación visual de los sentimientos provocados por la experiencia del confinamiento, ahora tan familiar para todos nosotros. Otras esculturas expuestas de Silvestre, 'The Rust of Feelings (Misunderstanding)' (2017) y 'Everybody's Got an Armor' (2019), representan sujetos cargados de emoción a pesar de su anonimato y abstracción geométrica. Esto, sumado a sus superposiciones de óxido o cardenillo, hace que las obras de Silvestre recuerden el paso del tiempo, sirviendo como un punto de reflexión para sus espectadores.
Oscar Estruga (Vilanova i la Geltrú, 1933) es un pintor y escultor español, consagrado desde que en 1966 le concedieran la prestigiosa beca de la Fundación Juan March. Estruga es conocido sobre todo por sus esculturas urbanas, entre las que se incluyen monumentos emblemáticos como 'Pasifae' (1988). Sus obras suelen recrear y reinventar mundos antiguos, tomando prestados elementos de la mitología griega y cicládica sobre el erotismo, la fuerza y la experiencia humana; las imágenes resultantes de ello representan una forma caligráfica de la imaginación del artista. Las esculturas de bronce de Oscar Estruga destacan entre la selección contemporánea de Espinasse31. Sin embargo, son clave para la 'Identidad' de la galería debido a la relación especial que mantiene con el artista, que anteriormente ocupó este nuevo espacio en la calle de Fúcar como su estudio personal durante décadas. Las obras de Estruga sirven así como una ventana al pasado, o como un ancla que fundamenta la exposición en referencias históricas y culturales. A pesar de pertenecer a una época diferente a la de las obras que reposan en las paredes de la galería, estas piezas escultóricas, pesadas en material y significado, coexisten con sus contrapartes contemporáneas a través de la armonía y el equilibrio.
Fabio Pietrantonio (nacido en 1966 en Turín) es un artista italiano afincado en Milán. Su obra está fuertemente influenciada por los conceptos de simbolismo y espiritualidad, tomando como punto de partida su experiencia personal de viajes y las prácticas artísticas observadas por Pietrantonio en las comunidades nativas de Australia y Nuevo México. El artista aborda su percepción de la ansiedad contemporánea y la alienación de la naturaleza, recurriendo a los conceptos de instinto y sabiduría humana para producir lo que él llama "tótems", presentados en forma de objetos multiformes o pinturas escultóricas. Su objetivo es transmitir un mensaje de paz, fe y equilibrio, que se puede absorber al interactuar con obras como "Incontri (Sapienza Universale)" (2018) o "Creta Rossa" (2015), expuestas en Espinasse31 Madrid. Los orígenes italianos del artista, así como su enfoque en el principio de armonía, lo convierten en una incorporación indispensable a la recién presentada "Identidad" de la galería.
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Robi Walters (b. 1973, London) is a leading British contemporary artist based in Soho. His mesmerizing and colorful collages have captivated celebrity collectors including Thandie Newton, Usain Bolt, or Diplo. In 2018, Michelin-Star Chef Tom Kerridge commissioned Walters to create bespoke design work for his London restaurant. In 2020, Robi was invited by Aston Martin to become their Artist in Residence. Walters has also been named by The Telegraph as one of the top creatives in the UK, before going on to win the ‘Arts and Culture' category in the newspaper’s ‘Amazing 15’. The artist owes this exceptional success to his unique and transformative artistic practice; by constructing mixed-media pieces with unusual materials, such as packaging from household items and broken vinyl LPs, Walters has a creative process and product that are reminiscent of both pop art and arte povera movements. His use of such materials reflects his concerns about human consumption and sustainability; furthermore, the artist’s signature arrangement of these fragments into lotus-like forms represents his own interest in meditation, giving his vibrant works socially-charged and personal significance alike. This is true for Walter’s highly-chromatic blue piece selected for the exhibition, titled ‘This Town’ (2018).
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Paolo Ciabattini (b. 1961, Milan) is an Italian abstract artist of international vocation. His strong academic background, having studied architecture and design at the St. Raphael University of Rome, as well as drawing and figure at the Academy of Brera in Milan, is clearly reflected in his masterful command of paint. The artist uses thick layers of color, which accumulate on the canvas to create a powerful sense of intimacy. Ciabattini’s large-scale abstract paintings, such as ‘Abissi Marini’ (2013), on show at Espinasse31 Madrid, resemble natural elements and envelop the viewer through their impressive depth. Through this expression, the artist aims to unveil the hidden perceptions that are filtered through the synergy created in the human brain; those perceptions, according to Ciabattini, if devoid of the judgments of the mind, can be pure. He aims to transfer this concept of purity to the visuals surrounding the viewer of his works, which are transfused in color on the canvas. In 2013, Ciabattini established the LaboExpo project in Milan in collaboration with the world-renowned American architect Daniel Libeskind.
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Rodrigo Branco (b. 1986, São Paulo) is one of the most prolific street artists to have emerged from Brazil in recent years. Influenced by his artistic family and the fascinating world of graffiti in the streets of his neighborhood, Branco has developed his talent as a painter through the depiction of faces, elements, and colorful expressions that inhabit his imaginary or his childhood memories. The artist's pictorial technique includes a lack of definition to the borderlines of his subjects and a use of strong colors, producing paintings that capture and retain energy. His Untitled work (2017) at Espinasse31's ‘Identity’ exhibition reflects just this while providing a complementary and contrasting presence to the artworks on neighboring walls of the gallery. Rodrigo Branco has notably been involved in several social art projects in recent years; his mural works can be found on the walls of São Paulo’s favelas, while his works on canvas can be found in private and public collections around the world.
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Veronica Mar (b. 1979, Granada) is a Spanish artist and interior designer based in Madrid. Her main body of work consists of delicate and abstract sculptures, with a style that is characterised by minimal and organic lines that subtly play with texture, colour, and reflections caused by light. This balance of both the seen and the unseen is fundamental to Mar’s work, greatly inspired by the dualities and rhythms seen in nature and in Taoist philosophy. The resulting pieces create a space of personal reflection and tranquility, and ultimately lead to a new awareness of the self within the natural world. Mar has exhibited her work at Rossana Orlandi (Milan) and the Wolfsonian Museum (Miami), among others. With Espinasse31, the artist's sculptures are on show at the Zaha Hadid Residences in Milan, and now at this new gallery space in Madrid. Works from Mar's ‘Unity’ series blend seamlessly into the exhibition, providing a visual break and a sense of harmony.
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Adam Lucey (b. 1994, Boston, MA) is a self-taught American artist. With a background in street art and fashion, and having discovered his passion to paint at the age of 23, Lucey has an eclectic and attention-grabbing style that is grounded on bright colours, simple-yet-precise lines, and a harmonious use of acrylic and spray paint on canvas. The majority of his paintings involve pop culture motifs; besides creating his own recurring characters, Adam Lucey uses cartoon characters from his upbringing, immersing his works in 90’s nostalgia and strong character. His exhibited work at Espinasse31’s inaugural exhibition, titled ‘Cards & a Pig’, is an exponent of his signature style, as well as a symbol of the gallery’s focus on contemporary muralism—a notion derived from its roots in Miami’s Wynwood District, whereby urban art is transported from the street to the canvas.
Identity is now open at Espinasse31 Contemporary Gallery’s new space in Madrid: Calle de Fúcar, 17. 28014 Madrid, Spain. BOOK A VISIT