Every once in a while, art and artists need to be scrutinized with the same sort of looks and remarks they often use to portray and interpret the world. This inverted glance at art is at the core of "Capturing ARCOmadrid: 25 years of photography in Spain," the latest exhibition to go on show at Cervantes Institute in Beijing. For the past 30 years, internationally renowned photographers, both Spanish and foreign, have captured the essence and atmosphere of Spain's most important contemporary art fair, ARCOmadrid. The 61 works displayed at Cervantes belong to an expansive collection and offer a snapshot of Spanish photography's development over the past three decades. Being shown in China for the first time, the exhibition features works by homegrown photographer, Fa Man.
"I quite liked the photo of the red-headed Spanish girl who has her eyes closed. In general, I preferred the photos of young people because they provide insight into young people in Spain," said visitor Yao Yao, 24, in fluent Spanish. "The photos are quite diverse. They show us the life and culture of Spain. It's nice to see an artistic take on art itself."
The 61 images were chosen from a collection of 430 photos that includes works by Spanish photographers Alberto García Alix, Joan Fontcuberta and Ouka Leele. All photos were taken in the lead up to and during the ARCOmadrid art fairs over the past three decades. How people view art, the way it is reported in the media, the interaction between artists and the public and the price of art are some of the aspects explored by photographers from behind the lens.
"I was surprised by the openness of ARCOmadrid. Everyone could visit the fair and could easily become a collector," said Fa Man, the first Chinese photographer invited to document the fair. "In China, art is still a rather hermetic scene reserved for the elite."
Fa's black and white masterpiece, depicting a curator's dramatic and theatrical pose, captures the creative essence of the art festival.
"Fa offers a fresh, ironic look at the art fair and the people who visit it," noted Esteban Andueza, art curator and cultural manager at Cervantes Institute. "In 22 years, none of the photographers invited to the fair have offered such fresh insight into its inner works and layers of interpretation."
Andueza highlighted a photo of a colorful building partly destroyed that might go unnoticed to distracted visitors. "This photo breaks through the documentary style of an art fair to provoke thinking about it as a political discourse, rather than just a place for people to buy art," said Andueza, explaining that the featured building had been destroyed before the fair opened in 2006 by an ETA (Euskadi Ta Askatasuna, an armed Basque separatist group) terrorist attack.
"This exhibition is a great historical snapshot of Spain's 37 years of democracy," Andueza said.
"It also constitutes educational material about the evolution of photography. It shows younger generations how photography was once done with obscure cameras and negatives, and how it has impressively evolved into the digital era."
The exhibition capturing ARCOmadrid was curated by ARTIUM - The Basque Centre for Contemporary Art in Vitoria-Gasteiz after its director Carlos Urroz visited Beijing. "The wide array of photos and diverse styles and techniques portray an art fair as a space of contemplation," explained Enrique Martinez, commissioner and conservator of ARTIUM.
Every once in a while, art and artists need to be scrutinized with the same sort of looks and remarks they often use to portray and interpret the world. This inverted glance at art is at the core of "Capturing ARCOmadrid: 25 years of photography in Spain," the latest exhibition to go on show at Cervantes Institute in Beijing. For the past 30 years, internationally renowned photographers, both Spanish and foreign, have captured the essence and atmosphere of Spain's most important contemporary art fair, ARCOmadrid.
The 61 works displayed at Cervantes belong to an expansive collection and offer a snapshot of Spanish photography's development over the past three decades. Being shown in China for the first time, the exhibition features works by homegrown photographer, Fa Man."I quite liked the photo of the red-headed Spanish girl who has her eyes closed. In general, I preferred the photos of young people because they provide insight into young people in Spain," said visitor Yao Yao, 24, in fluent Spanish. "The photos are quite diverse. They show us the life and culture of Spain. It's nice to see an artistic take on art itself." The 61 images were chosen from a collection of 430 photos that includes works by Spanish photographers Alberto García Alix, Joan Fontcuberta and Ouka Leele. All photos were taken in the lead up to and during the ARCOmadrid art fairs over the past three decades. How people view art, the way it is reported in the media, the interaction between artists and the public and the price of art are some of the aspects explored by photographers from behind the lens. "I was surprised by the openness of ARCOmadrid.
Everyone could visit the fair and could easily become a collector," said Fa Man, the first Chinese photographer invited to document the fair. "In China, art is still a rather hermetic scene reserved for the elite."Fa's black and white masterpiece, depicting a curator's dramatic and theatrical pose, captures the creative essence of the art festival. "Fa offers a fresh, ironic look at the art fair and the people who visit it," noted Esteban Andueza, art curator and cultural manager at Cervantes Institute. "In 22 years, none of the photographers invited to the fair have offered such fresh insight into its inner works and layers of interpretation."
Andueza highlighted a photo of a colorful building partly destroyed that might go unnoticed to distracted visitors. "This photo breaks through the documentary style of an art fair to provoke thinking about it as a political discourse, rather than just a place for people to buy art," said Andueza, explaining that the featured building had been destroyed before the fair opened in 2006 by an ETA (Euskadi Ta Askatasuna, an armed Basque separatist group) terrorist attack.
"This exhibition is a great historical snapshot of Spain's 37 years of democracy," Andueza said. "It also constitutes educational material about the evolution of photography. It shows younger generations how photography was once done with obscure cameras and negatives, and how it has impressively evolved into the digital era."
The exhibition capturing ARCOmadrid was curated by ARTIUM - The Basque Centre for Contemporary Art in Vitoria-Gasteiz after its director Carlos Urroz visited Beijing. "The wide array of photos and diverse styles and techniques portray an art fair as a space of contemplation," explained Enrique Martinez, commissioner and conservator of ARTIUM.
"The stills represent a multiplicity of looks into ARCOmadrid and the diversity of interpretations that art awakens."
When: Until June 30
Where: Cervantes Institute, A1 Gongti Nanlu, Chaoyang district
Admission: Free
Contact: 5879-9666
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