Category Archives: Art & Artists

Poetical Minimalism

Posted by mallorcaphotoblog on

Cecilia Segura is a youngish artist (1974) with Mallorcan roots, based in Barcelona, with currently a fascinating exhibition at Palma’s Casal Solleric (November 25th, 2011, to January 15th, 2012). The exhibition is a daring show of kinetic shapes and minimal colours in the tradition of Yaacov Agam or Jesús Rafael Soto. The presentation is not quite as captivating as a previous show presented by Soledad Sevilla at the Centre de Cultura SA NOSTRA in Palma (1993-94). The Soledad Sevilla installation as well as the Cecilia Segura show both are and were lyrical, poetical and sensitive; the present exhibition is probably the best one in Palma at this moment. The exhibition is open free of charge, Tuesday to Saturday (10h00-14h00 and 17h00-21h00) and Sunday (10h00-13h30).

If you can possibly make it to Madrid one of these days, Soledad Sevilla has a splendid installation there at the moment, at the Palacio de Cristal (Parque del Retiro) until April 15th, 2012.

On a note of tristesse I have you know that the Palma gallery, Joan Guaita Art, has sadly closed its doors for good after 25 years. Joan Guaita was the Spanish representative of Jesús Soto, amongst others. I understand that Senyor Guaita will continue to work as an art consultant on a freelance basis, from his private home.

The photo (top) was taken in Palma de Mallorca, Baleares, Spain. The date: December 2nd, 2011. The time was 12:41:35. The photo (bottom) was borrowed from the Internet, courtesy of solleric.org.

Muchas gracias.

The Lonja de Palma

Posted by mallorcaphotoblog on

Sa Llotja de Palma (Lonja; Lotge) was built between 1421 and 1447 as a maritime trade exchange centre. Construction was started by architect Guillem Sagrera from Felanitx. The construction period of 12 years had been calculated but, the architect ran into quarrels with his client, the Colegio de la Mercadería (Merchants’ Guild), abandoned the project before its completion and left Mallorca altogether. After Sagrera’s departure, the Gothic building was completed by the architect Guillermo Vilasolar. At the time, the building formed part of Palma’s fortifications and the defense walls. For this reason, four defense towers were built in the four corners of the trade exchange.

The magnificent building was recently restored to its former glory at a cost of 2,500,000 €. A new roof terrace now replaces the former pitched roof. After the Summer it is planned that groups will be able to climb up to the roof terrace. Let’s see if that will happen.

The building’s single room interior is simply imposing. There are six tall, helical columns. The building has been used for art exhibition and installations during the last thirty years as well as for occasional political gatherings. La Lonja is open this week and next for the Llaüts Lights exhibition by Fabrizio Plessi and will be closed after the end of the show, who knows until when.

The photo (top) was taken in Palma, Mallorca, Baleares, Spain. The date: September 22nd, 2011. The time was 17:29:04. The photo (bottom) was borrowed from the Internet, courtesy of flickr.com and jordipostales.

Thank you, and

muchas gracias.

Gentrification

Posted by mallorcaphotoblog on

Mallorca’s capital city is ever so slowly undergoing a process of gentrification. The Plaça Drassanes in Palma (Plaza Atarazanas) is a typical example for this development. A few years ago you could have had a Menu del Día here for as little as 6 € in a bar of long-standing. Now, it will be more like 16 €. The old-fashioned bar has disappeared. The building where the bar was located was acquired by a group of hotels a few years ago, wanting to convert the place into an upmarket boutique hotel. With the onset of La Crisis, plans had to be changed again. Now, the building shown here is earmarked to house one of Palma’s finest art galleries, Horrach Moyà.

The cosy little square, home to the office of the President of the Govern Balear and a number of government bodies, has already changed beyond recognition. New and fashionable bars and restaurants have sprung up, extending nocturnal activities of the nearby Sa Llotja district by half a mile. More changes are anticipated once the hype of the art market arrives, possibly before the end of this year, crisis or not.

The photo was taken in Palma de Mallorca, Baleares, Spain. The date: September 16th, 2011. The time was 14:05:22.

The Nit de l’Art in Palma

Posted by mallorcaphotoblog on

Thursday night was the big art event night in Palma de Mallorca, the annual Nit de l’Art. I never go to these events. I am more interested in art and the artists’ work and less in the social party gathering. I always go to the art event on the morning after the night. Then I am on my own with the artist’s output and I’m usually the only one in any of the galleries I go to. That way I can form an undisturbed opinion about what I like and what does not speak to me.

In a nutshell, I did not like a lot of what I saw in Palma’s galleries yesterday. I must admit, I did not make it to all of the shows on offer – there are about 20 gallery exhibitions plus 10 more at museums and institutions, and I only made it to about ten of them. But, still.

The presentation which impressed me most was one by Japanese artist, Atsuko Nakamura, at Galeria La Caja Blanca, in Palma’s Via Verí. La Caja Blanca is a relatively new gallery with a courageous programme of young, up and coming artists, such as Newsha Tavakolian from Teheran, Noa Lidor from Israel, or Federico Acal from Cádiz. I would recommend a visit to this gallery now or any time you are in the area. Atsuko Nakamura was born in 1982 in Kanazawa (Japan). She studied architecture at Musashino Art University in Tokyo as well as sculpture at the Slade School of Fine Art in London. You will hear more about this young talent, I am sure. Just watch out for her and visit the artist’s website, if you should feel so inclined.

Other exhibitions to be recommended of the current programme are Fabrizio Plessi’s Llaüts at La Llotja, Willy Baumeister’s paintings at the Fundación Juan March, Toni Catany’s photographs at the Galeria Ferran Cano, a group show called Afinidad & Diferencia at the Pelaires Centre Cultural Contemporaneo, Christian Boltanski’s installation at the Baluard, and that’s about it. Of course, you are allowed to differ and have your own tastes and preferences. There is no harm in different tastes whatsoever, certainly not within the art.

The photo (top) was taken in Palma de Mallorca, Baleares, Spain. The date: September 16th, 2011. The time was 13:43:58. The photo (bottom) was borrowed from the Internet, courtesy of atsukonakamuraarts.web.

Domo arigato.

The Coffered Mudéjar Ceiling in Alfàbia

Posted by mallorcaphotoblog on

The Possessió d’Alfàbia is one of Mallorca’s great historic estates. The property is said to go back to a Moorish alquería and the 11th century when an Islamic Virrey, Ben-Abet, settled there on account of the discovery of an immensely abundant source of water. The house and its splendid gardens are listed as a Bien de Interés Cultural and as such enjoy Heritage protection.

I suppose that most visitors visit Alfàbia for its gardens but, the house itself is well worth a closer look as well. There is little left of the Islamic period: the property was extensively rebuilt after the Reconquista during the 13th century and again, during the 18th and 19th century. One main element still remaining from the Moorish period is a large coffered Mudéjar ceiling, said to be unique in Mallorca. The coffered ceiling is the work of Almohad craftsmen, built in 1170. It is carved in pine and holm-oak, with inlays forming beautiful arabesques. On the lower part the coats-of-arms of the Moorish families who lived on the estate are carved, and next to those, the emblems of Ben-Abet.

There are other large Artesonados Mudéjar (Moorish wooden ceilings) in Mallorca. Two of those in the possession of the town hall of Palma were sadly destroyed by a fire in a warehouse a few years ago. Beautiful Mudéjar ceilings can still be seen at the Palau de l’Almudaina in all their glory, and there is a large and very unique Mudéjar ceiling in the main house of the estate of Sa Bassa Blanca, the seat of the Fundació Jakober, near Alcúdia. Also, an impressive wooden Mudéjar ceiling can be found at the Palau del Rei Sanç in Valldemossa.

The photo was taken near Bunyola, Mallorca, Baleares, Spain. The date: September 8th, 2011. The time was 16:39:07.

Gargoyles In Palma

Posted by mallorcaphotoblog on

On a walk through Palma, one can meet some wonderful sights. Palma is an incredibly beautiful city, not least for the fact that the city has preserved its character over the centuries, never suffering much aggression or major destruction. There are many beautiful buildings in architectural styles ranging from Gothic to Renaissance and Modernism, wide Avenidas and narrow streets, luscious parks and gardens, the majestic seafront, the skyline with towers, Miradors and turrets, the stunning Cathedral, the imposing Castell del Bellver.

Once you raise your eyes a bit higher, the sights get more wondrous. Suddenly, you might find Moorish heads, sphinxes, crocodiles, lions or dragons, the latter ones sculpted as gargoyles to divert the flow of rainwater from the gutter and away from the buildings’ walls.

The gargoyle shown in today’s picture is part of a set of newly cleaned, marvelous gargoyles at the Lonja de los Mercaderes, the Mediaeval stock exchange, when traded stock actually meant goods or merchandise such as gold, silk, spices, cotton, coffee, silver, you name it. The Lonja (Catalan: Llotja) is one of the masterpieces of Gothic architecture in Mallorca. It was built by Guillem Sagrera between 1420 and 1452. For some time, Sagrera also worked at Palma’s Cathedral, where you can find similar grotesquely carved animal bodies and fantasy figures, also acting as water spouts.

Next time you are in Palma, have a look up above.

The photo was taken in Palma de Mallorca, Baleares, Spain. The date: July 1st, 2011. The time was 15:25:34.

The Deathbed of the Virgin Mary

Posted by mallorcaphotoblog on

Religious art is omnipresent in Spain and in Mallorca, thanks to the influence of the Catholic Church and the opulence of its tradition. During the month of August, the festivity of the Mare de Déu d’Agost, also known as Mare de Déu de la Assumpció (Assumption of Virgin Mary), is being celebrated. The festivity is also called Dormició de Maria (Dormition of Mary). A number of churches in Palma as well as others in the outlying pueblos offer some elaborate displays of reclining statues of the sleeping virgin. In case you should be interested, you could consult the website of the Bisbat de Mallorca (Diocese in Mallorca) and click on the emblem L’Asumpcio de la Mare de Déu on the right hand column. There, you can download a leaflet in pdf format giving you detailed information in English, Catalan or Castilian about places and events in churches throughout Mallorca. Activities commenced earlier this week and will continue until August 23rd.

In Palma’s church of Sagrats Cors, Venezuelan artist Milton Becerra (Táchira, 1951) offers a contemporary installation of La Virgen que sueña (The Sleeping Virgin) (see photo). The church is situated behind the Casal Solleric, in Carrer Sant Gaietà, 9, not far from Jaime III in Palma’s city centre. The installation can be viewed daily (August 11th to 20th) between 11h00 and 13h00 and from 18h00 to 20hoo.

A deathbed of the Virgin Mary is also nicely presented in Palma’s La Seu Cathedral, albeit somewhat less modern, and another one at the Monestir de la Puríssima Concepció (Carrer Caputxines, 14), from the first half of the 20th century.

The photo was taken in Palma de Mallorca, Baleares, Spain. The date: August 12th, 2011. The time was 12:44:41.

Humpback Whales

Posted by mallorcaphotoblog on

A small shoal of Humpback Whales (Megaptera Llaüt Plessi) have been stranded in Palma’s Llotja, the mediaeval maritime trade exchange in the city’s old town centre near the sea front.

Wait. I made that up. You can tell by the Megaptera Llaüt Plessi fabrication. There are no whales inside the Llotja. Rather, Italian artist, Fabrizio Plessi, has installed 14 Llaüts (traditional Mallorcan fishermen’s boats) as part of an art exhibition under the title La Llum del Llaüt (The Light of the Llaüt) in the beautiful building which had been closed for restoration for the last two or even three years and has now re-opened. The Gothic hall is in a splendid condition although you would not really see that as the whole place is dark with the large windows being blacked-out. The lighting is dark and dim. The old boats have been turned upside down and yes, somehow there is an illusion of stranded whales. The boats are lit with blue neon tubes from underneath. This light setting together with the sound of the sea waves and music by Michael Nyman make for a captivating and dramatic experience. This exhibition is a treat for the eye, the ear and the senses, whatever else one may think of Signore Plessi. You should go and have a look at the artist’s installation and the newly accessible Llotja building. The exhibition will continue daily except Mondays until October. Admission is free.

The photo (top) was taken in Palma de Mallorca, Baleares, Spain. The date: July 1st, 2011. The time was 17:16:28. The photo (bottom) was borrowed from the Internet, courtesy of diariodemallorca.es and the photographer, G. Bosch.

Muchas gracias.

Gaudí’s Amazing Sounding Board

Posted by mallorcaphotoblog on

In about 1903-04, or thereabouts, Antoni Gaudí designed an amazing contraption for the main pulpit of Palma’s Cathedral. At the time, microphones, loudspeakers or electric amplifiers were not invented, yet, and the bishop’s sermon could not clearly be followed during church services by all the devoted Mallorcans. The Tornavoz, a sounding board construction, was Gaudí’s answer to the Cathedral’s needs. The acoustic device was installed in 1904 and remained firmly in place until 1971. It was removed because, by then, microphones and loudspeakers could be installed in La Seu (the Cathedral).

The exceptional Catalan architect Gaudí, an artistic genius, worked on the renovation and embellishment of the Palma Cathedral until 1914, when he abandoned the assignment over a disagreement with the commissioning bishop.

A replica of Gaudí’s acoustic amplifier was created just over one year ago and has been on display in La Seu ever since. The replica is only meant to be on view for a temporary period; it may be taken down any time soon.

The photo (top) was taken in Palma de Mallorca, Baleares, Spain. The date: April 5th, 2011. The time was 12:53:58. The photo (bottom) shows Gaudí’s original Tornavoz sounding board. It was borrowed from the Internet, courtesy of diariodemallorca.es and the Govern de les Illes Balears.

Muchas gracias, and

moltes gràcies.

Silent Equilibrium

Posted by mallorcaphotoblog on

Rolf Schaffner is a German artist and sculptor (1927-2008) who came to Mallora in 1962 where he made his home in Santanyí. He died in Palma de Mallorca three years ago, on March 23rd, 2008.

A number of large-scale works, mostly made of local sandstone, grace Mallorca’s south-eastern landscape. The most impressive one to my mind is a 6 m tall stele called Equilibrio (South) made of nine large, uneven blocks of Piedra de Santanyí, weighing in at a total of 10 tons. The sculpture forms part of a five-part series located by the artist in Santanyí (Mallorca, Spain, 1995), Cologne (Germany, 1997), Trondheim (Norway, 2000), Volgograd, the former Stalingrad (Russia, 2005) and Cork (Ireland, 2009), forming between them an imaginary axis cross or Meridians of Peace, as the artist has us know, spanning the European continent.

Should you want to visit the Mallorcan Equilibrio site, you will find the massive and seemingly precarious stone stele in Cala Santanyí near the Foradada of Es Pontàs. If Santanyí is a bit out of your way, there are two large-scale sculptures from this artist’s hand in Palma, one in the Jardín de Sa Quarentena next to Paseo Marítimo, and the other one in Vía Asima in the Polígono de Son Castelló.

The photo was taken near Santanyí, Mallorca, Baleares, Spain. The date: December 25th, 2010. The time was 12:58:59.