Soc aquí / I am here

Soc aquí / I am here

What is home, where am I located, and how did I come to be here?

As a newcomer to Mallorca, I respond to this question by walking again and again between places that mark my studio location in the Tramuntana. These journeys trace my landscape from the Puig de Sa Galera to the foreshore where the mountain meets the sea, through the historic economies of ice, oak, olive, orchard, grape, and fish. The artworks that result from this practice can be seen as a form of expanded geography.

The profound and detailed study of our territories is a form of cherish and care that, in the face of the climate emergency, becomes more pertinent than ever. This is my way forward.

Artist statement, TERRITORIES: A DIALOGUE BETWEEN ART AND TERRITORY. Exhibition at Casal de Cultura Can Gelabert, Binissalem, Illes Balears, Espanya, 16 Dec 2023 - 20 Jan 2024.

 AIRPORT MOUNTAIN TUNNEL, 2023, video, colour, sound, 16:9, 2160 x 3840px, 120 min. loop
Head_X: Son Coll 3 (from above), 2023, pigment print on Ilford photo-rag 310g archival paper, 100 x 100 cm

Head_X: Son Coll 2 (the grove), 2023, pigment print on Ilford photo-rag 310g archival paper, 100 x 100 cm
OLIVE: Son Coll 9, 2023, pigment print on Ilford photo-rag 310g archival paper, 90 x 90 cm

OLIVE: Son Coll 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 2023, pigment print on Ilford photo-rag 310g archival paper, 90 x 90 cm (from left to right)

OLIVE: Son Coll 6, 2023, pigment print on Ilford photo-rag 310g archival paper, 90 x 90 cm
OLIVE: Son Coll 7, 2023, pigment print on Ilford photo-rag 310g archival paper, 90 x 90 cm

AIRPORT MOUNTAIN TUNNEL, 2023, video, colour, sound, 16:9, 2160 x 3840px, 120 min. loop
AIRPORT MOUNTAIN TUNNEL 1, 2 & 3, 2023, video stills, laminated inkjet prints on aludibond, 50 x 90 cm

AIRPORT MOUNTAIN TUNNEL 1, 2 & 3, 2023, video stills, laminated inkjet prints on aludibond, 50 x 90 cm
AIRPORT MOUNTAIN TUNNEL 4, 2023, video still, inkjet print on vinyl wallpaper, approx. 430 x 415 cm

TERRITORIS

TERRITORIES: A DIALOGUE BETWEEN ART AND TERRITORY
Exhibition Casal de Cultura Can Gelabert, Binissalem, Illes Balears, Espanya.
16 Dec 2023 - 20 Jan 2024

This exhibition is a reflection on the intricate relationships between individuals, territory, and art, as well as the reciprocal influences between them.

The interconnection between art and territory serves as a vibrant expression of human connections with the environment. It is a journey through the territories of being, an exploration of how territories leave imprints on the landscape of consciousness.

Territory of discovery, commodified territory, intimate territory, territory transformed into a stage of introspection, territory of absence, territory that becomes a legacy.

The legacy of those who preceded us, both artists and individuals, embodies the importance of leaving a mark that reflects our connection with the territory. This relationship is more than a simple interaction, it is a profound commitment to respect territory and acknowledge the space we tread and inhabit. Thus, artistic creation becomes a way to respect the territory and ourselves, a tangible manifestation of how identity and memory are woven into the landscape we share.

Maria Providència Casanovas explores the territory of absence, of the everyday, and of what once was.

Trevor-Lloyd Morgan maps the territory of discovery for the newcomer, using his artistic process to simultaneously understand it and become a part of it.

Joan Miquel Ramirez Suassi testifies to the loss of identity when territory is commoditized, fostering reflection on who we become in this process.

Through this exhibition, we invite the public to explore, reflect, and connect with this ongoing dialogue between art and territory—a conversation that reminds us that each artistic creation is both an act of preservation and a contribution to the construction of a legacy that will endure over time.

Curated by Aina Lorente Solivellas

07179¹

Located on the slopes of Mallorca's Tramuntana, 07179¹ is a 1-minute film that captures a snowstorm around and above me at my studio in Son Coll, Deia. This is the first in a series that will document the microclimates of my surroundings.

The sequence begins shrouded in fog, gradually clearing to reveal a small house in the olive groves below the oak-covered mountain peak. The clarity of the landscape increases as the fog lifts, revealing the snowstorm and surroundings before fog once again envelops the scene, returning it to its initial obscured state.

Sadly, snowfall in the Tramuntana is less frequent these days. Snowstorms were once a common winter occurrence here, but recent years have seen a decline in their frequency and intensity.

Thanks to the Deia One-Minute Film Festival for inspiring this short format approach to filmmaking, which encourages all of us to make strong statements in a concise format.