LA CONSERVERA
NEW CONTEMPORARY ART CENTRE IN MURCIA (SPAIN)
GRAND OPENING:
May 16, 2009 at 19:00h
La Conservera
Avenida de Lorquí,
s/n. 34562,
Ceutí (Murcia)
Starting May 17, the Region of Murcia will have a new space dedicated to contemporary art: La Conservera. This centre, located in Ceutí, is intended to become a meeting point for international art. This new contemporary art centre will be linked to the Department of Visual Arts of the Regional Ministry of Culture and Tourism.
La Conservera, named after the former use of the building as a tinned food factory, has undergone a significant renovation led by architect Fernando de Retes, who has devised a dynamic and flexible design to accomodate four exhibition halls of impressive dimensions. The galleries are all different and distinctive, and provide a total 4,800 square meters (51.666 square foot) of exhibition space.
Its programming includes several series of four exhibitions, to be shown simultaneously. The first series will be opened in May, together with the centre. This programme of temporary exhibitions is focussed on artists belonging to different generations –those born in the sixties and seventies predominate– who, despite their well established, interesting and internationally acclaimed career, are still a risky bet. These artists are both from Spain and foreign countries. All exhibitions are the Center’s own productions.
Each series of parallel exhibitions will usually comprise four artists sharing common concerns, to ensure a continuous and logical gallery tour. This allows an analysis of the same concepts from different standpoints. Likewise, no specific art medium, whether it is painting, sculpture, photography or any other, will be favored. On the contrary, permanent questioning of disciplines is encouraged.
The first series, to be opened to the public on May 17, includes exhibitions by Manu Arregui, Björn Dahlem, Loris Gréaud and Banks Violette. These artists share common concerns and interests, such as the entertainment industry, science fiction, music or the excesses of youth culture. Through their installations, we become aware of three–dimensional sensation spaces. The viewer is invited to make an extrasensory journey, to cross a door leading to the unreal.
Manu Arregui will show his largest installation so far, with his latest video-graphic work, Streaming, as a central theme. Banks Violette and Loris Greáud will have their first individual exhibition in our country. The former will present two large format structures, in the form of black mirrors, and his first video work, projected on a water vapor fountain. Loris Gréaud presentation is a continuation of a large-scale ongoing project, Cellar Door, which also forms the basis of his major solo show at the Palais de Tokyo, Paris, the ICA in London and Kunst Halle St. Gallen, Switzerland. Finally, Björn Dahlem will show his first exhibit in a national public space titled The Theory of Heaven I – Bright Matter, including two large scale installations and a series of video projections.
Each of these four exhibitions will be accompanied with a publication produced by the Centre. Loris Gréaud´s artist book is co–produced with Sternberg Press, with a text by Daniel Birnbaum. Banks Violette will present his catalogue with a text by Dominic Molon. The catalogues of Manu Arregui and Björn Dahlem will be published later, since their central theme consists of images from the in situ installations.
La Conservera will set the guidelines and management of the other cultural spaces run by the Department of Visual Arts of the Regional Ministry of Culture of the Murcia Region, such as the exhibition hall of the Verónicas church or the Visual Art Space (EAV). As a matter of fact, the latter will be part of the main program, exhibiting artists included in the central series shown at La Conservera.
GRAND OPENING: May 16, 2009 at 19:00h
FIRST SERIES DATES: From May 17, 2009 to August 16, 2009.
ORGANIZATION: Regional Ministry of Culture and Tourism of the Region of Murcia
PROGRAMMING: ABV Arte
ADDRESS: La Conservera, Avenida de Lorquí, s/n. 34562, Ceutí (Murcia).
Tel.: +34 868923132
Email: info [at] laconservera.org
Web: http://www.laconservera.org
Press: prensa [at] laconservera.org
