Blood Wedding
Lita Cabellut visually interprets Federico García Lorca’s theatrical masterpiece
Artika, the Barcelona-based artists’ book publisher, will celebrate the publication of Blood Wedding, its newest book by Spanish artist Lita Cabellut, at an event at La Nacional in New York on February 19, 2020. In this book, with both Spanish and English text, Cabellut visually translates Federico García Lorca’s theatrical masterpiece with 31 previously unpublished figurative drawings.
Blood Wedding, written in 1933, is a true tale of passion, jealousy, persecution and murder in Andalusia. A recounting of the tragic story read by García Lorca in the Spanish newspaper Heraldo de Madrid provoked him to write the play.
“Federico García Lorca is my spiritual guide. I share his passion, energy, and feelings,” says Lita Cabellut. “He is a master of contrasts, vividly capturing the light and the darkness in the souls of all human beings. Human beauty and brutality are the underlying themes in Blood Wedding, a poignant societal critique written with love and understanding.”
Artika’s 120-page, handsewn book, which took four years to complete, is a limited edition run of 1998. The book’s 31 die-cut prints are exact reproductions of the original artwork created for this project and are printed on high quality embossed paper. The prints, which are mounted by hand, are attached to the pages with 3 drops of glue to avoid deterioration and to maintain a high level of integrity. In addition, the unique prints are accompanied by a quote from García Lorca’s text. Each book, which is signed by the artist, contains a notorial deed, numbered by hand that certifies the uniqueness of the piece. The accompanying study book is an overview of Cabellut’s work focusing on her creative evolution and her strong connection to García Lorca. In addition, the study book has all of the 90 works created for the project.
Packaged in a specially designed case that includes the art book, a study book, and a special Amor (Love) print, “Blood Wedding” is valuable work of art and a collector’s item. The front of the case has Cabellut’s drawing of the bride from the García Lorca play and the back is created from copies of paint-rollers that she uses for her work. For Cabellut, the front and back covers are expressions of body and soul, a double look of the same moment; two half-moons of a single sphere. The front and back of the case can be separated and exhibited independently.
“This book has been a unique opportunity for Artika to create a collaboration between Lita Cabellut, one of Spain’s most important contemporary artists, and Federico Garica Lorca, a titan of Spanish literature,” says Marc Buil, Artika Global Director. “For Blood Wedding, Cabellut has managed to transform García Lorca’s words into brushstrokes of love, rage, and passion. She has connected with the play in her own special way. We thank her for her generosity and passion.”
The book’s essays, written by Antoni Vila Casas, president of the Fundació Vila Casas, art critic Robert C Morgan, and critic, scholar and curator Francisco Carpio bring Cabellut’s and García Lorca’s work into sharp focus. Vila Casas writes about his personal relationship with Cabellut while Morgan places Cabellut in an international context by discussing key aspects of her work. García Montero, a García Lorca specialist, discusses the authors oeuvre with special attention given to Blood Wedding.
About Lita Cabellut
Born in Sariñena, Spain in 1961, Lita Cabellut is a multidisciplinary artist who lives in The Hague, Netherlands. Cabellut works in diverse media including paintings, sculpture, photography, video, installation, and scenography. Influenced by Rembrandt, Goya, Francis Bacon and Tàpies, Cabellut is well known for her unique, recognizable style that combines a traditional fresco-like technique with modern paint applications. The cracked surface of her portraits and her defining palette gives a skin and life to the fictional and historical characters she portrays. Throughout her extensive career, she has exhibited her work in New York, Miami, Dubai, Beirut, Paris, London, Berlin, Barcelona, Moscow, Hong Kong, Seoul, Tokyo, New Delhi, and Mumbai.
About Artika
Artika is a fine arts publishing house based in Barcelona. Founded in 2003, the company has produced twenty-six artist books about world-renowned artists including Jaume Plensa, Fernando Botero, Miguel Barceló, Antoni Tàpies, Pablo Picasso, Vincent Van Gogh, Joaquín Sorollo, Antonio Lopez, Joan Miro, Eduardo Chillida, Salvador Dalí, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, Francisco Goya, and Rembrandt van Rijn. The books, which take four years to produce, are meticulously crafted by hand adhering to the highest standards and are valuable works of art and collector’s items.
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