MERMAIDS
Erika Pardo Skoug
Violeta Niebla
Florencia Rojas
Rocío Verdejo
Silvia Álvarez
From 03 Jul to 31 Aug 2014
EL PALMERAL. ESPACIO INICIARTE
CATALOGUE
Although in their original form they were a magical hybrid of woman and bird, latterly, the most common representation of the mythological character that lends its name to the title of this exhibition project for Iniciarte is redefined as a beautiful woman with the tail of a fish instead of legs. Despite this image having changed over time, it has always been linked to the intimate part of all who seek the mysterious and marvellous world underlying conscious life, symbolising the universal search for creative illumination.
Since they tempted Ulysses with their celestial voices, mermaids have maintained an amorous relationship with important poets and fine artists, who did not shy away from using this figure in metaphorical terms, as an image containing two essential elements: women and water; this notion of water/life also appears in the most important biblical and religious myths. But why establish the relationship between woman and the sea (or water)? That is, why use the symbolism of water to address issues of gender? This element generally represents the unconscious, it is the essential source of life, the fertile and creative imagination that possesses the power to purify, regenerate, etc. being associated with baptism and initiation.
As such, we propose expressing the particular nature of women through a selection of works belonging to a roster of artists including Rocío Verdejo, Florencia Rojas, Violeta Niebla and Erika Pardo Skoug. The pieces and ideas taken therefrom allow us to rediscover a new imaginary female figure that explores the different social and emotional stages that the latter experiences throughout her life: the girl, the mother, the hysterical woman, the object of desire, the invisible object, etc., and which often (if not always) is marked by external rules imposed by economic and political factors.
The exhibition is curated by Silvia Álvarez and it contains various texts in its catalogue.
GAlLERY
TAGS
artists
Málaga, 1981
Niebla's work has been exhibited at El Palmeral (Espacio Iniciarte), Procesos Cruzados, Fundación Cruzcampo, GACMA and Museo Carmen Thyssen in Málaga, among other venues. Audiences outside her hometown have also admired her art at Le Dictateur (Milan), Photoboite (New York), Galería Punctum (Mexico City) and Palma Photo 2015.
She was awarded two Iniciarte production grants and a residency at the Centro de la Imagen in Lima, Peru. Niebla and fellow artist Emmanuel Lafont, also received the first production grant offered by Espacio Cienfuegos in Málaga thanks to the INJUVE grants programme.
Argentina, 1984
At an early age she moved to Málaga. In 2008, she moved to Madrid to pursue the “Concept and creation” Masters in photography in EFTI. She was awarded a Leonardo da Vinci scholarship in 2010 to be the assistant to the German artist Andrea Sunder-Plassmann in Berlin. In March 2014, she will unveil her solo exhibition “Vírgenes” in Galería 6+1 (Madrid) which won the VEGAP “Pro-puestas 2012” grant.
She has taken part in numerous group exhibitions, most notably “Last night” in Galería 6+1 (part of the Jugada a 3 bandas programme), “Don`t look at my camera” (Museu da Imagem de Braga, Portugal), MálagaCrea Finalists 2012 and 2011 (CAC) and Cuerpo y Territorio (MAC Salta, Argentina). She was among the photographers selected for Descubrimientos PhotoEspaña in 2012.
Granada, 1982
She studied Audiovisual Communication in the University of Málaga and obtained a Master’s in Photography from the EFTI school of Madrid. She combines her artistic career with her work of producing and managing art in publicity. Her photographs are borne from ideas that are conceived from an intimate point of view.
She takes her own experiences and emotions as her point of reference, re-creating narrative scenes which materialise these experiences. Some of her more prestigious works include: “Quietud” (2008), produced with the help of the INICIARTE grant program, and which is part of the Photogra-phy Centre of Andalusia’s collection. It has also been round the exhibition rooms of Seville, Málaga, Huelva, Córdoba and Valencia; or “Las matemáticas de Dios no son exactas” (2011 - 2012), in the MUPAM (Museo del Patrimonio Municipal de Málaga) in 2011 and is currently going round different exhibition rooms. In addition to several collective expositions, she has participated in Festivals such as Pa-ta-ta 2013 where she was awarded the Festival prize, or Incubarte 2012.
Málaga, 1985
She is a cultural researcher, independent auditor and art critic. She has co-llaborated as a cultural promoter and auditor of international exhibitions for prestigious cultural institutions such as the Picasso Foundation or CAC in Málaga. She has also worked in the department for organising international cinema festivals such as the Seville Festival of European Cinema.
Currently she is the contents director for the Biennial Videoarte VideoAkt, which takes place in Barcelona, Berlin and Paris. She combines this work with her doctoral research in Contemporary Art and New Mediums for the Universidad de Barcelo-na. Her project is outlined by the work of the research group “Art, arquitectura i societat digital”, financed by the Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness.
Málaga, 1980
Bachelor of Fine Arts (2010) and Master in Social Development of Artistic Culture (2011), University of Málaga. Currently lives in Norrköping (Sweden), where she combines her business, Trehundrafemti Design, as well as her work as a teacher at the Waldorf school of Söderköping, with artistic production.
She has taken part in numerous exhibitions in both countries, most recently at the Galleri Kronan (Norrköping), Decembersalong (Katrineholms Konsthall) and Höstsalong (Edsvik Konsthall, Stockholm). In Spain, she has participated in events such as Art & Breakfast (Málaga), Málaga Crea and Loop Barcelona, and has exhibited at venues such as the Isabel Hurley gallery and the exhibition hall of the Faculty of Fine Arts in Málaga.
