Inauguration of Kiku Poch (February 25th 2011)

With an audience that was a joy, Kiku Poch has premiered at the Rusiñol Gallery (“Landscapes lived”). It was his first time though, at the same time, it was not, for it floated in the atmosphere some sort of remembrance… This may be due to the fact that Kiku is the son of painters: without going any further, his mother —well known as Josefina Ripoll— is an old timer of our Gallery.

Of particular interest was the quick profile “4 notes on… Kiku Poch”. During that time we discovered the impressive artistic family of the painter. Also, the clear perception that, since childhood, he had internalized the Mediterranean landscape, perception pervaded by memories of fishing trips with his father in Menorca, on a boat named “Josephine”… It is hardly surprising that the exhibition is entitled “Lived landscapes”.

Josep Mª Cadena: “While admiring the paintings of Kiku, a man told me:”Today, yes I love the painting”. And because this is a heartfelt painting. The painter must know his craft and has the obligation to know how to bring forth the feelings that cause things. This is the case of Kiku Poch. The works we are seeing today describe a number of things he has seen and, above all, are meaningful.

At the Rusiñol Gallery we are always honored to welcome a lineage of painters. In this case, «his parents are both painters as well as his sister. But the father Poch Romeu and the mother Josefina Ripoll, just opened the paths for each one of their children to follow, leaving up to each one of them to choose the one they preferred. This is why I can say that Kiku Poch if completely free in his interpretations of the Mediterranean sea, and that his figurations are his own choice. without ever affecting what actually surrounds him» (from Josep Mª Cadena’s write-up).

Kiku Poch was quite moved and grateful towards the Rusiñol Gallery and Mr. Cadena’s words. «We have here a sample of what I do, which is figurative painting: I am a great advocate. It looks like the times of lines… are going backwards while the figurative style comes back. And what you will see are Mediterranean subjects: Majorca, Menorca, the Provence, the Greek islands… They all have the Mediterranean in common because of their light and colours. They say that my painting transmits joyfulness: I hope this joy will reach you all».

When it was up to the audience to intervene, the painter’s mother stepped forward. Josefina Ripoll wanted to emphasize that the entire Poch family has always had a lust for painting and colours. And… in connection with the colours, the painter was asked whether all his paintings were painted at the same hour of the day, because they all have the same romantic and warm light. «Indeed», he answered, «most of those you will see have been painted late in the evening, at dusk».