24 de January de 2023 Inauguraciones Inaugurations

Opening of “New artist at Sala Rusiñol”

From right to left: Elena Montull (artist), Francesc Navarro (artist), Ignasi Cabanas (director of the Sala Rusiñol), Gerard Martín (artist), Carles Graell (artist), Josep Millàs (artist), Anna Tamayo (artist and art critic in charge of presenting this exhibition).

The exhibition “New artists at the Sala Rusiñol” was presented on 12 January. The exhibition is the result of a public call opened in May last year and where, among the many applicants, we selected the work of these five artists to present, for the first time in the Sala Rusiñol, their recent works. All five are artists with long careers but new to the Sala Rusiñol.

Ignasi Cabanas explained the motivation of this exhibition and its plurality to the large audience in the gallery and to all those who were following us live on Instagram. He then gave the floor to Anna Tamayo, who dedicated a poetic commentary to each of the works presenteds.

After their intervention, the artists were in charge of explaining to those present a brief description of their work.

**Carles Graell** explains that his work is the result of looking for new ways and taking advantage of what the technique gives us, in this case, digital, which is unstoppable. His works are a combination of mixed and digital techniques, as there is a previous collage and acrylic work and finally a digital finish.

Here are some of his works:

**Elena Montull** makes a realistic painting where the female figure is the protagonist. It was during her confinement that this project came about, as the lack of materials led her to experiment with colour. Finally she began to work on large female formats giving positivity and hope through colour.

Some of his works:

Francesc Navarro explains that his painting is seen as it is. He has been fully dedicated to it for 18 years and with it he tries to stimulate memories, happy moments. His works are like windows where he can see everything he sees and how he sees it.

Some of his works:

“Transparencies III” oil/canvas 61×46 cm

Gerard Martín is the youngest of the group. He tries to work on the things that surround him. On this occasion he has presented two collections: people in the street, where he emphasises the movement of people and material elements, in this case a motorbike and a typewriter. His are acrylic paintings with oil paint superimposed on them.

Some of his works:

“Pedestrian crossing I” mixed technique/canvas 54×65 cm

Josep Millàs explains that he has been painting for many years, but that he has been painting exclusively for the last fifteen years. His work has been evolving. Coming from the world of fast painting, his work reflects the things he likes the most. Although his work is figurative, he takes a step beyond classicism.

As an anecdote, he explained that more than thirty years ago he used to come to the Sala Rusiñol to visit the exhibitions of artists he admired and who are no longer with us, and now it is he who exhibits in our art gallery. Now he is the one who exhibits in our art gallery, and we are very happy!

These are some of his works:

“Still life series cotidianis of other times II” acrylic/wood 73×92 cm

More moments of the inauguration:

If you want to see the full exhibition, enter here