Until the 7th, the main hall of Santurtzi's Casa Torre will feature the Aquí y ahora exhibition by Akiarte, an art collective formed by experienced painters José Abel, José María Pinto, and Jon Mao. Each artist possesses a distinct and marked style, and they decided to unite their talents. This exhibition marks the collective's first public presentation.
The objective of the Akiarte project is to make the world of painting more accessible to the public. To achieve this, they offer free visits to the creation studios of the three painters, allowing people to gain detailed insight into their creative processes. The organizers highlighted that the exhibition in Santurtzi has been complemented with a guided tour.
“"This exhibition is Akiarte's presentation, and our goal is to bring the world of painting as close as possible. We can't think of a better way to do it than with an exhibition that, in Santurtzi's case, we've complemented with a guided tour of the show."
The Aquí y ahora exhibition reveals three distinct worlds, three very different and personal ways of conceiving painting. This makes the experience of visiting the exhibition highly enriching, allowing viewers to enjoy a diversity of styles and perspectives not found in other shows.
“"The difference between the styles of the three painters is what people are enjoying the most, according to their feedback. The fact that each of us has such a distinct style is a bonus for the exhibition."
José Abel contributes with works that offer a vision of urban and industrial art, closely linked to Ezkerraldea. He employs techniques such as burning the canvas and fusing materials like lead to add relief and texture. Among the works brought to Santurtzi are landscapes of cities like Budapest, Shanghai, and London, as well as more local scenes such as the estuary in Erandio and a panoramic view of Petronor. Abel states that he has always been an industrial painter, and this is reflected in his canvases, which, despite depicting current scenes, are imbued with his childhood memories of industrial Bilbao.
Meanwhile, José María Pinto is an expert in painting scenes that evoke memories. After completing a work, he uses a “sweeping” technique that subtly blurs the image, giving it a personal touch that transports the viewer to a dreamlike world. Pinto aims to convey the fleeting nature of life and the transience of memories through this technique, which requires him to work very quickly to prevent the paint from drying before the sweeping is applied.
In the case of painter and muralist Jon Mao, his works in Aquí y ahora transport the viewer to the East through sumi-e drawings, Japanese ink painting. However, Mao has also added a Western touch to this Japanese spirit with plain metal backgrounds. The artist explains that these works connect with both Japan and the Cantabrian Sea, representing a shift in his creative perspective. Mao, renowned in his hometown for iconic murals in Santurtzi's fishing port and the tribute to Eskorbuto in Mamariga, expresses his pride in presenting Akiarte in his native town.
Santurtzi's Casa Torre is the first stop on what is hoped to be an extensive tour. Currently, the Aquí y ahora exhibition is expected to arrive in Leioa soon.
