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Culture brings artist Diana Larrea to Sala Veronicas with ‘I exist, you exist, we exist’.

Larrea brings to the space of the Institute of Cultural Industries and the Arts the result of the works she makes inspired by the research and dissemination she is doing in social networks in recent years on women artists since the Middle Ages and have a high component of disclosure to publicize these creators who are virtually unknown to society as a whole.

The general director of the Institute of Cultural Industries and the Arts, José Ramón Palazón, visited the work of mounting the pieces in the Verónicas Hall this week and stressed that “Diana Larrea will present the creations made from the research and work that began four years ago to publicize and give value to women artists since the Middle Ages.”

Three works based on the same discourse and inspired by the ‘online’ artistic action that Diana Larrea has been carrying out since 2017 through her personal profile on social networks will be on display at the Sala Verónicas. The action is called ‘Such a day like today’ and is a hybrid work of historical research and cultural dissemination.

Diana Larrea (Madrid, 1972) is a multidisciplinary visual artist who throughout a long professional career has used in her works different plastic languages such as installation, video, photography, urban interventions or drawing. Within the diversity and versatility of her artistic proposals, she has always maintained a personal commitment to certain symbolic conflicts, both contemporary and from the historical past.

His artistic projects have been awarded grants and prizes by various institutions and his works have been exhibited at the Museu Nacional do Conjunto Cultural da Republica in Brasilia (Brazil), at the National Centre of Contemporary Art in Moscow (Russia), the Kunsthall Charlottenborg in Copenhagen (Denmark), at the Sala kubo-kutxa in Donostia (Basque Country), at the EACC Espai d’Art Contemporani de Castelló, at the Espai 13 of the Fundació Joan Miró in Barcelona, at the Centre del Carme Cultura Contemporanea (Valencia), at the Fundació Sa Nostra and the Casal Solleric in Palma de Mallorca, at the Centro Cibeles (Madrid), at Tabacalera Promoción del Arte (Madrid) and at the CA2M Centro de Arte Dos de Mayo of the Community of Madrid.

His work has also been seen at international fairs such as PULSE New York Contemporary Art Fair, MACO México arte contemporáneo and CIGE 5th China International Gallery Exposition (Beijing) and last year he presented his creations at ARCO 2020 with the Espacio Mínimo Gallery. His work is present in relevant collections such as the Marcelino Botín Foundation (Santander), the MACUF Contemporary Art Museum Unión FENOSA (A Coruña), the Consejo Superior de Deportes (Ministry of Education and Science), the Unicaja Contemporary Art Collection (Málaga), the BBVA Foundation, the National Library (Madrid), or the Centro de Arte Dos de Mayo CA2M of the Community of Madrid in Móstoles.

The Arts and Culture Award of La Rioja goes to Micaela Pérez Sáenz

Micaela Pérez Sáenz, director of the Provincial Historical Archive of La Rioja, has been recognized with the Award for Arts and Culture of La Rioja 2021. The evaluation committee chaired by the Minister Pedro Uruñuela has ruled the award to a woman recognized throughout her extensive professional history for her tireless and passionate work at the head of the Archive and for the preservation, cataloging and dissemination of the written heritage of the region.

With her, also, the milestone of distinguishing for the first time a woman with this recognition, which is awarded to outstanding personalities of the Culture and Art of the region since 1998, is fulfilled.

For the jury that made the decision, and for the Government of La Rioja itself, as the institution that officiates at the recognition and presentation of the Award, the granting of the Award to Micaela Pérez Sáenz represents an enormous pride and a necessary recognition of a woman who has developed for decades an undeniable and always discreet work in favour of the historical heritage of La Rioja, from the perspective of an enormous vocation for public service and absolute love for her professional performance.

Recently retired, her mark is imprinted not only in the leadership of the Provincial Historical Archive and in the cataloguing and conservation of its collections, but also in the work of support and collaboration with researchers and individuals, and in the enhancement of the entity itself and its workers and resources over the years. Micaela Pérez has also stood out for her collaboration over the years with a wide range of artistic initiatives, to which she has contributed her predisposition and knowledge.

Micaela Pérez Sáenz was born in Logroño on May 10, 1955. As a child she emigrated to Zaragoza with her family and returned to her city after obtaining a position as a civil servant in the Archive. She studied Philosophy and Arts, specializing in Art History, because she wanted to devote herself to the conservation of historical heritage.

With a discreet character that displays enormous humanity, she has always been passionate about her profession and, as she has said on occasion, she considers herself “a servant of the Public Administration, of the citizens and of historians”. In all these years she has never ceased to defend the importance of cataloguing historical collections and preserving the good condition of the building that houses them because “without archives there is no memory”.

The evaluation committee

The name of Micaela Pérez Sáenz has been chosen by the evaluation committee of the Arts Award from a shortlist of three finalists. This committee, chaired by the counselor Pedro Uruñuela, has also counted with the participation of the general director of Culture, Ana Zabalegui; the councilor of Culture of the City of Logroño, Mamen Urquía, the deputy of the Parliament of La Rioja, Nuria del Río; the teacher and director of the Casa de la Danza, Perfecto Uriel; the photographer and director of the Casa de la Imagen, Jesús Rocandio, and the teacher and member of the Ateneo Riojano, Soraya Tejada.

The official award ceremony will take place in the near future at a place to be determined. Likewise, among other novelties, the Committee has decided to modify the name of the award by adding the word ‘Culture’ to become: Arts and Culture Award; and to propose that the award be given annually.

Culture, art, flamenco, literature… in mourning, Caballero Bonald has left us.

We have lost a Caballero and not only because it is in his surname, José Manuel Caballero Bonald. Flamenco, art, culture …. have lost a great poet, where the arte jondo was a fundamental part of his life, and is an essential part of the culture of the jondo.

Although the Jerez-born (11/11/1926) was over ninety years old, the world and flamenco need his wisdom in perpetuity.

To him we owe productions such as “Luces y Sombra”, a jewel of a flamenco essay he wrote in 1975 and which has several reeditions; “El cante andaluz” or “El baile andaluz”, are other titles that add to his library of commitment to our culture. Special mention needs the Archivo de Cante Flamenco where he was recording hidden songs full of essence, reflected visually with Velázquez Gaztelu in Rito y Geografía del Cante.

Favorite son of Andalusia and Cervantes Prize … and a dozen more awards that endorse his literary and flamenco career, although the more than deserved Nobel Prize was missing.

He was able to boast of knowing great flamenco artists with whom he forged friendships, his life was not understandable without flamenco, without the “jondo” (deep). Hence his passion for another part of the flamenco-andalusian culture through his works, conferences, record productions, lyrics…

On May 9, 2021 at the age of 94, a great Gentleman left us, and we insist again, not only because of his surname, but we have the satisfaction that he leaves us an enormous literary heritage, where flamenco has gained value and that thanks to God will be eternal in time.