Estel Boada. Courtesy of the artist.

INTERCESSIONS. PERFORMANCE CYCLE X TARA FOR WOMEN

Art Madrid celebrates its 19th edition from March 6 to 10, 2024 at the Galería de Cristal of the Palacio de Cibeles. During the Art Week, Art Madrid becomes an exhibition platform for national and international galleries and artists. With the intention of creating a space of expression for emerging artists, our fair has joined forces with the Tara For Women Foundation, which, in its mission to empower and strengthen talented women, becomes a collaborator of Art Madrid's renewed Parallel Program with the Performance Cycle: Intercessions X Tara For Women.

PERFORMANCE STAND, BY ME. ESTEL BOADA

Saturday - March 8 - 19:00h. Galería de Cristal of the Palacio de Cibeles.

They say that in order to succeed, a stand has to be well located, innovative, tidy, have a good, clean and clear image, we can't let it go unnoticed, it has to stand out from the competition, generate curiosity and space for personal interaction. Well, after 19 years, the perfect stand has arrived, he doesn't know it yet, but it has been an exclusive creation to stand out at the fair.

Performance of Pfff Historia d'una Fitball. Documentation. 2023.

His name is Stanley, he is 19 years old and he is... human.

Stand, by Me is a performance that wants to address the responsibility and the position of an art fair stand in an ironic and burlesque way.

"Stanley", our main character, created to live and die at the fair, doesn't know what the outside is, but he knows all about the strengths and weaknesses of this mobile architecture.

Unlike his family made of plasterboard, wood, glass and PVC, Stanley is human matter and therefore feels different from the rest. He tries to be like the rest of the stands: smooth, straight, monotonous, silent... But it is impossible, he has to understand that his strength is his uniqueness.

Through a corporal and vocal exploration, she finds the way to express herself and communicate with others, generating curiosity, empathy and humor.

Stand, By Me. Documentation. 2024.

ABOUT THE ARTIST

ESTEL BOADA. Mataró, Barcelona, 1991

Estel Boada is a multifaceted artist who addresses past, present and future issues in an ironic and burlesque way. Trained in Fine Arts, her work includes design, drawing, performance, among others... After studying Fine Arts, she is interested in design, drawing, performance, space, collectivity and voice. Playing with humor, absurdity and trash, Estel always ends up talking in a burlesque way about her life as a frustrated diva. Her performances include "Kslkkda" (Virreina and Can Balaguer), "Vital el Musical" (Antic Teatre + NyamNyam), "Esperit de Clor" at MAC (Mataró), "El Hechizo" (Residencia #Ey!MAD), "De Kathedraal: historia de la construcción" (Nau Estruch) and "PERTÚ (la ofrenda)", awarded by BCN Producció-La Capella, among others. His performance "Stand, by Me" ironizes the responsibility and position of an art fair stand by personifying "Stanley", a human being in a context designed for material structures. The work highlights uniqueness versus uniformity in the art world.

Aurelio San Pedro

CONVERSATIONS WITH MARISOL SALANOVA. INTERVIEW PROGRAM. ART MADRID'25

Aurelio San Pedro (Barcelona, 1983) draws with great delicacy, focusing his attention on natural settings and favoring black and white. Memory plays a crucial role in his creative process, which is based on treating recollection as a means of artistic expression. His background in engineering and topography influences his search for inspiring images, helping him select the ideal landscapes—ones that stem from both real and imagined places.

Each of his pieces follows a slow and meticulous process, requiring deep introspection. Paper is almost a fetish for him; both the areas he chooses to intervene in and those he leaves blank hold equal importance. He navigates between abstraction and figuration while maintaining a distinctive and deeply resonant style.

Return to Oneself. From the series Books and Landscapes. 2024. Mixed media. 100 x 100 cm.

What role does experimentation play in your creative process?

Experimentation is fundamental in my creative process, both conceptually and aesthetically. My work evolves in parallel with unfolding events, gradually shaping what will become the final piece. However, in terms of production, the role of experimentation depends heavily on the series I am working on at the time.

For example, in the Books series, which is created using book fragments, three-dimensionality is essential. While working on it, I encountered trial and error, residue, simplification, and the streamlining of processes.

In contrast, when it comes to drawings, physical experimentation is much less pronounced. However, there are still discoveries, searches for tools, trials, and shifts within the working process. For instance, in Landscapes, I use a pencil with three extenders that measures about fifty to sixty centimeters. In my two latest series, Iceland and Nature, I had to learn how to move and position myself within nature, while also refining my drawing technique significantly.

Always Stumbled Upon the Same Stone.Detail. From the series Books and Landscapes. 2024. Mixed media. 10 x 19 cm.

What are your references?

I cannot pinpoint specific aesthetic influences, but I can mention those who have left a mark on my artistic journey. First and foremost, my father, due to his connection with art and architecture. I also had the privilege of learning for a year in the studio of Antoni Marqués, a renowned Catalan artist.

Historically, the works of Magritte and Joseph Kosuth have had a profound influence on me. Formally, I find a certain connection with Arte Povera, and I identify with minimalism.

Twenty Dark Episodes. 2024. From the series Books and Landscapes. Mixed media. 100 x 100 cm.

How do memory and recollection influence your drawings?

Much of my work, if not all, is rooted in memory. I began with the Diane series, a collection of pencil drawings based on old photographs by Diane Arbus. In these drawings, I removed the main subjects, leaving only the backgrounds. They were complemented by diptychs that included descriptions of the absent characters, the location where the photograph was taken, and the year. This approach created a dialogue between presence and absence, exploring themes of memory and recollection.

Later, I worked on Landscapes, a much more ethereal series in which I sought to represent an idealized and undefined image through personal memory. Currently, I am developing Nature and Iceland, projects that reflect on natural memory in relation to the landscape’s own form.

I am interested in posing questions such as: How did this rock end up here? How was this meandering river formed? A simple landscape holds countless traces and processes. For me, that is the essence of memory in my work.

ST.3. From the series Iceland. 2024. Pencil on paper. 120 x 100 cm.

How long does it take you to complete your works?

The time I dedicate to each piece depends mainly on its complexity and specific characteristics. Generally, I spend between two and four weeks on each piece, with an average of about three weeks. This varies, as some works require more time for reflection, adjustments, or details, while others emerge more fluidly. The diversity of the creative process is what makes the difference, each piece has its own demands and rhythms, making every artistic experience unique.

Return to Oneself. From the series Books and Landscapes. 2024. Mixed media. 100 x 100 cm.

Why do you choose to work in black and white?

I am deeply drawn to black and white for its timelessness. This visual approach not only eliminates distractions but also removes certain details that might diminish the work’s mystery, allowing the viewer to focus on the essential. The absence of color and the diffuse light I use contribute to a sense of distortion and vagueness, which, to me, enhances the enigmatic nature of the image.

By omitting volume and color, I create an atmosphere that invites interpretation, leaving room for the viewer to project their own narrative onto what they see. This quality of uncertainty and suggestion is what I find so powerful about working in black and white.

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