Solo exhibition Conchi Alvarez artist and curator, from 31th of August until 4th of November
This is a present theme in the work of this artist and also curator for many years. Along thirty or so paintings, one goes through different stories that the artist began to tell already in the decade of the 90´s, and in which she still continues working, and this is affirmed by the fact that as part of the exhibition there are two paintings still in process of execution. The common denominator is the glance that the author has towards the children, showing us her personal vision of childhood, either from portraits that are all a story by themselves, or from pieces that are part of a particular series, such as “Stories of Dafne”. The young Dafne, since she was born, became an authentic muse for her aunt, the artist, providing her of an inexhaustible source of inspiration, a young girl that has always enjoyed this, and that is the personification of innocence and the best children’s values. In the series there are moments of beauty, humour and sympathy, and in it, the story of “Dafne and Luis” is included, a touching tale about the friendship of two young children, moments of fresh, genuine, innocent, full of beauty, many of them lived in a small village of tale, Castromembibre (Valladolid), where the family gathers with friends during the summers.
In the exhibition there are three photographs with children’s portraits details in which Daphne and Luis also appear, as the two children are among the characters of the only mural performed to date by Conchi Alvarez: “La Casa de la Buena Gente” (“The House of the Good People”) in Estepona. A canvas, as it is called by the residents of “Tres Banderas”, in which it is located in this huge acrylic of 80 square meters, which led to three months of work and countless moments of satisfaction for the author.
Special interest has one of the most prolific and beloved themes by the artist and that are the one concerning children and Easter. For this author, the preferred focus is the brotherhood world during Holy Week Procession, that gives life to this annual theatrical performance and with special attention to the role that in it have the children, constituting a subject in which she has been working for several years and which is gaining more and more prominence in her production. There are many sketches, in acrylic on paper, capturing moments, like photographic snapshot mode, in which it is like a parade gallery of emotions and attitudes of these small brotherhoods of the Holy Week Procession, Cofradía Salutación from Malaga, the three brotherhoods from Estepona, Amor, Cautivo and Veracruz, and the Preciosísima Sangre from Valladolid, in which young Dafne is the exception protagonist. Several of the works exhibited, are part of the exhibition “Vertices of the passion”, in this same STOA Art Gallery, between March and June of 2015.
The techniques are varied, oils on board, acrylic on panel and paper, pastel painting and photographs also on paper, dominating the medium- and small-format works.
BOY IN RED
Photograph of one detail of the mural “The house of the Good People” in acrylic on wall. 40 x 30 cm
Photograph of one detail of the mural “The house of the Good People” in acrylic on wall. 40 x 30 cm
THE GIRL IN THE ARMS OF HER MOTHER
Photograph of one detail of the mural “The house of the Good People” in acrylic on wall. 40 x 30 cm
Visit and activities of 50 Primary pupils (9-10 years old), accompanied by five teachers, of the Sotogrande International School. Teaching activity 3 hours. They saw the exhibition, familiarized themselves with the facilities of STOA, the artist herself, Conchi Alvarez, explained the themes of the shows and curiosities about the paintings. The children asked and interacted with the artist. Then they made their own work inspired by the exhibition.