EXHIBITIONS

Juan Tapia

“Throughout my entire career, I have always been very conscious of the way in which each pictorial movement explored expressiveness, and that has enabled me to enrich my photographic universe.
In this exhibition one can spot the works that reflect those influences. For example, there are images where controlled camera movements and distortions in water create easily recognizable traces of Impressionism. In other images I opted for aggressive camera movements, which represent the ideas of Abstractionism, a realm in which shapes and colors are stressed.
I have also captured the essence of the surreal. For the Surrealists, the most absolute truth lay in dreams, reflections of the artist’s inner worlds. Some of my photographs engender the type of visual metaphors that open the door to that imaginary world, such as those two flowers that bring two dancers to mind, or the drawings on the greenhouse sheets that transport us to the heights of snow-capped peaks, or those fissures in beach sands that seem to want to lure us into a lush forest.
I have also kept Symbolism very much in mind. For that movement, the key was to convey intangible messages, such as the axe gash in the eucalyptus trunk, which looks more like a bleeding wound and transcends the material to speak of pain”.

Juan Tapia

Juan Tapia is a farmer who has managed to find his place in the world of photography solely thanks to the quality of his work. This Almerian native’s search for images that transcend the merely visual has led him to win the admiration of the general public, as well as the respect of the most seasoned photographers.

His training began in 2002 at the photography school in his hometown, Roquetas de Mar. There he consolidated his knowledge and discovered his calling in the world of nature photography.

Throughout his 20 years as an amateur photographer, his photographs have earned him major awards in national and international competitions, such as Montphoto, Memorial María Luisa, Fotocam, Asférico, European Wildlife Photographer GDT or Wildlife Photographer of the Year.

He has published in several magazines, including Seobirdlife, Iris, Lnh, and El Paisaje Perfecto, and has also participated in books such as El arte de fotografiar la naturaleza and Paraísos Naturales “una visión creativa” (Natural Paradises “a creative vision”) with the Portfolio Natural collective. He is co-author of the book Pinceladas de Luz “dos caminos hacia la creatividad” (Brushstrokes of Light “two paths to creativity”).

Tapia has taught in person workshops since 2015, where he shows the techniques and processes with which he works. He has also participated as a lecturer in our country’s most important nature photography conventions.

At present he is participating in two important exhibitions that are touring Spain as a member of the Portfolio Natural Collective: ABSTRACT and PICTIO, en la compañía de la pintura (PICTIO, in the company of painting).

www.juantapiafotografia.com

Memoria habitada

“Inhabited Memory” (The House of Stone) is composed of photos, informational displays, an audiovisual element, and two large-scale models. This exhibition aims to recover one of the most important aspects of the Canary Islands’ cultural heritage and landscape: the traditional architecture of the rural environment, characterized by its diversity and adaptability to the islands’ geographical context.
This architecture also encapsulates a wide range of knowledge, practices, and socio-economic realities closely related to agriculture and livestock farming.
Cave houses, straw houses, simple single-story or two-story homes, and haciendas. Generally, these constructions were located in privileged landscapes from a scenic and environmental perspective, in rural landscapes historically linked to primary activities. However, since the mid-20th century and as a result of the change in economic model, the development of infrastructure, and new social norms, substantial changes have occurred in architectural styles.
The creation of this exhibition was made possible by the intricate photographic and illustrative works of David Olivera and Santiago Alemán, respectively, as well as the technical advice of Walkirio González, former professor of Technical Architecture at the University of La Laguna.

Sugar Tax

Art, recycling, and protest all come together at the San Francisco Convent in this exhibition by South African artist Mbongeni Buthelezi. In it, he blends recycled plastics—the central axis of his work—with sugary soft drinks, which he believes poison our environment and cause numerous health problems. Watercolors also occupy an important place in his work.

As if using a palette knife canvas, Buthelezi works with pieces of plastic that are cut into small pieces. He does this to raise awareness around environmental issues, our overconsumption of containers, and a lack of institutional engagement with these matters. He cuts the plastics into small fragments that he then glues onto the canvas one by one, creating different textures that engender countless sensations.