We begin the start of spring with the recommendation of the 7 Art Highlights for April. A month that gets underway hosting great annual fairs around the world.
April blossoms with the second edition of Barcelona Wine Week, a fair that was a great success in 2020. The Art Brussels, painting the Belgian capital with contemporary magic, as well as receiving the award-winning photographs of the World Press Photo 2022. The figures of Gaudí and Romy Schneider are honoured for their genius creativity, and the actress for her rebelliousness and courage in the world of film. The Gran Teatre del Liceu is celebrating its 150th anniversary this year, and they wanted to share its history with more than a hundred other Catalan museums. Finally, the Vitra Design Museum invites us to reflect on how harmful it is to use non-recyclable products, showing projects to keep the planet safe. Let’s dive into the recommendation of the 7 Art Highlights of April 2022!
The long-awaited second edition of Barcelona Wine Week
For the second year, Barcelona will once again host the Barcelona Wine Week (BWW), promoting and highlighting sustainability in land and products. After a good result in the first edition in 2020, they want to continue bringing the quality of Spanish wineries around the world. In this way, they contribute to exploring national and international wine markets, creating links between guests and exhibitors.
Currently, in Spain there are around 150 autochthonous grape varieties, and thanks to BWW they are given greater visibility. In addition, it shows the cultivation method used, which contributes to environmental preservation and ends with resistant vineyards. Marta Macías, Project Manager of Barcelona Wine Week, believes that working the land in this way is a benchmark for fighting against climate change, which is essential at the show.
Nojae, one of the 100% natural elderflower liqueurs
Wine tourism has an enormous potential, not only because it allows us to bring the product closer to the consumer at first hand, but also because it values and transmits the inherent attributes of wine on a cultural, social, sustainability and experiential level – Javier Pagés, president of BWW and the Cava DO.
The fair has a Tasting Area, where visitors can sample a variety of wines on display.
This edition will bring together more than 400 companies and distributors, and more than 600 wineries in Hall 8 of the Montjuic exhibition centre at Fira de Barcelona. From small, family-run companies to big names, many of which are yet to be discovered, as we live in a country rich in wine, where we are offered unique tasting experiences. As in the first edition, the space is structured in two areas: BWW Lands, with D.O. wineries, as well as organic wines. And on the other hand, BWW Groups & Complements, with large winemaking groups together with companies offering services to the sector.
When: From 4 to 6 April 2022.
Where: Av. Reina Maris Cristina, s/n, Recinte Montjuic, Barcelona
Timetable: Day 4 and 5 from 10.00h to 19.00h. Day 6 from 10.00h to 17.00h
Contemporary art is drawn in the city of Brussels
To end the month, Art Brussels returns to the scene to celebrate its 38th edition. It is a very special return, as it is a return to the on-site event, and will host a great international and national line-up of renowned and unknown artists. In addition, there has been a great increase in the SOLO section with 34 participants, out of the 156 galleries that are presented in the different categories. Nele Verhaeren, director of Art Brussels, acknowledges that, after years of waiting, high expectations for exciting art shows are expected. The artists, along with the galleries and the fair organisers themselves, have been working hard to offer visitors an enriching and profound visit with different visions of art and the unique essence of each artist.
Artists Daniela and Linda Dostálková to perform at Piktogram Gallery
The works will be presented in its four main sections: Prime, where established artists in the art world are contacted. From showing modern art to the most contemporary. Here we find galleries such as Albarrán Bourdais or Axel Vervoordt. The youngest, those who are just starting out with their first works, also have their own space within the fair in Discovery. The presence of the newcomers is very present, and in this way, art lovers can get to know and see how the new artists evolve from their origins. In addition to capturing and feeling the potential they transmit when it comes to creating. For example, the textile work of Elen Braga and the paintings of Julien Saudubray, or the graphic designs of the Venezuelan artist Dayana Lucas.
Sangue-Luz + Dulce Espina Dorada by Dayana Lucas, artist presented this year at Art Brussels by Lehmann + Silva Gallery.
Sorry were closed gallery will be present at the fair with its artist Josh Sperling. Presenting works such as Do or Die, 2016
The Rediscovery section gives the opportunity to highlight current or past artists, living or deceased, who are little known, forgotten or neglected. Many painters, sculptors, designers, etc, during the 19th century, have suffered little recognition in the artistic sector when their works were of quality. The fourth section, Invited, inaugurated in 2019, welcomes guest artists who break with the traditional model and are international references. Within the section we find Pictograma or Galería Suprainfinit. Finishing the tour with the subcategory Solo, a section where the individual projects of different artists are shown.
When: From 28 April until 1 May 2022.
Where: Avenue du Port 86c, Brussels, Belgium
Hours: Thursday from 11.00h to 17.00h and from 17.00h to 22.00h. Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 11.00h to 19.00h.
Tickets: You can purchase tickets here.
Gaudí: genius and artist returns to France fifty years later
This April, the Museum d’Orsay will host Gaudí, the first major exhibition dedicated to Antoni Gaudí in France in fifty years. This museum immersion offers a journey through many of the artist’s great creations, showing objects that have never before been brought to France. As well as a new approach to his career, moving away from the clichés that have defined him for years. For the Catalan artist was not a genius out of his time; in the international context there were also Auguste Rodin, Geoffroy-Dechaume and William Morris. Gaudí was perhaps not the only one at that time who revolutionised the new art, but his magic when it came to creating, shone and stood out with power.
When Gaudí arrived in Barcelona in 1868, Catalan society was gradually transforming, growing and forming. And he knew how to capture and show all this through his works. In this way, the city of Barcelona welcomed him to give him the opportunity to be recognised in time. Visitors can take a look at his entire artistic career, from his early projects, where he helped other artists in their works, observe the foyer furniture on the main floor of the Casa Milà, the tapices made by Jujol for the Floral Games of 1907, to the creation of his iconic Sagrada Família.
Inside the exhibition there is a variety of figures and designs created by Gaudí. In addition to drawings on sheets of paper and notebooks, where his creative ideas are reflected. Ferran Nadeu
The relationship between the artist and the Güell family began after the construction of the Pabellones de Pedralbes. They connected in such a way that even today you can still enjoy the palace, the park and the temple that bathe Barcelona in a unique art, connected with nature. This relationship led Gaudí to present an exhibition in Paris in 1910 in which he presented models, drawings and photographs of his creations, and all this, which has not been exhibited since then, can be enjoyed again.
When: From 12 April until 17 July 2022.
Where: 1 Rue de la Légion d’Honneur, Paris, France
Hours: Friday to Wednesday from 9.30h to 18.00h. Thursday from 9.30h to 21.45h
Tickets: You can purchase tickets here.
Romy Schneider, girl and woman on and off the screen
Chanel returns to the museums with her iconic garments, but this time to remember the figure of the actress Romy Schneider in an exhibition at Cinémathèque Française. The actress, best known for her role as Sissi, was a great admirer of Alain Delon, Luchino Visconti and Gabrielle Chanel, and was able to be dressed by the latter. In this way, the French house has lent a tweed suit from the Autumn-Winter 1961-62 Haute Couture collection similar to the one worn by Schneider in the film Boccace 70.
The tweed suit from the French house is a highlight of the exhibition. Romy Schneider was lucky enough to be in contact with Chanel, wearing her clothes and conveying an elegant and classy figure.
In her early days in the world of cinema, viewers were able to capture the image of a naïve young woman, showing beauty and a girlish face. But, behind this, she also revealed her taste for rebelliousness, risk-taking and the way she broke with the stereotypes of the perfect princess. Reinventing herself, surprising great figures such as Orson Welles and Claude Sautet, who both spoke of her genius and virtuosity. With this new silhouette, and leaving behind the iconic Sissi, she was introduced to Chanel, whom she admired for her elegance and poise. From that moment on, she enjoyed wearing Chanel garments on and off screen.
During the tour of the exhibition, visitors can remember and discover the career of the actress, her work, her art and her struggle to perform.
Chanel taught me everything without ever giving me advice. Chanel is not a designer like the others, because it is all coherent, logical, ordered: like the Doric order or the Corinthian order, there is a Chanel order, with its reasons, its rules, its rigours. It is an elegance that pleases the mind even more than the eyes – Romy Schneider.
In addition to the physical Chanel costume, you can also see designs and ideas on paper for many of the dresses Schneider wore.
In this way, visitors will be able to explore and get to know who Romy Schneider was outside and inside the world of film. From when she was a child, and followed her parents into the world of films, how she came to fame through her portrayal of the Empress of Austria, and how she ventured beyond that childish figure, embarking on more serious films, showing sensuality and sophistication. The exhibition aims to show the different facets that we find in a single person throughout life. There are comings and goings, lights and shadows, as well as decisive moments that break with routine and stability. Scheneider fought against all this, and this is how they pay tribute to him.
When: From 16 March to 31 July 2022.
Where: 51 Rue de Bercy, Paris, France
Hours: Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday from 12.00h to 19.00h. Saturday and Sunday from 11.00h to 20.00h. Tuesday closed
Tickets: You can purchase tickets here.
Valour, tradition and hope framed in Photographs
A picture is worth a thousand words, and that is why, every year, the World Press Photo (WPP), a photojournalism contest where the most impressive photographs are awarded. To pay tribute to the 24 winners, already named, and to allow citizens to see them in person, the Nieuwe Kerk in Amsterdam will once again host the images in the WPP Exhibition 2022.
Sudan Protest by Faiz Abubakr Mohamed, the winning project in the Single in Africa category. The jury highlighted the image of young Sudanese people fighting for their human rights, showing their values and courage as they stand unprotected against the military.
This year, unlike in previous years, the World Press Photo Foundation wanted to go a step further, offering a geographical balance. Dividing the four categories, Single, Stories, Long-Term Projects and Open Format, into six regions: Africa, Asia, Europe, North and Central America, South America, Southeast Asia and Oceania. Thus, they have provided equality in representing and showing different perspectives from all corners of the world. Diversity of interpretations, giving a vision of climatic difficulties, of social demands or of the different cultures that inhabit the planet.
Endless War by Dar Yasin, Honourable Mention. Disputes between India and Pakistan have been ongoing since independence from Britain in 1947. The territory of Kashmir continues to be claimed by both nations, harming and causing suffering to the people of Kashmir.
The photographs give voice to injustices, seeking to make all those who are looking at the image reflect. Conveying the conflicts that humanity faces, and that, without the work of photojournalists, many of the stories told would not be known to us. Reviewing some of the winning images, we find in the Africa section, Protests in Sudan by Faiz Abubakr Mohamed. Here a protester returns a tear gas canister that had been fired by the country’s police. Citizens marched demanding civilian rule, but were met with violence. Similarly, in Asia, photographer Dar Yasin, has been awarded an honourable mention for his work War Without End, showing the unrest between India and Pakistan.
Amid high mortality rates, black women turn to midwives, by Sarah Reingewirtz. The photojournalist tells the story of and gives insight into marginalised communities. In this case, she illustrates the struggle of black women to have a safe birth, because the medical system does not give them confidence.
The Promise by Irina Werning, awarded in the category Stories of South America. The photographer creatively captures the importance and meaning of hair for Antonella.
In Europe, the Ukraine Crisis has been followed since 2014, when the Kremlin forces seized Crimea. The photographer Guillaume Herbaut has been in charge of presenting this collection with the photographic journey of almost eight years. In the region of North and Central America we find the representation of black women who, as a result of bad practices in health centres, find themselves without confidence when going to hospitals to give birth to babies. racism is still present even in such delicate moments as these, and the photographer Sara Reingewirtz gives voice to this problem.
Saving forests with fire by Matthew Abbott. Fire, if strategically controlled, can help prevent large fires. This practice by indigenous Australians is called cold burning. Small, slow moving fires that only burn undergrowth that can fuel larger fires.
As for South America, and Oceania, in the first continent, the photographer Irina Werning shows the story of Antonella, a 12-year-old girl who promised to cut her hair, the thing she loved most, when the pandemic allowed her to return to school. During 2020 many millions of children were unable to keep their classes due to lack of resources, and poor technological connectivity, and this set back education in many countries. Finally, in Oceania, Matthew Abbott has portrayed how indigenous tribes in Australia use fire to keep the environment safe. With traditional knowledge they prevent lethal forest fires.
When: From 15 April to 14 August 2022.
Where: De Dam, 1012 Amsterdam, Netherlands
Opening hours: Monday to Sunday from 10.00h to 18.00h
Tickets: You can buy tickets here.
Saying goodbye to the plastic era to welcome recycling
Vitra Design Museum returns to our lists, this time claiming and alerting us to the need for sustainability with the exhibition Plastic: Remaking Our World. Materials produced with plastic were symbols of everyday life during the 20th century, but their excessive production and environmental wear and tear went unnoticed. Now the situation is different, there is more awareness of the poor state of the oceans and forests, and to counteract this poor state, sustainable projects are created to improve little by little. In this way, Vitra offers a tour where visitors can delve into the origins of the plastic era, how to combat the waste that pollutes the planet and the need for recycling.
Plastic, a material that is easy to use and cheaper than others, reached its peak in the middle of the last century. It was used to manufacture thousands of products that we still have today. Bettina Matthiessen
The exhibition features thousands of different pieces, related to the origin of plastic, and the new projects initiated to recycle and promote sustainability. Bettina Matthiessen
At the start of the exhibition, a large video installation illustrates the problems of the excessive use of plastic. It then begins the historical journey, showing its development in the mid-19th century and its introduction into the everyday life of citizens from 1945 onwards. At the same time, many of the architects of the time saw that the material was ideal for construction. Moving on in the exhibition, we come to a section where they reflect on how to deal with the world crisis created by the consumption and use of the material. In this part they show projects such as The Ocean Clean Up or The Great Bubble Barrier, which aim to clean up seas and rivers.
The excess of plastic production facilitated the creation of companies, but the consequences of its use for the environment is very harmful, and from the exhibition they give that vision. Leaving the past behind in order to face the future in a better way, wanting to save them from the debris that damages the planet. Bettina Matthiessen
Another of the activities in which you can participate is the recycling section. Here you can find out how to recycle through interactivity and experimentation. Many researchers and designers try not to use plastic in their works, as they themselves consider that a joint effort is needed at the citizen and political level. Critically reflecting on how we are so dependent on material, coming up with viable solutions for new methods, and learning from all those projects that are going strong and need support to provide the planet with more cleanliness.
When: From 26 March to 4 September 2022.
Where:Charles-Eames-Strabe 2, Weil am Rhein, Germany
Opening hours: Monday to Sunday from 10.00h to 18.00h
Tickets: You can purchase tickets here.
The legacy of the Liceu does Catalonia proud
This year, the Gran Teatre del Liceu celebrates its 150th anniversary with the project Museums and Liceu, a union between the oldest and most prestigious theatre in Barcelona, together with 121 museums from all over Catalonia. Each cultural centre has been responsible for choosing one or several works from their collections related to the history of the theatre, exhibiting them at their venues. In total they have been able to collect more than 150 works that explain, through the paintings, the great legacy of the Liceu. In this way, they take visitors back to the origins, recalling and admiring the cultural heritage it has left us over the centuries, and which we can still enjoy today.
Tristany foll, a work by Dalí exhibited at the Dalí Foundation in Figueres.
Institutions such as the Museu Picasso, MACBA, Fundació Miró, Casa-Museu Isaac Albéniz de Camprodon, MNAC, among many others, have decided to join the project. For example, the Dalí Foundation is also one of the cultural centres collaborating and participating by showing two related works. The Study of Tristany Foll and the Project Tristany Foll in oil. Two works by Salvador Dalí that he created in 1944 for the performance of the ballet Tristan Foll. Both the stage set and the costumes were chosen and designed by the artist himself.
Caricatures of Leopoldo Mugnone by the painter Josep Parera Romero. The painter knew how to portray with humour and irony different well-known figures at the end of the 19th century.
The Museu de la Música de Barcelona also participates in the project, in this case exhibiting the Caricatures of Leopoldo Mugnone. A watercolour with five images of the conductor and composer Mugnone conducting the orchestra in 1893, inaugurating the opening night of the season at the Liceu. The painter thus intertwined the portrait of the energetic conductor with his passion for opera. These exhibitions are on display in each of the participating museums, with different exhibition dates, with the last day of the collaboration being 31 July 2023.
When: From 15 March 2022 to 31 July 2023.
Images courtesy of Barcelona Wine Week, Art Brussels, Musée d’Orsay, Cinémathèque Française, World Press Photo, Vitra Design Museum and Museus i Liceu
