Formentera publishes retrospective of Ajuntament Vell gallery's featured shows

foto cataleg 2018 2.jpgThe Formentera Council's culture department has unveiled a look-back at the work displayed in the Ajuntament Vell exhibition space throughout 2017. The department says the current catalogue –of individual exhibitions, group productions, selections of art from associations and social-action organisations– offers readers "a glimpse of the artistry which has graced Formentera's signature gallery". Artists and other cultural advocates on the island had agitated expressly for such a retrospective.

Cutting across the assorted selections of painted work, sculptures, photography, architecture and craft creations is a leitmotiv of deep ties to Formentera, and the jumping-off point they provide for looking at and deciphering the world around us.

Take, for instance, the paintings and illustrations of Rocio Fraile, Aida Miró, Ana Celada, Robert Hawkins, Elena Montesinos, Julie Aubrun; collages by Jorge Traverso, and paintings and jewellery from Raquel Caramazana and Gustavo Fernández Molinari, of Amaicha.

Photos hold a place in the spotlight, too, as evidenced with the catalogue's chronicling of the now classic Beni Trutmann contest, Espai F_'s display of work by photographer Jordi Sarrà and the abstract images of Fabiana Schulz.

On International Women's Day the Sala housed selected submissions to a photography contest focused on breastfeeding on Eivissa and Formentera. Isa Sanz, for her part, would later put on a photo show commemorating the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women. Then there was the gallery's initiative with Fons Pitiús de Cooperació to present photographer Alex Oriol's reckoning on the Syrian exodus.

Sala selections are uniquely diverse affairs, as seen with a Manolo de Oya (Espai F_)-commissioned installation by Michel Mouffe, a multimedia exhibition by Wolff Kahlen, textile creations by Antonieta Airoldi, tapistries and paintings by Lia Bottanelli, Es Far's group show and La primera pedra, an exhibition brokered by Maria Bofill, Pau Sureda, the Museu Arqueològic d'Eivissa i Formentera and Formentera's office of patrimony.

The Ajuntament Vell was also the scene of a show on language diversity presented by the island's committee for language normalisation and students of IES Marc Ferrer, as well as work from Teresa Matilla's students of painting and the workworking disciples of Aaron Keydar.

At year's end, the gallery welcomed another instant classic – a Christmas exhibition showcasing the work of several breakout local artists.

The Ajuntament Vell, operated by the Formentera Department of Culture, Education and Patrimony and today boasting a nearly twenty-year history of temporary shows throughout the year, is aimed at promoting and stimulating artistic expression.

4 August 2018
Department of Communication
Consell de Formentera