‘Westerly Winds, Vientos de Poniente’ Art Exhibition
By Rebecca Hinchliffe
The art exhibition “Westerly Winds, Vientos de Poniente” currently on show at the Gustavo Bacarisas Gallery is the second part of the collaboration between the Gibraltar Cultural Services and La Diputación de Cádiz. The first part of this partnership called ‘Easterly Winds, Vientos de Levante’ saw a collection of artworks by multiple Gibraltarian artists being shown at the Palacio Provincial de la Diputación de Cádiz in 2019.
The exhibition in Casemates sees many different art styles and materials being used, from installations to photography and from sculpture to oil paintings. The pieces that stood out to me in this eclectic collection were ‘Guerrero y montaña’ by Lita Mora, ‘El ojo del Dragón’ by Andrea Moccio, ‘Capsa. Difumino y tinta china’ by Adriá Pina and ‘H.M.S. Victory remolcado hasta el Puerto de Gibraltar’ by Mario Finlayson.
The first painting ‘Guerrero y montaña’ is a large imposing piece, depicting a person riding a horse, the use of bright colours in the background creates a vibrancy and reflects the energy Cadiz has.
The second piece ‘El ojo del Dragon’ is an art installation created by circles of paperchains, which lead to the centre of the ‘eye’. From a distance the sheer size is impressive and yet it manages to draw the audience in, closer and closer until you realise the paper used is adverts from the yellow pages.
The piece by Adriá Pina called ‘Capsa. Difumino y tinta china’ manages to make the viewer wonder, by using the trompe-l’oeil technique, if the art materials depicted are real or just drawings. When up close you realise it is a mixture of drawings, paintings and actual materials such as pencils.
Finally, the painting from the late Gibraltarian artist Mario Finlayson, ‘H.M.S. Victory remolcado hasta el Puerto de Gibraltar.’ This piece is a powerful depiction of the aftermath of the sea battle of Trafalgar. It is a very strong and impactful artwork for such a small piece compared to the rest of the art in the exhibition. The atmosphere in the painting is similar to that of Guernica, even though the styles are so different.
The exhibition as a whole is impressive, with a vast array of art pieces put together by the curator Magda Bellotti, creating a place where everyone can find something to their taste as well as being a chance to experience new styles of artwork. Ms Bellotti explains the collection, ‘Will be the first of many cultural exchanges between Spain and Gibraltar.’
The exhibition is open until Saturday 24th of July, from 10.30 a.m. to 6.30 p.m. on weekdays and 10.30 a.m. to 1.30 p.m. on Saturdays. It is well worth a visit.
Rebecca Hinchliffe is a student on a work experience placement at YGTV.
