Last week I had the honour and the joy of participating in an artist residency organised by the collective @hortacreativa in the @campinglagomarin Muxía. It was part of the Semana de Arte, a meeting between artists in a stunning natural environment: surrounded by forest and with spectacular views of the sea. The atmosphere was simply magical.
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Artists from different corners of Galicia participated: Santiago, Muros, Carballo, Carnota, Fisterra..., and each one brought their own creative universe. There were visual artists, illustrators, photographers, graphic and conceptual artists, each one working from their personal sensitivity and techniques.
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One of the most beautiful aspects of this residency was the creative freedom: each artist could express their current theme with the materials of their choice. Besides creating, we shared a lot with each other: ideas about creative processes, techniques, exhibitions, workshops, social networks, ways of presenting ourselves... These were days of continuous dialogue, mutual learning and, above all, a lot of inspiration.
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In my case, I worked on a series of collages on beach wood (creebas, in Galician). I used the phototransfer technique as a base, and then integrated different natural and recycled materials: crackle paste, various papers, dried flowers, nets collected from the sea... The most significant thing was the content of the images: reproductions of old photographs of Galicia, especially from the 1920s, many of them taken by Ruth Matilda Anderson. In them you can see everyday scenes full of strength and beauty: pipers, fishermen throwing nets, barefoot women gathering seaweed or walking with baskets on their heads, shovelling lace... The process was very emotional: working these images with materials collected from the Galician coast itself was almost like weaving a conversation between past and present, between history and present-day art.
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In short, this week was a deeply enriching experience, both on an artistic and human level. I feel grateful to have been part of this encounter with so many talented, generous and committed people.
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See you next time!
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