“In one breath”
by Ernesto Cánovas
Curated by Alejandro Martín
Produced by Espronceda, Centre for Art & Culture, and in collaboration with Halcyon Gallery London
Opening to the public on May 5, at 20h
Exhibition: 5 – 23 May, 2016
Espronceda, Centre for Art & Culture, is pleased to present Ernesto Cánovas’ first exhibition in Barcelona.
The artist, born in Barcelona, first moved to the UK at twenty-years old. He studied Fine Arts in Scotland where the path to his successful artistic career began. Cánovas now lives and works in London.
His exhibition at Espronceda, entitled “In One Breath”, is inspired by the traditional way by which to read Haikus. These Japanese poems are meant to be recited in one breath.
In this new project, Ernesto Cánovas speaks of nostalgia. In his previous series “Overlapping View”, 2015, the artist told visual stories based on images of popular culture which were not necessarily part of his own experience, but belonged to a collective imagery of famous films and photographs of the past century. The artist reprocesses images, melts them digitally and makes them born again through his contemporary art practice.
“In One Breath”, the exhibition presented at Espronceda, is both nostalgic and highly personal. Cánovas has created works where the memories of his childhood and youth emerge to generate a spectrum of careful images similar to the accurate composing of a Haiku.
The shiny surfaces of the finished works reflect the viewer in their frames all while creating an experience which is not only contemplative but also participatory in the careful balance the artist creates in his work. In Cánovas’ latest series, pieces of handmade pottery glide smoothly across the nostalgic surfaces as if seduced and subsequently trapped by such fascinating memories.
Ernesto Cánovas creates brightly coloured panels by combining abstract compositions with images of natural and urban landscapes. In this way, his pictorial practice expands outside the walls where his works were produced and beyond those where they are exhibited. In his recent exploration, the artist creates multi-dimensional artworks by adding new materials onto his frames.
Through the work being produced at Espronceda, Cánovas hopes to showcase his talent in the city in which he was born. He aims to share the energy of his artistic explorations and to nurture his practice through new experiences and new memories of Barcelona before returning to London where he is now based.
Ernesto Cánovas was selected for the New Contemporaries Exhibition in Edinburgh and was awarded the prestigious Stevenson Award for painting in 2010. He was shortlisted for the Saatchi Gallery and Channel 4’s New Sensations 2011 and received the Premio Ora in 2013. In June 2014, Cánovas’ work was featured at the Royal Royal Scottish Academy as part of the Generation 14 exhibition. He has also exhibited at the Kir Royal Gallery in Valencia. Montoya’s works have been included in many private collections around the world such as in the Soho House Group collection, Paul Smith Limited and in the John McIntyre Centre at the University of Edinburgh.
For more information and images: Alejandro@espronceda.net
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