I’ve not had a chance to really take in all the art at the Artists’ Network Alpujarra group art exhibition yet. I’m waiting until when I go back and invigilate, then I will study the work for a few hours. I like to speak about the art and tell the stories behind it but it’s not always possible to find out everything, with 27 artists, each with at least a few pieces on display.

The way art comes alive

Even though I have seen some of the art before, I find it comes alive in a different way, each time it is presented in a different situation. I have found that the art comes alive once it is framed, and then again once it is displayed in a neutral setting, away from the art studio. The art takes on a life of it’s own once it seen by the public, away from the artists tight gaze.

My four paintings in the show

It’s the first time the aerial paintings have been shown in Spain, they previously toured the British festival scene in 2016. The landscapes are new. I had dismissed the little one until the curator Gareth Lister visited my studio, he introduced me to it’s magic – so I popped it in a frame!

A word from the curator

Gareth Lister has done an interesting job of the curation, grouping pieces according to feel, (there is a religious room), and sometimes he matches by colours and textures.

Personally this is the exhibition I like the most from the ones I’ve done. I’ve managed to include everything on an equal footing. I hope everyone likes it!

A note from the organiser

It was rewarding to see such a diverse selection of people attending the opening night of the ‘Viejo and Nuevo’ show. ANA is helping to make art accessible to the local community, Spanish and foreign alike, as well as making it affordable for local people to buy unique and original works of art directly on their own ‘doorstep’ in Orgiva.

Jo Chipchase

The Órgiva art scene

Opening times

The exhibition continues at the old town hall in Órgiva until the 5th May. The opening times are Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 5pm to 8pm and Thursdays and Saturdays from 11am to 2pm. During Orgiva’s Easter fair – ‘La XXIV Feria Hecho en La Alpujarra’, which takes place from 18-21 April – the opening hours will be 11am to 9pm.

To see more photos from the exhibition visit the Artists’ Network Alpujarra website.