ALMUDENA FERNÁNDEZ FARIÑA. PAINTING SPACE, THINKING PLACE. Artist's workshop

The relationship with the place is fundamental in the artistic and intellectual formulations of Almudena Fernández Fariña. Her site-specific projects take into account the topographical, formal, symbolic, historical, economic, political, social and institutional aspects that define the spaces in which she intervenes.

The artist redefines the concepts of the pictorial in three-dimensional space, challenging conventions and questioning the scope of painting. However, even when repeated, overflowing or decontextualised, painting is still painting.

In this workshop, Almudena Fernández Fariña proposes a reflection on the work’s integration and dialogue with each place, knowing how to differentiate, recognise and appreciate the uniqueness of the spaces. The first session will consist of an open talk in which the artist will take a journey from the first artistic manifestations to the present day. It will include examples of artists who transgressed the limits of the support that conventionally hosts the pictorial representation (the painting) to discover new spatial relationships that adopt the wall as a new frame.

After this session, the workshop participants will develop a site-specific drawing/painting intervention project for the spaces in CGAC or a different space proposed by themselves. This will be a ‘non-materializable’ project that will be developed with sketches, models, plan-based work, projections, drawings, photographs, digital situations and graphic documentation needed to view it clearly.

LED BY

ALMUDENA FERNÁNDEZ FARIÑA (Vigo, Pontevedra, 1970) is an artist, doctor of fine arts and, since 2000, lecturer at the Faculty of Fine Arts of Pontevedra (University of Vigo). She studied at the Faculty of Fine Arts of Pontevedra (1990-1995), the School of Art and Design of Limerick (1994), the École de Beaux Arts of Le Mans (1996-1997) and the Faculty of Fine Arts of the University of Salamanca (1997-1998).
Her art career began in the mid-nineties. Since then, she has taken part in monographic exhibitions in several galleries (SCQ, Santiago de Compostela; VGO, Vigo; Arte Periférica, Lisbon; Astarté, Madrid) and institutions (Centro Torrente Ballester, Ferrol; Espaço T, Oporto; CGAC, Santiago de Compostela).
Her work has won numerous awards and grants, including the following: the Francisco de Goya Villa de Madrid Painting Award (1996); the L’Oreal Painting Award (2000); Novos Valores Competition Grant (1994); the Caixa Galicia Foundation Grant for Master's studies abroad (1996), or the Pollock-Krasner Foundation Grant (2001).
From 2002 onwards, her work started to explore beyond the painting, presenting specific projects in art centres and institutions such as the Marco Museum, in Vigo, the Museum of Pontevedra, the Barrié Foundation in Corunna, and the CGAC, among others.
In parallel to her art career, she has worked extensively in theoretic research in the field of contemporary painting. The essay titled Lo que la pintura no es (2011) won the PhD Extraordinary Award of the University of Vigo (2008-2009), and the Provincial Youth Award of the Provincial Council of Pontevedra in the category of Research. (2009). Her most renowned publications include Pintura site, published by Dardo in 2014. A selection of her texts and articles can be found online at Academia.edu and Researchgate.net.
Her work forms part of the MAC Collection of Madrid, the Museum of Pontevedra, the Consello de Contas de Galicia; the Caja Madrid Foundation; the Provincial Council of Corunna; the L’Oreal Collection; the MICA Collection and the CGAC Collection.

TARGET GROUPS

The workshop is aimed at artists, students of fine arts and related disciplines, art education teachers and, in general, any adult interested in contemporary art.

REGISTRATION

Attendance at the open talk on Monday 20th November in the auditorium is free of charge. No prior registration is required.
The registration period to participate in the workshop will be open from October 21st until November 7th. If you want to participate in the workshop sessions, please send an email to cgac.pedagogia@xunta.gal with the following information: name and surname, national ID number, area of work or interest, e-mail address and contact telephone number. All applications must be accompanied by a written motivation letter and a brief CV.
Once the application has been accepted, participants will receive precise instructions on how to register.

CERTIFICATE

The CGAC will award a certificate to all those who attend at least 75% of the sessions.