“Talismanes y Cartones”, of Blanca Haddad opening: november 4th, 19h-22h

• La Plataforma, contemporary art gallery and production studio, opens its doors to present the work by the artist and poet Blanca Haddad.
• On November 4th, starting at 7:00 p.m., the exhibition “Talismanes y Cartones” will be inaugurated with the presence of the artist and the curator. Within the inauguration, the artist will offer a recital at 9:00 p.m.

The exhibition will be open for visits until December 3th during the gallery’s usual hours.

About the exhibition:

For this solo show at La Plataforma, the Venezuelan artist and poet based in Barcelona, Blanca Haddad presents “Talismanes y Cartones”, two recent bodies of work that highlight the act of painting as a cathartic and ritualistic process representative of the part more animal than humans.

“Los Talismanes” is a group of twelve canvases painted in black and white with thick and energetic lines, with anthropomorphic masks as central figures, along with fantastic beings, faces and symbols, some accompanied by a phrase or word in talismanic code, to exorcise or “work” some wish, emotion or spell.

“Los Cartones” are a series of color paintings that the artist began in 2013 that were conceived from the precariousness of the same support: cartons of fruits and vegetables discarded and obsessively collected by the artist, almost like trading cards, and painted on top with evocative masks and allegorical faces. In the passionate exploration of the human and the animal, Haddad invades her own entrails and those of her own with a rebellious and savage gesture. Her paintings reflect the power of that vital transgression that needs to come out in the form of a pictorial gesture, word or ritual dance.

About the artist:

Blanca Haddad (Caracas, 1972) is a multidisciplinary artist whose work includes painting, poetry and video art. In them she mixes autobiographical content with testimonies of a social nature. She has a degree in Plastic Arts from the Instituto de Estudios Superiores de Artes Plásticas Armando Reverón (IUESAPAR) in Caracas (1996), she has a Master in Art Therapy from the University of Barcelona (2008) and a Master of Science in Social Development and International Health from Queen Margaret University in Edinburgh (2010).

Her recent solo exhibitions include Colección de Cartones, Nau Bostik, Barcelona (2018); Me volví mala, Nau Bostik, Barcelona (2016); her most recent collective exhibitions include Viatje a Mart, Centro de Cultura Contemporánea de Barcelona (CCCB) (2021); De una habitación Propia a la Intemperie. Xaro castillo & Blanca Haddad, TPK, Barcelona (2017).

She was awarded the Santander Award for Academic Excellence for studying Social Development and International Health at Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh. In addition to her work, she has worked with migrant and refugee populations as an art therapist.