The Valencian painter Mery Sales, author of the exposition ‘El incendio y la palabra’, presents this Wednesday 16 December, the catalogue which collects the thesis of the exhibition, a deep artistic reflection on the thinking and voice of the German Jew Hannah Arendt. The presentation event will take place at La Nau of the Universitat de València (Aules Seminari), at 19:00.
Mery Sales will be accompanied by the vice-principal of Culture and Equality, Antonio Ariño; the director of Activities of the Martínez Guerricabeitia Trust of the University of Valencia General Foundation, José Pedro Martínez; the editor of the catalogue, Armand Llàcer; and two of the authors of the texts which present the publication, Martí Domínguez, director of ‘Mètode’ magazine and Neus Campillo, full university professor of Philosophy at Universitat de València.
‘El incendio y la palabra’ is an exhibition that, with the support of the Martínez Guerricabeitia Trust, will be open from the last 23 October in the Martínez Guerricabeitia Room of the Cultural Centre La Nau, the historical building of the Universitat de València, where it can be visited until 17 January. The exhibition collects 40 works of art, many of them unpublished, through which, Mery Sales honours the freedom of thought of Hannah Arendt.
In the catalogue, included in the series ‘Trobades amb la Col·lecció Martínez Guerricabeitia de la Universitat de València’ and designed by Formo.org, the reflections proposed through each of the works (oil paintings on wooden panel and linoleum, and polyptych paintings go across three exhibition spaces) are here reflected. These thoughts are present in the words of the two main authors of the texts: Neus Campillo, whose article is called ‘¿Han llegado a ser superfluos los hombres?’, and Martí Domínguez, who wrote the text ‘La mujer elefante’.
The act will be open with a presentation of the Pricipal of the Universitat de València, Esteban Morcillo, and the Vice-Principal of Culture and Equality, Antonio Ariño, in which they will refer to the visibility of women along the programme of the Martínez Guerricabeitia Trust in 2015: “We have started the programme showing the Coca-Cola Collection under the glance of Lorena Martínez de Corral; next, the works of Mavi Escamilla have been displayed, which talk about the discrimination of women; and finally, the works of Mery Sales, which talk about the thought of Hannah Arendt, can also be seen.
The introduction is signed by the Martínez Guerricabeitia Trust. Here, José Pedro Martínez and Lydia Frasquet, coordinator of the exhibition, theorise about “the perfect combination of the image and the words” of Mery Sales. “Mery Sales paints as she talks and talks as she paints. She is an artist who perfectly combines visual and verbal expressivity”, they say.
The textual contribution of the artist to the catalogue consists on an article titled ‘Conversación con Fina Birulés. Pensar sin barandillas’. Mery Sales transcribes in this space the conversation she had, last May, with professor Birulés. In an academic context. Fina Birulés directed a seminar on philosophy and gender at University of Barcelona. Mery Sales describes her as “one of the most outstanding specialists in our country in the life and work of the German thinker (Hannah Arendt)”.
The catalogue of ‘El incendio y la palabra’ is dedicated to the memory of Jesús Martínez Guerricabeitia, who died last September. Business owner, collector and patron, donated one of the biggest collections of contemporary art to the Universitat de València, and his commitment with the culture and the Valencian people was recognised with the Government Distinction to Cultural Merit, posthumously.
H. Arendt
Hannah Arendt, German Jew, had to escape from her country because of Nazism in 1933 and hide in the USA. The deprivation of rights and the persecution in Germany of Jewish people, as well as her temporary imprisonment, forced her to emigrate. Journalist, teacher and political thinker, always defended pluralism, fundamental concept for freedom and equality among people. Her main works are her publication about Rahel Varnhagen, her great youth work: ‘The Origins of Totalitarism’; ‘The Human Condition’ and ‘On Revolution’, where she analyses the French and American revolution.
Mery Sales
Mery Sales (València, 1970) is a PhD in Fine Arts and professor in the Faculty of Fine Arts of San Carlos de Valencia. At the same time, she has had a continuous dedication to the pictorial practice that has been recognised with different awards, among the most important, the First Paul Ricard Prize. Spain (2008); Honourable Mention, XLI Salón de Otoño, Ateneo Mercantil de Valencia (2010); Senyera de Pintura Metion (2005), XXXI Salón de Otoño. Ateneo Mercantil de Valencia (2003); and First Prize VII Bienal Plastic Arts, Ciudad de Pamplona (2001).
Out of her individual exhibitions, those which stand out are ‘Surge amica mea et veni’, Colegio Mayor Rector Peset, València; ‘Palabras de papel’, Castalia Iuris Foundation, Castellón; ‘Cierta claridad’, Spanish Embassy in Andorra; ‘Designios y quiebras’ , ‘Ver o Arder’ y ‘Voces’, Galería i Leonarte, Valencia; ‘Mujer elefante’, Diario Levante Club, València; ‘Esperpento’, Consorcio de Museos de la Generalitat Valenciana and also in other eight exhibition halls of the Valencian Country; ‘Sombras de Cadmio’, Ateneo Mercantil de Valencia; and ‘Cuadros con secreto’, Espai A. Lambert of Jávea, Alicante.
Out of the collective exhibitions from the last five years, the works which stand out are ‘Monstruos’, Chirivella-Soriano Foundation, València; ‘Árboles de la vida’, Botanical Garden of the Universitat de València; ‘Presencia y figura’, Centro del Carmen, Valencia, (2013); Lonja del Pescado, Alicante (2012); XLII y XLI Salón de Otoño, Ateneo Mercantil de Valencia (2011- 2010); ‘Semejantes’, Social project ‘Arte sin límite. Two ways to paint a way of thinking’, Caja Rural de Torrent, València; ‘Cartografías de la creatividad. 100% valencianos’, Centro del Carmen, València; Contemporary Arts Museum, Santo Domingo; ‘Nostàlgia de futur’. Tribute to Renau, Centro del Carmen, València (2009); and Paul Ricard Prize, Centro del Carmen of València, Sevilla and París (2008).
Free guided visits
The exhibition ‘El incendio y la palabra’ is complemented with a free service of guided visits (visites.guiades@uv.es – 96.386.49.22) and didactic activities (activitatspmg@uv.es – 677.027.357), open to the university community and to general public.
Through these initiatives, the visitor is invited to delve into and work on the reflection about the works and the discourse of the author, facilitating the access to contemporary art.
Banco Santander and Heineken Spain S.A. collaborate in the organisation of the exhibition.
Last update: 15 de december de 2015 08:53.
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