The Universitat’s Botanical Garden exhibits the Cachetejack’s illustrations, within the framework of Valencia world capital of design

Twenty exuberant and colourful images emerge from among the trees and plants of the Universitat de València's Botanical Garden, the oldest in Spain and one of the oldest in the world. “Life Wins!” proposes a new way of discovering the species and spaces of this green lung, placing contemporary illustrative design and music at the service of the respectful and expressive connection between people and the natural environment.

The Cachetejack’s graphic language, full of fun, fresh images and striking ideas, tells the story of this plant museum’s potential in the historic district of Valencia as a place to share experiences and enjoy an intense educational and cultural agenda. "The illustrations reflect on the power of life, how plant species are capable of rebirth and survival, and generate a dialogue with the vegetation of the space", explained the two illustrators. "Our illustrations coexist in the space with the plant species in the dialogue, filling the exterior of the garden with colour," they add.

“Life Wins!” shows us the power of life, growth and transformation. “The union of the four elements keeps us all interconnected, generating synergies, returning to observe with a calm gaze and the certainty that the vital force can do everything, giving us back our rhythms, to continue inhabiting ourselves wherever we find ourselves", explain the Cachetejack’s co-founders. This creative tandem, which emerged from the Faculty of Fine Arts at the Universitat Politècnica de València (UPV) in 2011, is today an international benchmark in the illustrative design field and has worked for brands such as Vogue, Netflix, Adidas, Nike, The New York Times, Facebook, Mastercard and Burger King.

The exhibition includes the sound piece 'Ritme Botànic', by the French composer Lucas Chantre, which can be enjoyed in the tropical greenhouse, and includes a mural on the garden’s façade. "I have generated an organic score, using natural elements and instruments such as wood to create a living experience where vegetation, illustration and music come together. I hope plants and people will enjoy it," said Lucas Chantre.

For Jaime Güemes, director of the Universitat de València’s Botanical Garden, "the link that this project has generated combines all the values that we want to promote as Botanical Garden: the union between different institutions in favour of a project, the combination of different artistic disciplines -music, art and illustration- in our open space and inviting citizens to reflect on the values of the New European Bauhaus.

Moreover, this exhibition represents three very important novelties for the Botanical Garden: the first one is a rebirth on an aesthetic level in an outdoor exhibition that we haven't had for years, which is a great enrichment for the Botanical Garden. The second is the integration of music in the greenhouse with a special piece. The third is the renovation of our mural on the exterior façade, which the neighbourhood has made its own and which is a call to the public to get to know the interior of the Garden", said the director.

The installation is part of the actions to disseminate the values of the New European Bauhaus. This initiative, promoted by the European Commission, aims to connect the European Green Pact with our living spaces and experiences. The New European Bauhaus calls on people to imagine and build together a sustainable, beautiful and inclusive future; through enriching places, practices and experiences, capable of fostering dialogue between cultures, disciplines, genders and ages.

Finally, the director of the Institut Français de València explained the importance of this project as a showcase for joint projects. "The fact of working from different institutions on a common project makes it easier to bring different audiences closer to the same initiative which, in this case, links Valencian heritage with design, illustration and contemporary creation", explained Maxime Henri-Rosseau.

The project has the collaboration of the Universitat de València, the Valencia City Council, Institut Français de València, Pinturas Montó, Fuente Primavera and Teika.

About Cachetejack

Nuria Bellver (1988 Torrent, Valencia) and Raquel Fanjul (1988 Alcañiz, Teruel) met at the Faculty of Fine Arts in Valencia and have been working together as illustrators since 2011. Their humour and non-conformism led them to create manifestos on art and the academic system under the pseudonym Cachetejack, ideas that they later transformed into images.

From that moment until now they have worked with different media and formats; press, editorial, fashion, mural painting and advertising, among many others, both for national and international brands. As a philosophy, they find balance in combining commercial and personal projects in order to continue developing their style with total freedom and to feel creativity without limits.