Images from the opening of Art Palma Summer (Photos by Grimalt de Blanch)
Jannis Kounellis, Diego Delas, and Julia Aurora Guzmán take center stage at Galería Pelaires for a new edition of Art Palma Summer, an event organized by Art Palma Contemporani, which will take place tomorrow, Thursday, June 6, from 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM.
On the gallery's ground floor, visitors can see the exhibition titled Kounellis, featuring a total of twelve works created between 1990 and 2008, including four steel plates, a large central copper sculpture, and several drawings. None of the works are titled, a characteristic gesture of the artist.
Jannis Kounellis (Piraeus, Greece, March 23, 1936 - Rome, Italy, February 16, 2017) was a key figure in the Italian Arte Povera movement during the 1960s and 1970s, whose influence has endured across generations of artists worldwide. Pelaires has worked with Kounellis' works for the past 25 years, showcasing them in group exhibitions and, notably, in two very special "Duo Shows." The first, celebrating the gallery's 40th anniversary, was presented alongside Rebecca Horn under the title Aigüestortes, marking the beginning of a collaboration between the two artists, which was later captured in a 2011 documentary by Pablo Bujosa Rodríguez and Pilar Rubí, currently available on the Filmin platform. The second was in 2022, together with Antoni Tàpies, under the title La infinitud de los soles.
Views from the Kounellis exhibition at the opening of Art Palma Summer taken by Art Palma Contemporani, 2024 (Photos by Grimalt de Blanch)
The work of Diego Delas (Aranda de Duero, 1983) is the focus of the second floor, in an exhibition titled Una fascinación, curated by Cristina Anglada. The exhibition is presented as a narrative built from interconnected objects that engage the viewer in various ways.
The first room features a series of large-scale paintings that tower over the viewer, contrasting with the striking simplicity of their motifs and color palette, evoking traditional folk crafts. The second room has a more intimate arrangement, displaying a selection of smaller paintings and textiles. In both spaces, a selection of sculptures resembling ex-votos is also included.
The assembled works function as talismans and resemble the structure of tarot cards. Their composition outlines a kind of landscape, or perhaps a stage, where objects are arranged in an order that invites interpretation and deciphering.
Views from the Diego Delas exhibition "Una fascinación" at the opening of Art Palma Summer taken by Art Palma Contemporani, 2024 (Photos by Grimalt de Blanch)
Finally, in the Pelaires Cabinet space, visitors can see the first collaboration with Pelaires by Dominican artist **Julia Aurora Guzmán**, who is based between Barcelona and Amsterdam. The exhibition, titled Liminal, has been curated by Laura González in collaboration with Chiquita Room gallery.
Conceived as a cohesive body of work, Liminal brings together key themes and images from Julia Aurora Guzmán's artistic research: the transience of life, support systems, rituals, and celebrations. Offering a variety of handcrafted and textile-based materials, the works are arranged in an ascending sequence from the gallery's patio to the Cabinet, inviting visitors to engage with both the connections between them and the possibility of multiple interpretations. In this exhibition, Guzmán weaves a visual narrative that is both introspective and universal, creating a spatial dynamic that encourages exploration and an inward journey prompted by each piece.
Views from the Julia Aurora Guzmán exhibition "Liminal" at the opening of Art Palma Summer taken by Art Palma Contemporani, 2024 (Photos by Grimalt de Blanch)
Galeria Pelaires has received a grant from the Consell de Mallorca for the realization of these exhibitions.
