The ENAIRE Foundation premieres the exhibit Roma, siempre Roma: infinitas formas (Rome, always Rome: infinite shapes) at the Naves de Gamazo in Santander to mark the 150th anniversary of the Spanish Academy in Rome

The exhibit Roma, siempre Roma: infinitas formas (Rome, always Rome, infinite shapes). Mujeres de la Academia de España en Roma en las Artes Visuales presents, at the Naves de Gamazo in Santander, a space of the ENAIRE Foundation, the works of 37 artists from the institution's permanent collection who have served at the Academy thanks to the creation and research grants funded by the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECIS).

The exhibit, organised as part of the commemoration of the 150th anniversary of the academy, grew out of an initiative undertaken by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation that was intended to demonstrate the institutional commitment to achieving gender parity among creators and researchers of the Spanish Academy as well, by showcasing the activity that various artists have carried out during their stay in Rome.

Even though not all the female visual artists who have served at the academy are present, the goal is to offer a broad sampling of the work that many of them have done, and their different expressive languages. It consists of 43 paintings, sculptures, drawings, prints, photographs and videos that exemplify the numerous works produced by visual artists who have served at the academy.

Among the creators present in the exhibit is Cantabrian artist Pilar Cossío, who, as she herself explains, was in Rome when she built her "flight manual", and Belén Rodríguez, who currently resides in Cantabria and whose watercolour is on display as part of a series on plastic sediments collected on the beaches of Ostia. The exhibit also features the painter María Teresa Peña, the first plastic artist to receive a grant from the Academy in 1965 and who has several works in the cathedral and in other parishes of the diocese of Santander.

Through the collage and etchings of cartoonist and vignettist Yeyei Gómez, we are plunged into the life of the writer María Teresa León, who, despite having lived in Rome, was unable to be part of the life of the Academy in those post-war years. Yeyei Gómez emphasises the role of several women who inspired and served as a model for the writer.

The spaces of the city of Rome blend with the experiences of the artists on display at the exhibit, giving rise to pieces as diverse as their different personalities. The rubber marks on the piece by Isabel Banal, the result of the process of drawing monuments in the city and then deleting them, are an example of this; as is the carnival confetti presented by Nati Bermejo, alluding to moments experienced in Rome in times of the pandemic.

"How can you enter a place where beauty overwhelms visitors with its artistic excellence and for being the materialisation of truth for centuries?" asked Iranian-Spanish artist Shirin Salehi in 2021, when she conceived the work El tiempo sin derrota (Time without a course) to present it at the Tempietto de Bramante, a fundamental element of the monumental ensemble of San Pietro in Montorio, the headquarters of the Academy.

It is clear that the influence of the eternal city, Rome, always Rome, on the work of the 1,050 residents, creators and researchers that the Academy has had over its 150 years of history translates into a universe of nuances and inspirations that materialise, as suggested by the title of the Sonia Navarro piece used in the subtitle of this exhibit, into infinite shapes.

SPANISH ACADEMY IN ROME

150 YEARS OF CULTURAL INNOVATION AND CREATION 

It is an institution of Spain's national government abroad that reports functionally and structurally to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation, through the State Secretariat for International Cooperation.

Throughout its century and a half of history, the Academy has hosted several generations of artists and intellectuals from Spain and, since 2001, from Ibero-American and European Union countries as well, promoting and contributing to the development of their projects and achieving a greater Spanish cultural presence in Italy, a better understanding between the cultures of both countries and a greater link between Europe and Latin America.

The institution was founded in 1873, during the First Republic. Spurred on by Emilio Castelar, it emerged with the aim of addressing the concerns of the many artists and intellectuals who regarded Rome as an essential destination, a frequent phenomenon that began in the 17th century and took hold in the 18th and 19th centuries. A total of 1,050 residents have passed through the institution over its hundred and fifty years of existence, through which they have acted as an essential instrument of Spanish foreign cultural policy.

Web Academy of Spain in Rome: www.accademiaspagna.org

Instagram: @academia_espana_roma

The ENAIRE Foundation

Is a cultural institution of the Ministry of Transport, Mobility and the Urban Agenda that, in addition to managing, preserving and exhibiting the ENAIRE Collection of Contemporary Art, engages in a comprehensive annual programme of activities that focus on aeronautical art and culture. Notably, it is one of the institutions that currently provides the most support to photography through its annual prizes - which have become a benchmark for professional photographers - and by hosting exhibits.

It is the only foundation in Spain that combines the two seemingly disparate themes of art and aeronautical culture, bringing them together by undertaking a programme of activities that promote the study, research, knowledge and dissemination of aeronautical culture, integrating history and modernity to raise awareness of the world of aviation in our country.

The Naves de Gamazo are the first permanent home of the ENAIRE Collection of Contemporary Art, an example of collaboration between government agencies that was made possible thanks to the partnership and joint efforts of the Ministry of Transport, Mobility and the Urban Agenda (MITMA), the Government of Cantabria, through the Office for Culture, Tourism and Sport, and the Port Authority of Santander, which share the operating expenses of the centre in order to ensure the present and future viability of this cultural project.

Web Naves de Gamazo: www.navesdegamazo.com

Instagram: @navesdegamazo

About ENAIRE

ENAIRE is the air navigation service provider in Spain.

As a company of the Ministry of Transport, Mobility and the Urban Agenda, it provides en route control services for all flights and overflights from five control centres in Madrid, Barcelona, Seville, Gran Canaria and Palma, as well as approach services to every airport in the country.

In addition, 46 airports receive ENAIRE's communication, navigation and surveillance services, and 21 airports, including the country's busiest, rely on its aerodrome control services.

ENAIRE is Europe's fourth largest air traffic manager and participates in the A6 Alliance, a coalition of air navigation providers responsible for over 80% of European air traffic, and which is seeking to modernise the air traffic management system. It is also a member of other international alliances promoting the Single European sky, such as SESAR Joint Undertaking, SESAR Deployment Manager, iTEC, CANSO and ICAO.

ENAIRE, as the agency appointed by the Ministry of Transport, Mobility and Urban Agenda to implement the U-space system in Spain, will be the provider of the Common Information Services (CIS), which are essential for administering U-space services to drones and Urban Air Mobility, in interaction with local air traffic control services, so that all types of aircraft can fly safely in the same airspace.

ENAIRE has received the highest score in Europe on the aviation safety key performance indicator. It has also been awarded the EFQM 500 Seal for its safe, efficient, innovative and sustainable management of air navigation services.

Place:

The Gamazo Ships

Avda. From Severiano Ballesteros 3. 39004 Santander

Dates

From July 22 to September 24, 2023

Free admission

Summer hours (July, August and September):

Tuesday to Sunday from 11:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.

Phone: 942 502 013