The ENAIRE Foundation announces the winner of the first edition of "Aire y Tierra" (Air and Land), the aeronautical art competition for ENAIRE and Aena staff

Today, 25 September, the anniversary of the adoption of the 2030 Agenda, the ENAIRE Foundation announced the winners of the "Aire y Tierra" award, the first contest to promote aeronautical art among ENAIRE and Aena's staff and their families, in categories for both children and adults.

For the ENAIRE Foundation's Managing Director, Margarita Asuar, “environmental protection is linked to transport and sustainable infrastructure, and art is a tool to showcase the spaces in the air and on land that we must protect”

The jury was made up of Mariano Gasparet, trustee of the ENAIRE Foundation and ENAIRE's communication director; Gema Haro, Head of ENAIRE's Environment Division; Ángeles Imaña, Director of Conservation and Cultural Projects at the ENAIRE Foundation; and Margarita Asuar, Managing Director of the ENAIRE Foundation, who praised the high quality of the works presented by the staff of ENAIRE and Aena and their relatives.

According to the managing director of the ENAIRE Foundation, Margarita Asuar, "environmental protection is inseparably linked to sustainable transport and infrastructure, and art is a tool to showcase the spaces in the air and on land that we must protect. For this reason, this competition was launched on the occasion of World Environment Day, and the jury's decision was announced on 25 September, the anniversary of the approval of the 2030 Agenda, which sets out Climate Action in Sustainable Development Goal 13".

Winners

In its decision, the jury took into account the different techniques presented and the link between the environment and aviation.

In the Children's Category, the first prize went to Alberto Moreno de las Casas (Aena family) for his work "Cielo de colores", made using clay, paper and cardboard. It shows a complete map of Spain with its topography, green and water areas, and airplanes flying overhead. This work comes with a video.

[ENAIRE Foundation First Prize Children's Category. Alberto Moreno de las Casas for his work Cielo de Colores].

The second prize went to Valeria Bragaña Márquez (Aena family) for her work "Bomberos aeronáuticos protegiendo Vigo", made using a mixed technique in which she relies on symbolism to pay tribute to the importance of aerial firefighting efforts to protect the environment.

[ENAIRE Foundation Second Prize Children's Category. Valeria Bragaña Márquez for her work Aeronautical Firefighters].

And the third prize was awarded to Mateo Galán Astorga (Aena family) for his work "El atardecer", a colour drawing that shows an aeroplane on a runway ready to take off, with the control tower in the background.

[ENAIRE Foundation Third Prize Children's Category. Mateo Galán Astorga for his work The Sunset].

In the Adult Category, first prize went to Marisa Alpuente Vera (ENAIRE) for her work "Sol Azul", a collage that shows the first control beacon, an aeroplane with a blue sun and a woman aviator.

Manuel Varela Suárez (Aena) received second prize for his work "Aeropuertos verdes", a photograph that shows an aeroplane from a perspective that can only be taken from the airside accessible to airport personnel, and in the foreground is some ground covered by grass that surrounds the runway.

And third prize went to Iñaki Ascacibar Martínez (Aena) for his work "Inocente tesón", a collage with mathematical formulas at the centre, from Newton to 

Von Karman and other pioneers who contributed to aerodynamics, and a plane flying over this space showing how science has evolved throughout history.

Digital museum resources

The ENAIRE Foundation will present in a virtual room the 35 works presented in this contest, made using different techniques: sculpture, acrylic paint, watercolour, drawing, collage, photography, mixed media.

"Aeronautical art deserves a special category. One of our foundational purposes is to showcase aeronautical culture. With this contest, we are promoting it through the universal language of art, which we will soon be displaying in a virtual room and digital catalogue, where all the works submitted will be shown. The different perspectives that people in the aeronautical sector have creatively represented in their artistic works will be on display. We at the ENAIRE Foundation thank all the participants who shared their talent and contributed to showcasing aeronautical art, for making us reflect on caring for our environment, our air and our land, through the aesthetics of art", said the Managing Director of the ENAIRE Foundation, Margarita Asuar.

About ENAIRE Foundation

Is a cultural institution of the Ministry of Transport and Sustainable Mobility 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 and Sustainable Mobility, 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.

ENAIRE Foundation is implementing digital museum resources to boost the democratisation of art and make it accessible from anywhere in the world. These new museum resources are now available on the Foundation's website.