Espacio A_Rojo - Cordoba

Intense art, red art, transforming art… Espacio A_Rojo focuses its energy on new trends in the art world. Exhibitions come to life to be heard, seen and even tasted. An oasis for contemporary art and creative energy in Córdoba.	Thanks to
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In a city resting on foundations of such overwhelming history and tradition, a history visible on each and every street and corner, contemporary art can often fall by the wayside. Bit by bit however, the public is beginning to notice an artistic avant-garde brewing in their midst. Spaces such as A_Rojo, founded by Solimán López in 2008, have become the gateway to an oasis in which contemporary art comes to life, runs wild and flirts with curious visitors.

A_Rojo could be defined as a dynamic art gallery. Its exhibitions are rarely static. Video art is projected onto its walls, or even onto the buildings’ facade on calle Alfonso XIII. Events include experimental music sessions, poetry recitals, performances and exhibitions of photographs, paintings and sculptures, or even publicity campaigns directed by the company Solimán Crear-T & Comunicar-T (part and parcel of the gallery) which uses contemporary art as a means of promotion.

López admits that the space was born of “to give a voice to artists in Cordoba. Of more than a hundred artists we’ve exhibited this year, 70% are local artists. Our doors are open to help artists in Cordoba. They need to learn to show their work and enter the market in a professional manner in order to survive.” Daniel Palacios, Pablo Rubio, José Luis Checa and José Manuel Velasco are just some of the local artists that have seen their work exhibited at the gallery. Soliman López, aside from an entrepreneur, is a multidisciplinary artist. He therefore understands the needs of artists embarking blindly on their artistic adventures for the first time.

The gallery is open to all kinds of ventures. They have been collaborating with Eutopia Festival since it began. World Wide Cube, an installation visited by more than 15,000 people during the festival, featured a salvaged vehicle in a cube made of silicone, wood, resin and white paint. In 2009 the gallery took part in Mercado del Arte, an event in which “Andalusians took part in a direct sales venture. The buyers saw their work, bought directly from the artist and we packed it up for them”. During the 2009 Noche Blanca del Flamenco, an all-night flamenco festival, they presented a project called Hemiciclos: “We analysed flamenco art and the world of the gypsy via performances, live music, video creation, artistic interventions, gastronomy and flamenco fashion shows,” explains López.

In conjunction with the Sala Metrópolis, a music venue in Cordoba, they created the Rojómetro Association whose motto is “artistic action and reaction”. Together they are working to fuse some of the artwork and music coming out of their respective venues. With this venture they hope to “bring art a little closer to everyday life via large-scale events that take artistic work out of the private sphere and place it under the scrutiny of the public eye,” he clarifies. To decontextualize art and bring it out of its comfort zone. “An experimental DJ makes music and by necessity has to play it in a bar where in reality noone truly appreciates what he’s doing,” continues López. “But if you take his music and play it in an art gallery, the musician suddenly becomes the protagonist.” This collaboration with Sala Metrópolis has also given birth to Transversal, “a series of events in which various disciplines join together in a single time and space”. A heady mix of experimental music, video creation, poetry and short films. Espacio A_Rojo is like a drop in the ocean creating a ripple of hope a traditional city.

You may be tempted to read up on terms and concepts related to contemporary art before venturing into this gallery. But remember: the great thing about art is that it can stimulate via inexplicable senses and emotions, rather than appealing to either rhyme or reason. So, whether you understand it or not, it doesn’t really matter.

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Espacio A_Rojo
C/ Alfonso XIII, 2, 1º izq
Córdoba
957479431

Price:

Free entry.