Fatima de Juan ~ Hugo Rocci
L21 takes over Tilde
18th June 2021 ~ 18th July 2021
It is common that every year I meet with my family on the amazing island of Mallorca. There, together with my brothers and my parents we usually spend one week arguing between going to the beach (my parents) and staying at the luxurious hotel spa (me and my brothers). It is usually a very enjoyable week, where not much happens, as the internet in the hotel is still to be paid, surprisingly, so I use it to completely disconnect. One of the very few art-related things that I always do is to visit Óscar Florit in his gallery, L21. It has been now two years, counting this one, that I will not visit him, so I thought that I could “bring him over” and that is how this exhibition is happening, where Tilde is hosting L21.
L21 was founded in 2012 by Óscar. At that time, the gallery was committed to the representation of emerging national artists and the experimentation with new exhibition formats. Examples of this were the projects The Envelope, The Window, at the gallery’s venue in Madrid, and the project The Apartment, which was awarded at ARCO 2015. Although time has passed and now L21 Gallery is currently an international and hybrid project located in two venues in Mallorca: a 450 m2 industrial building in Son Castelló and a second venue with five exhibition rooms in the city of Palma, Tilde feels very connected to the way that L21 has always been forward-thinking in their experimentation with different exhibition formats. For this, Tilde is transformed more, if possible, into a living room, where the work of Fatima de Juan and Hugo Rocci is on view.
L21 was founded in 2012 by Óscar. At that time, the gallery was committed to the representation of emerging national artists and the experimentation with new exhibition formats. Examples of this were the projects The Envelope, The Window, at the gallery’s venue in Madrid, and the project The Apartment, which was awarded at ARCO 2015. Although time has passed and now L21 Gallery is currently an international and hybrid project located in two venues in Mallorca: a 450 m2 industrial building in Son Castelló and a second venue with five exhibition rooms in the city of Palma, Tilde feels very connected to the way that L21 has always been forward-thinking in their experimentation with different exhibition formats. For this, Tilde is transformed more, if possible, into a living room, where the work of Fatima de Juan and Hugo Rocci is on view.
While in the work of Fatima de Juan we can find a female character that repeats constantly in her work, in the work of Hugo Rocci the human figure is only present in its absence and the traces and marks that left on the scene. Fatima’s character is a strong woman, with big muscular arms, lush features, and claws. A woman who exudes femininity and brute strength, wild-sorceress, woman, and monster. On the other side, the work of Hugo goes more in a poetic direction, where things are less at stake and mystery is present through the objects and moments he represents. These objects refer as well to a human presence, but one that is never represented.
Together the works of Fatima and Hugo seem to present the two sides of the same coin, connected also to their approach to painting that is closer to a cartoonish depiction of reality rather than a photorealistic one. We could imagine that when Fatima’s character is not in her paintings, she is at Hugo’s scenes and how these scenes are captured at the last breath before the character left, with the coffee still warm and the cigarette still releasing some smoke.
Together the works of Fatima and Hugo seem to present the two sides of the same coin, connected also to their approach to painting that is closer to a cartoonish depiction of reality rather than a photorealistic one. We could imagine that when Fatima’s character is not in her paintings, she is at Hugo’s scenes and how these scenes are captured at the last breath before the character left, with the coffee still warm and the cigarette still releasing some smoke.
Hugo Rocci, 2021. Coffee and milk jug on a tray, ~ Oil on shaped cotton canvas
Fatima de Juan, 2021. Fruit Babe 4, ~ Acrylic and spray on canvas
Fatima de Juan, 2021. Fruit Babe 4, ~ Acrylic and spray on canvas
Fatima de Juan, 2021. Fruit Babe 4, ~ Acrylic and spray on canvas
Hugo Rocci, 2021. A lonely pint of beer, ~ Oil, flashe and pencils on shaped cotton canvas
Hugo Rocci, 2021. A coffee and three matches, ~ Oil, flashe and pencils on shaped cotton canvas