Joan Mateu inaugurates "Mare internum" at the Castle of Benedormiens

From August 13 to September 25, the renowned Salten artist Joan Mateu (Salt, 1976) will exhibit forty pieces of painting and sculpture from the exhibition entitled Mare Internum at the Castle of Benedormiens in Castell d'Aro.

The inauguration will take place from 20:00 in the evening with the presence of the artist and presentation of the commemorative catalog published by the council. Organized by the Culture Department of the Town Council of Castell d'Aro, Platja d'Aro and S'Agaró; the exhibition is the fourth of the year at the castle; and the seventh of the 2022 annual cycle of plastic arts in the municipality. At the same time, you can visit Platja d'Aro the Glimpses of a Collection, Municipal Art Fund (until September 11); and Without End, a large-format sculpture by Torrent Pagès in Parc dels Estanys (until February 2023).

Regarding the title of the current exhibition, the author explains the following in a conversation with Ricard Planas, editor of Bonart magazine and art critic: "We know the Mediterranean Sea mostly as Mare Nostrum but in the past it was also he spoke of the Mother Internum, because of being closed. This term perfectly defined my intimate and personal interpretation of the Mediterranean, and specifically of the Costa Brava".

About his interest in rocks, time and the sea, protagonists of many of the works, he explains: "The rocks, solemn and majestic, have been, and are, witnesses of history; the weight of memory. When they are observed in detail, we can read the traces of time. The violence of their origin and the erosion caused by the friction of the water and the inclemencies of the weather leave in them the imprint of a universe of nuances (...) Just as the rocks, static, impassive, transmit the feeling of time standing still, the sea, in constant motion, makes clear the passage of time. This temporary confrontation creates tension. A constant clash between two imposing forces. This struggle, and the richness of nuances of these two elements, have awakened my interest in understanding and reproducing their complexity."

Joan Mateu, international skipper

Joan Mateu – painter, draftsman, engraver and occasional musician – was born into a family of watercolorists and his passion for painting was forged during his teenage years. In 1999 he moved to Barcelona to study at La Llotja. In 2002, he held his first solo exhibition, the starting point of his artistic career that takes place regularly in galleries and fairs throughout Europe and the United States. Of the numerous recognitions obtained, the 10th Ricard Camí Award (2007) and two special awards at Arte Laguna de Venècia (2011) stand out. Over the years he has built a particular imaginary with a discourse in which the relationship between nature and architecture has a specific weight, and also the incorporation of the human figure. In recent times, his work has traces of magical, tragic and reflective realism at the same time

The Joan Mateu exhibition at Castell Benedormiens can be visited from Monday to Friday (6:00-9:00 p.m.) and on weekends and holidays (11:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m.-9:00 p.m. ). Entry is free.

For its part, the City Council has designed an exhibition calendar for 2022 with nine proposals in three spaces. In the Castle of Benedormiens in Castell d'Aro after the current one of Joan Mateu; will host a collective of Local Artists (October 1-November 27); and Lourdes Fisa, Olga Andrino, and part of the retrospective of the Municipal Art Fund have previously been exhibited there. The Platja d'Aro Lakes Park hosts two large-format sculpture displays: the current one by Torrent Pagès, and preceded by that of Josep Coll. The art rooms of Masia Bas de Platja d'Aro also hosted a part of the Mirades d'una Collección exhibition until the beginning of August; and previously he did the first tour of the photographic exhibition of the Diputació de Girona, Pablito, a close view; and in the autumn it will do so with the winning and finalist works of the 9th Educating La Mirada International Photography Competition.