Rosalia Banet i Masa, Ariadna Parreu and Pau Magrané winners of the 5th Gastronomic Contemporary Art Biennial

Rosalia Banet i Masa, Ariadna Parreu and Pau Magrané were the winners of the fifth Biennial of Contemporary Gastronomic Art of Cambrils 2022, which took place this past Sunday, November 28 in the meeting room of Cambrils Town Hall .

The jury was composed by Vicent Fibla, director of Mèdol-Centre d'Arts Contemporànies de Tarragona; Ingrid Guardiola, director of Bòlit-Centre d'Art Contemporani de Girona; Pilar Bonet, art critic, curator and professor at the University of Barcelona; Álvar Calvet, teaching artist and winner of the 4th Biennial of Contemporary Gastronomic Art in Cambrils and Alexandra Planas, independent curator and member of Bonart magazine.

The first prize - valued at 6,000 euros - was awarded to Rosalia Banet for the work entitled Altares i ofrendas 1: Exceso, which was chosen for the originality of how the artist exposes a digestive system turned into a symbol of an empire dominated by gluttony; Banet's deepening and study of the subject of the visual seduction of some foods that according to her "are very attractive to our sense of sight" and of how the artist reflects on the way of being in the world of human beings and the way food affects our body and planet.

In Banet's work, an analysis and critique of the current system is made with a pedagogical purpose, creating new social narratives to address the change in a more sustainable model than the current one based on excessive consumption. Rosalia Banet holds a doctorate in Fine Arts from the University of Vigo and has held exhibitions all over Catalonia, Spain and the world, as well as receiving various scholarships and prizes.

On the other hand, the second prize of the Biennale (accessed from the contest), endowed with 3,000 euros, was for the work entitled Pols Taca by the Taca Collective, measuring 35 x 25 x 45 cm. The jury decided to award this prize for the presentation of a very futuristic and innovative project since the artists have used 3D technology to print what they call The Fruit of the Future.

Both the design, the story and the ingenuity with which the artists present "this fruit of the future" and compare and contrast it with traditional fruit make us think about the way we enjoy when we ingest traditional fruit with Soylent , which is the food of the future and which is consumed in a cold, robotic and tasteless way, that is to say, it is consumed telematically.

It is also worth highlighting the staging and assembly of the winning project which is "a still life" (Soylent, agar-agar and vegan products) through an aluminum plate and an arm to support the screens plans

Pau Magrané is a professor of 3D graphics at the Industrial Art School and holds a degree in Multimedia from the UOC. While Ariadna has a degree in Fine Arts and a Master's in artistic productions and research from the University of Barcelona and a PhD in Art and Design from the Escola Eina de Barcelona. This was followed by the opening of the 5th Biennial exhibition in the council's Sala Àgora with the performance of the cello duo formed by Àngela Guillen and Guillem Vallvé.

Photography, Poetry and Maritime Narrative awards

The award ceremony was the starting point of the Feast of the Immaculate Conception in Cambrils. Apart from the Biennale awards, the Photography, Poetry and Maritime Narrative Awards were also presented.

In the Photography section, which this year celebrates its 31st edition, the winner was Pandula Bandara, from Sri Lanka. The award was granted by the Cambrils Photography Group. It must be said that before the award ceremony, the exhibition of selected photographs was inaugurated in the Àmbits room of the municipality's Cultural Centre.

Regarding the 11th Vila de Cambrils Poetry Prize, the jury selected Jordi Ginesta Portet de Centelles as the winner for the work Cartographies and Anna Molina Casado de Castellet i la Gornal, with an accesit, for the work With the 'soul exposed.

Finally, the prize for Maritime Narrative Josep Lluís Savall was declared empty given that the jury believed that the works presented did not meet the required quality.