The Pepe Sales Independent Art Festival dedicates its 17th edition to Natalie Clifford Barney

The Pepe Sales Festival, organized by Cosol Ribas and Lluís Llamas, has as its main objective this year to give visibility to the LGBTIQ + groups and to all the people who, all over the world, suffer persecution and repression because of their inclination or sexual identity. He also wants to claim the need for the laws in defense of equality to be implemented everywhere, as well as the acquired rights to maintain their validity. At the same time, we also want to denounce and raise social awareness that freedom of expression does not reach everywhere or all citizens.

Other objectives set by the Festival are: to echo the messages of women's empowerment, sexual freedom and social commitment, which in this case Clifford transmits in his work; encourage culture in all its areas and bring people closer together; provoke and exhibit artistic creation outside the traditional circuit as Barney did with his Salon and the Academie de Femmes; establish artistic links between the participants overcoming the strict scope of the Festival; promote intergenerational participation and disseminate and translate Barney's literary work into Catalan.

According to sources in the organization, the Festival establishes a search and coordinates, depending on the author chosen, in this case, Natalie Clifford Barney, who was an openly lesbian novelist and the creator of Saló Barney. She was also the inspirer and muse of other writers, as she was also known, in her time, with the nickname of the Amazon. Clifford was well aware that female empowerment had to take culture into account and also that sexual pleasure allowed women to gain freedom.

Two exhibitions and 60 artists

As for the programming of the Festival's activities, it will open with a presentation by Lluís Llamas, co-director of the Festival and Raquel Tulleuda, doctor and sexologist. The plastic arts exhibition curated by Àngel Artigas and Provi Casals will be inaugurated soon after. On the other hand, in the cloister of the La Mercè Cultural Center in Girona, you can visit the photography exhibition curated by Albert Gispert-Saüch and Josep Burset. A total of 60 artists will participate in these two exhibitions, in which all their pieces are dedicated to the Amazon (warrior women: mythology and reality) and to Barney and his fight for the rights of the LGTBIQ + groups. On the other hand, in the auditorium of the Mercè there will be a performance, a cabaret that will be presented by Aleix Cabarrocas and which will feature the performances of Pole Seduction (Pole Dance), Drag-Rouge (Drag Queen show) and Narjess and Wini ( Electronic DJ musician and percussion).

On January 21, at 11:00 a.m. there will be a morning movie session at the Truffaut Cinema in Girona and a literary vermouth in which the feature film Carol (2015) (which is a benchmark in lesbian cinema), directed by Tood Haynes, will be shown. with Cate Blanchett. The presentation and discussion will be given by Imma Merino, journalist and film critic. Then, there will be a vermouth and poem reading by Natalie C. Barney and the participation of the Motards Dimonis de Santa Eugènia and the rhapsode Amazons in Plaça del Pallol. On the 22nd, at 8:30 p.m., the conference will be held by Sara Torres, writer and poet, author of the novel Lo que hay and Cecal 2023 award as best new author. The topic that will be discussed this year will be: Natalie Clifford Barney and the Barney Salon. This will be followed by the reading of texts by Silvia Ardèvol, Mariona Ginès, Abel Debritto and Genni.

On January 23, the Festival's Grand Gala will take place from 8:00 p.m. at the Mercè Cultural Center in which established artists will take part, who will share the stage with others on their way to becoming one and in which they will perform music, dance, performance, live theater shows. The presentation will be made by Dididayan and Àlex Meyer. On January 24, the Festival of unreleased short films will be held at 8:00 p.m. at Cinema Truffaut, which is directed by Ester Bertran. On January 25 at 8:00 p.m. there will be a round table and open debate on militancy and activism in the fight for equality and sexual freedom, freedoms achieved by LGTBIQ+ people; Patronage in the world of art exercised by individuals; Personality and Time by Natalie C. Barney.

The Festival will end on February 7 at 8:00 p.m. with the closing of the exhibitions at the CC de la Mercè.