Mayte Martín, Raquel García-Tomás, Vicenta Ndongo, Conrad Roset, and Nilak National Culture Awards 2024

The National Council of Culture and the Arts (CoNCA) this morning awarded the National Culture Awards to the singer Mayte Martín, the composer Raquel García-Tomás, the actress Vicenta Ndongo, the illustrator Conrad Roset and the 'itinerant scenic space Nilak in an act of proclamation and delivery at Casino l'Aliança del Poblenou.

The acting president of the Generalitat of Catalonia, Pere Aragonès, took part in the event, and was attended by the president of the Parliament of Catalonia, Anna Erra, the Minister of Culture, Natàlia Garriga and the Minister of Social Rights , Carles Campuzano, as well as representatives of the cultural sector.

Playwright and theater director Denise Duncan has been in charge of directing the act, starting from the basis that culture is a blank canvas that everyone fills with their vision of the world and opens windows to various realities and futures that are still we didn't imagine What is the reality that each awardee draws? And which one do they draw together? A creative proposal that has been accompanied by the jazz intervention of the Lluc Casares Trio - with Lluc Casares (clarinet), Joan Casares (drums), Giuseppe Campisi (double bass) - and illustrations by Pedro Strukelj.

The emotional moment of the event has arrived at the time of the verdicts, the award winners have been glossed by professionals linked to each of them, specifically the actress Marta Millà for Mayte Martín; music teacher Lys Vilà by Raquel García-Tomás; the theater director Carles Alfaro, for Vicenta Ndongo, the artist Guim Tió for Conrad Roset and the Minister of Equality, Feminism and Citizenship of the Regional Council of Terra Alta and councilor of the Vilalba dels Arcs Town Council, Maria Teresa Mariné, by Nilak.

The Plenary of the CoNCA is constituted as a jury in order to annually recognize five people or entities with the National Culture Awards, balancing the criteria of gender, discipline, career and territory. This year they highlighted their excellence and creativity, both in the long careers and in the emerging talents.

The president of CoNCA, Vinyet Panyella, has highlighted that "the creative, constructive and critical potential of creators and sectors, of those who believe in the social benefits of culture, is immense and diverse, as represented by the individuals and entities awarded with the National Culture Awards".

Vicenta Ndongo

For being one of the great names of the Catalan scene and for his constant contribution to the world of interpretation from cinema, theater and television in the most diverse roles since his debut in 1991. His work is characterized by talent , professionalism and technique, both in interpretation and production. As the first Catalan actress who has contributed to the naturalness of the diversity of our society, she has opened the door to many other actresses. In 2023 she was one of the Colometes in the version of La plaça del Diamant by Carlota Subirós, premiered at the TNC.

The actress very excitedly thanked the recognition for her career and claimed "the people who are here want a change, and this award is the recognition of this desire for change. We want to be visible and we want to be able to be references for future generations, so that they have dreams and aspirations without complexes".

Raquel García-Tomás

For his excellence in musical composition with his own voice, the result of a solid training and the aptitude for contemporary innovation that allow him to achieve the balance between experimentation with sound and visual resources without losing the ability to move a wide audience. His music has been performed in halls all over the world. 2023 was the year of recognition and consecration of the composer with the premiere of the opera Alexina B. at the Gran Teatre del Liceu and the choral work Les portes del món para la Cantània at L'Auditori.

On receiving the award, he wanted to emphasize that "my commitment is not only to the culture of the country, but also to those who do not have the same privileges, either by making visible stories that are usually on the margins, or promoting the consolidation of creative teams that represent the real diversity that exists".

Conrad Roset

For his ability to bring his talent as an illustrator to the digital world with the creation of GRIS, the Catalan video game that has won the most international awards and has been translated into numerous languages. This video game is considered a work of art due to the balance between aesthetics and interactivity and gives international visibility to the country's video game industry. As an illustrator, with his unmistakable style of watercolor colors, he has worked for numerous agencies and publishers and exhibited his work in galleries and museums around the world.

The illustrator has valued the world of video games "I think that this award rewards the world of video games and is at the same time a recognition of the industry, so I extend it to all my colleagues, because little by little we make it possible that video games are considered art and culture”.

Nilak

For its task of bringing a program with activities developed by artists of recognized prestige throughout the country with the desire to reach especially regions where there are no scenic facilities and to establish quality relations with the population beyond a simple traveling shows. The creations displayed in the traveling marquee, based on the contemporary scene, are produced in collaboration with local festivals and cultural agents and are also displayed in relation to historical spaces in the places they visit.

Griselda Juncà, Arnau Andreu, Irene Soler and Oriol Escursell, members of the Nilak project, have collected the award on behalf of the organization and have thanked the recognition claiming that "for us, culture is a way of understanding the construction of a country, so please make politics of culture and culture of politics.”

Mayte Martin

For his contribution to sung music, especially flamenco and bolero, with an extreme voice and sensitivity. Throughout his artistic career he has collaborated with all kinds of artists, from Tete Montoliu to the dancer Belén Maya, through the Cuban diva Omara Portuondo and the fado singer Dulce Pontes, among others. Today she is one of the most respected singers in the scene of flamenco music: she has the favor of the public and the collective support of her fans, and she is acclaimed by critics and has been awarded numerous prizes.

In his speech he thanked the award and emphasized that "it gives me immense happiness, pride and hope to receive this award, because beyond a recognition of my work, it is a recognition of art and life and a philosophy that makes visible those people who swim against the current"

Finally, the acting president of the Generalitat, Pere Aragonès, closed the event by emphasizing that "Culture and freedom are two sides of the same coin. It is what allows us to imagine, communicate and explain the way to understand the world and to do it all over the planet and in all its fullness. Culture has this unifying power, of social cohesion, which strengthens us as a free and empowered society".