The heliogravure of the 21st century at the House of Culture

Carles Mitjà 's work invites you to rediscover a centuries-old technique that has stood the test of time: heliogravure. His prints bear witness to an artisanal practice and aim to be a contemporary reflection on image, support and permanence. Medium transforms the procedure and connects the beginnings of photography with the digital challenges of the 21st century.

The exhibition 'L'heliogravat al segle XXI', organized by INSPAI Center de la Imatge de la Diputació de Girona , can be visited until January 11 at the Casa de Cultura de Girona . This exhibition brings together more than thirty images that include landscapes and still lifes, worked using this historical procedure.

Mitjà, photographer and former professor of image technology at the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya , combines scientific rigor with artistic sensibility, integrating elements of digital technology in his practice but without losing the artisanal essence of the technique.

Historically, gravure was born as a way to capture light and translate it into matter. It had its first version with heliography developed by Nicéphore Niépce between 1820 and 1822. This initial process was later perfected by William Henry Fox Talbot , who patented a method of his own in 1852. Years later, in 1878, Karel Klíč took these techniques to a new level, incorporating the contributions of Louis Alphonse de Poitevin and Joseph Swan , especially through his experiments with prints in the coal This method, known as Talbot-Klíč has remained almost unchanged to the present day although contemporary advances have added new layers of meaning and possibility to this technique, offering artists a tool to reflect on the impact of images in an era marked by visual saturation.

As part of the program, Carles Mitjà will offer a guided tour and a conference next November 28 at 7 p.m., where he will delve deeper into the technical secrets of gravure and its creative process.

With 'Heliogravation in the 21st century', the Casa de Cultura appeals to both photography lovers and those seeking to understand the potential of hybrid practices.

'L’heliogravat al segle XXI' a la Casa de Cultura de Girona. © Miquel Millan