Art and Word: a dialogue between image and poetry

The exhibition Art and Word lands at the Espai Muxart in Martorell to transform poetry into image and visual expression into verse. This exhibition brings together the work of 11 artists who have reinterpreted poems by authors from different eras and sensibilities, thus establishing a creative dialogue between two disciplines that have always coexisted.

As part of the 11 Literary Days of Martorell, which this year are held between April 22 and May 2, this exhibition becomes a meeting point between written language and visual language. The initiative, produced by the Lluís Coromina Foundation and with the support of the Institució de les Lletres Catalanes, is not new: it has travelled to several Catalan cities before arriving in Martorell, stopping in places such as Terrassa, Girona and Barcelona. Now, until June 15, the ground floor of Muxart will host this project that demonstrates how poetry can become a generator of images.

Each piece on display is born from the connection between an artist and a poet. Thus, Amèlia Riera dialogues with Salvador Espriu, Josep Guinovart with Joan Oliver, Jordi Tolosa with JV Foix and Francesca Llopis with Maria Mercè Marçal. There are also works by Jesús Galdón inspired by Carles Hac Mor, by Ester Xargay on Felícia Fuster, and by David Ymbernon in homage to Joan Brossa. Mar Arza explores the poetics of Ramon Llull and Vicent Andrés Estellés, while Anna Llimós delves into the lyricism of Àngels Moreno, Gerard Altaió on Ausiàs March and Lluís Vila on Jorge Luis Borges.

The way each artist has shaped the verses is as diverse as the artistic languages themselves. Painting, sculpture, installation, video in a staging where each work is accompanied by the poem that inspired it. Curator Fina Duran explains that the genesis of this exhibition arose from a concern shared with Jesús Galdón, also curator of the project together with Martina Morittu. One of the challenges encountered in the selection process was the difficulty in finding works inspired by poetry written by women. Despite this, there is female representation with pieces dedicated to Maria Mercè Marçal, Felícia Fuster and Àngels Moreno, making visible the need to continue expanding this artistic dialogue with female voices.