DKV Seguros supporting Young artists

This year DKV Seguros and LABoral Centro de Arte y Creación Industrial have launched a call offering a production residency. The winner has been David Ferrando Giraut, whose project is already being exhibited at the Asturian art centre.

Published: Jun 23, 2014
DKV Seguros supporting Young artists

David Ferrando Giraut

By Naiara Valdano, Art Gossips, @art_gossips

We all know that the economic crisis that Spain has endured over the last five years has had a dramatic impact on the current art industry. Many art centres in the Iberian Peninsula do not have enough funds to organise basic activities. Cultural managers need to work miracles to be able to fund their projects. Moreover, many professionals are leaving the country to keep on working in other destinations with more potential.

Artists are currently among the worst-hit professionals, especially young ones. Many creators newly graduated from Fine Arts Schools try to fight to develop a career, but only a few are able to receive public or private support to succeed. Most end up moving outside the country pursuing a dream or, directly, they choose to get a job in another industry (so long as they are lucky and get hired). But, eventhough the situation might seem very negative, we should not forget that there are still some opportunities that we must bear in mind and that bring us some hope (although, not much). As a matter of fact, there are still some institutions that try, although with limitations and with promotional purposes, to support the art industry, in summary, the artists.

Two years ago the firm DKV Seguros, for instance, signed and agreement with LABoral Centro de Arte y Creación Industrial with the purpose of fostering cultural innovation and creativity. To this end, both institutions decided to launch an annual call offering an art production grant addressed to young Spanish artists, or residing legally in Spain, born in the 1970s or after.

Since the beginning of this call, both entities undertook to choose a candidate each year and, for some months, cover costs such as accommodation, work space, counselling, fees and the production costs of the project. The final results of the residency are exhibited in the venue that Laboral has in Gijón and it may be incorporated to the art collection of DKV. A golden opportunity for those interested.

This year the second edition of this call has taken place and the selected artist is David Ferrando Giraut (Negreira, A Coruña, 1978). This Galician artist studied Fine Arts at the Universidad Politécnica de Valencia and later on two master programmes: One focusing on photography, art and technique in the same university and another one specialising on art practice at Goldsmiths College (University of London). Despite his short career, he has already exhibited at centres such as La Casa Encendida (Madrid), CGAC (Santiago de Compostela) o ASPEX (Portsmouth, England) and in galleries like Galería Visor in Valencia or James Taylor Gallery in London. His cv is impressive.

When it comes to work, the artist is very interested in the new technologies and is influenced by a sense of nostalgia that makes him rethink the present from a critical point of view (1). Most of his works reflect upon the relationship between human beings and objects in their environment and the connection between present and past.

Thanks to the production grant he has received this year, the artist has been able to create Speech Prosthesis (An Alchemical Conversation), a new project that “revolves around the current controversy regarding energy policies in Spain”. More specifically, this work deals with “the rather difficult relationship between scienfic research and political decision-making processes” (2).

The project consists of an audiovisual installation – a large mural projection and surround sound- and a digital animation piece for monitor. The point of departure for its creation has been “the ancestral concept of nature – that of the alchemists and their mysticism of the four elements –” (3) and he has received the support and advice of professionals from several industries that are acquainted with the energy policy. Based on these elements, the artist presents his concerns regarding the divorce between society and nature and reflects upon the difficult relationship between human beings and their environment, between current needs and the traces of the past.

For all those interested, this project is currently being showcased at LABoral Centro de Arte y Creación Industrial until next September 14. In order for you to be prepared, I would recommend you read in advance the following texts on energy policies, in order to catch up:

NOTATIONS

(1) Idea published on the web site web Sin Espacio. See the following link: www.otroespacio.org/web/carrer-major-36-mislata-david-ferrando.html

(2) Comments by the artist on a video produced by LABoral. See video here: http://www.laboralcentrodearte.org/es/files/2014/exposiciones/protesis/protesisvid

(3) Text published on Mas24, weekly supplement of Asturias24. See following link: http://mas.asturias24.es/secciones/exposiciones/noticias/que-puede-hacer-el-arte-contra-una-mala-politica-energetica/1403285649

    Logo LABoral

  • Information

  • Los Prados, 121
  • 33203 Gijón (Asturias)
  • Spain
  • Phone: +34 985 185 577
  • Contact
Personal tools
Log in