MIQUEL GELABERT
(Spanish, b. 1979)
Miquel Gelabert graduated from the University of Barcelona, Spain in 2005 and has been awarded many honors since. He has been selected to participate in numerous group and public exhibitions throughout Spain, including the Museu de Granollers, Fundació Cuixart and Fundació Valvi (Barcelona) and the Fundació Àngel Planells, Blanes, Spain. He was the first emerging artist selected to inaugurate the New Artists’ Space at the Fundació Arranz-Bravo in Barcelona in 2009.
“My inspiration comes from the light, colors, shapes and memories that landscapes have imparted to my soul and feelings. That is why I love to play with the word "Landscape:" Land-escape, Land-space, Land&escape - in the titles of my paintings. The influence of the landscapes I am surrounded by, whether they are seascapes, the countryside or urban landscapes, are always present in my paintings. Sometimes a given painting might be a mix of all three and the color, shape and light from each will be present in the composition. The strong presence of the Mediterranean Sea and its reflected light is an enduring memory from my childhood which continues to affect me and is always present in my painting.”
– Miquel Gelabert
ABOUT THE ARTIST
“In his paintings, Gelabert succeeds in gathering many of the main features of his pictorial corpus: the austerity of forms, his search of the essence, the mystery and the importance of colour, of space and textures as the backbone of composition. He has refined the forms of landscape in nature and artificial geometry by harmoniously blending them together. Small geometric volumes, fascinating and enigmatic, are set in large surfaces of colour.”
“My inspiration comes from the light, colors, shapes and memories that landscapes have imparted to my soul and feelings. The influence of the landscapes I am surrounded by, whether they are seascapes, the countryside or urban landscapes, are always present in my paintings. Sometimes a given painting might be a mix of all three and the color, shape and light from each will be present in the composition. The strong presence of the Mediterranean Sea and its reflected light is an enduring memory from my childhood which continues to affect me and is always present in my painting. ”
ARTIST NEWS
MIQUEL GELABERT Sculptures at Mar I Murtra Botanical Garden
Miquel Gelabert recently completed an important year-long collaboration with the historic Mar i Murtra Botanical Garden in Blanes, Spain. In keeping with the garden’s mission of preservation and as an alternative to excavation, Miquel Gelabert was invited to commemorate lost trees found at the site to create monumental in situ sculptures, or environmental artworks that celebrate the life of the trees and their surroundings.
The central sculpture is made from a lost pine (pinus halepensis) reimagined in its totemic elements. Gelabert’s vibrant lines mimic the natural patterns in the tree’s exterior and serve to reanimate the tree’s majestic form. The reclaimed bark thoughtfully arranged in a circle between sky and sea, further serve as a reminder of the sacred qualities of the site, reserved in centuries past as a place of spiritual reflection.
For the project, Gelabert created 3 individual interventions with trees, each situated at distinct junctures within the garden’s picturesque pathways.
In each case the use of the existing botanical forms contrasted with bright and rhythmic colors creates a wonderful contemporary synergy with the natural and historic appeal of this beautifully curated Garden.