Painting has been present since the origin of the plastic expression as one of the most natural, most intuitive and stable manifestations throughout the history of art. However, its two-dimensionality has questioned its communicative capacity in the last century and has given rise to new creative trends focused on overcoming the limitations of the canvas through the search for movement, the decomposition of objects or multiple perspectives. At the same time, painting has been associated with classicism and testimonial representations of history as a technique that served the dictates of the sociopolitical pulse of the moment, so many contemporary authors have neglected it and opted for other disciplines more versatile.

Georg Baselitz, "Motiv kaputt", 1991. "La Caixa" Contemporary Art Collection

However, painting has always made its way again and has demonstrated its ability to reinvent itself and host countless messages according to the new times. For this reason, this discipline always resurfaces, accommodates new concerns and allows a more critical approach that expands the limits of art and the plasticity of the canvas itself. When it seemed that everything was said, we see that the painting can overcome its apparent limitations and host new speeches in the hands of today's creators.

Ángela de la Cruz, "Clutter VII (Yellow)", 2004. "La Caixa" Contemporary Art Collection

With this intention of revaluing oil on canvas, CaixaForum Madrid opens to the public the exhibition "The painting, a permanent challenge" where you can visit more than forty works from the La Caixa Foundation collection, started in 1985. When there were hardly any centres dedicated to contemporary creation in Spain, this institution opened the doors of its venues in Barcelona and Madrid in 1980 to become a reference to the latest art in our country. Since then, the collection has continued to grow and incorporate new names to its list.

Sean Scully, “Gabriel”, 1993. "La Caixa" Contemporary Art Collection

Nimfa Bisbe, head of the "la Caixa" collections, has curated the exhibition by making a selection of works that deal with the abstraction and plasticity of painting from an open conception, not limited to classical standards or traditional representation. With artworks by Robert Ryman, Sigmar Polke, Gerhard Richter, Wolfgang Tillmans, Robert Mangold, Ángela de la Cruz, Ruben Guerrero, Günther Förg, Jessica Stockholder, Juan Uslé and Richard Tuttle, among others, the tour proposes a material approach to the painting and the use of the elements that exceed their expected dimension and reach some extent of corporeality.

In the year 2020 in the heart of Barcelona a wandering gallery was born, the same one that in February 2021 would debut at Art Madrid with an exhibition proposal focused on contemporary portraits; with this subject matter it would manage to create a powerful dialogue between artwork and audience and make the seal Inéditad remain in the history of the event that contained it.

Jean Carlos Puerto. Protección. Oil and copper leaf on wood. 60 x 48. 2021. Image courtesy of the gallery.

Since that first time and until today, the wandering gallery has managed to build projects on otherness, has repositioned in the spotlight the discourses on the LGTBIQ+ collective, has consolidated a group of artists who share its principles of resilience and empathy and the best thing is that it continues to bet from the professionalism and commitment to give voice to the difference.

Claudio Petit-Laurent.. El Joven de la Perla. Oil on wood. 30 x 30 cm. 2023. Image courtesy of the gallery.

Inéditad Gallery, thanks to its founder Luis López, its collaborators and the infinite possibilities manifested in the works of the artists it represents, is a gallery that has demonstrated its capacity and courage to stimulate the sensibility of the public through art and seduce a generation that moves between the glass window and the analogical story. Inéditad is a nomadic gallery that has gathered around it a community of artists and has moved the context with exhibition projects that think about LGTBIQ+ art without prejudices.

Pepa Salas Vilar. Las marcas del arcoiris. Oil on canvas. 40 x 50 cm. 2022. Image courtesy of the gallery.

Pride and Prejudice was inaugurated. An exhibition that brings together the works of sixteen artists: Abel Carrillo, Alex Domènech, Carlos Enfedaque, Silvia Flechoso, Jamalajama, Daniel Jaén, Claudio Petit-Laurent, Jean Carlos Puerto, Fernando Romero, Pablo Rodríguez, Pepa Salas Vilar, Jack Smith, Pablo Sola, Bran Sólo, Elia Tomás and Utürüo. Painting, illustration, photography and digital art are the manifestations that bring into dialogue around fifty neatly threaded pieces, in a discursive line that discusses such a latent phenomenon as discrimination. To achieve this, the artists invited to the exhibition question themselves whether: Does discrimination exist within the LGTBIQ+ collective?

Pride and Prejudice Official Poster. Image courtesy of the gallery.

With approaches on and from the body, the proposal invites to celebrate diversity, proposes to question and self-question the prejudices and attitudes of society against the collective. Pride and Prejudice is a space for dialogue about the constructs imposed on us by society. It is also an oasis in which to deconstruct with tolerance and respect the subjectivities that sometimes prevent us from approaching the production of the participating artists, simply because "the beautiful" does not fit in an androgynous body. The subjugation of stereotypes are pressed with determination to find the beauty of diversity in other palpable facets of reality.

Pablo Sola. All men are dogs. Photography. 2014. Image courtesy of the gallery.

Throughout these three years Inéditad has stimulated the vindictive projection towards bad practices, has questioned estates around the LGTBIQ+ body and the most admirable thing, is that these capacities have resurfaced around the dialogue and the visual narrative of the stories that are told from the visual: Artworks that are people, art that is, per se, humanity. Overcome impositions and accept what is different in order to continue fighting against homophobia, biphobia, lesbophobia or transphobia and defend the equal rights that all the acronyms of the collective deserve in our community.

That's Pride and Prejudice: One creature, the happiest in the world. And maybe other projects and other people have said it - or felt it - before, but none so fairly.

Silvia Flechoso. Hola, soy maricón. Oil on canvas. 73 x 54 cm. 2023. Image courtesy of the gallery.

From June 8th until June 22nd you can visit Pride and Prejudice. Carrer de Palau núm. 4. Canal Gallery space. Barcelona.