Summary of the presentation

What role does poetry play in the trajectory of certain contemporary artists, who write and publish it in parallel or as part of their practice and creative process? Do they write about the same themes as their artistic practice? And above all, what is its relationship with the word? Through a personal reading we will see that, in some cases, the artists who write, conceive poetry as ‘a mother’. In other words, they see it as the essential origin, the link and the source from which their creative impulse emerges. In others, poetry manifests itself as the hand of a sister, asking you to raise your voice and speak for all the women who have hidden their words for too long in the curve of their bellies. Likewise, there are artists who cultivate poetry by accepting the line between the image and the word, but making it passable and fruitful through the practices of experimental, visual and performative literature. Neither will we leave aside specific perspectives of the works of artists who manifest their love of the word from experiences of language that open up universes inscribed in the matter. I will try to open the doors to a diverse and academically unexplored outlook, from the point of view of both art and literary studies, and I will attempt to get closer to them through the emotion of reading the singularity of each one and the genealogy of the poetic tradition where they are recognised. Poetry by Catalan and international artists will be discussed: Silvia Gubern, Mari Chordà, Marina Oroza, Esther Xargay, Gemma Sin, Agnes Martin, Cecilia Vicuña, Etel Adnan, etc.

CV/Biography

PhD professor in History of Contemporary Art (UB), pioneer in feminist research in Catalonia and curator of art exhibitions and cultural and educational projects. Her next essay to be published: “Trazar ad infinitum: la poesia canalitzada de Silvia Gubern” (Trace ad infinitum: the channelled poetry of Silvia Gubern) (Various authors. En la estela de Linda Nochlin (In the wake of Linda Nochlin), Icària, 2024), an initial approach to the published poetry of this artist.

Summary of the presentation

In our society, we are experiencing a paradigm shift at all levels, while at the same time facing devastation on both planetary and social levels. In this context, it is crucial to reflect on the type of art that is needed. It is not the one that fills our cities with useless artefacts or the one that adds unnecessary noise. We need an art that, freed from profit and self-promotion, is able to speak about what really matters on its own terms. The idea is to think about what this type of art consists of.

CV/Biography

Chantal Maillard is a poet and philosopher. She has been awarded the National Poetry Prize (2004) and the Critics Prize (2007). Doctor of Philosophy, specialised in Indian philosophy, has held the chair of Aesthetics and Theory of the Arts at the University of Málaga and has collaborated with the newspaper El País. She has collected and translated Henri Michaux’s writings on painting, and is the author of numerous books of poetry, essays and diaries. The volume India is a collection of her writings on this continent and La arena entre los dedos (The sand between the fingers), her four “Diaries”, both published by Pre-textos. Among her most recent books are Medea (Tusquets, 2020), performed by Maillard herself at the Teatro de la Abadía in Madrid in 2022, La compasión difícil (Difficult Compassion) (Galaxia Gutenberg, 2019), Las venas del dragón (The Veins of the Dragon) (Galaxia Gutenberg, 2021), Poesía Reunida 2004-2020: Lo que el pájaro bebe en la fuente y no es el agua (Collected Poetry 2004-2020: What the bird drinks in the fountain and it is not water) (Galaxia Gutenberg, 2022) Decir los márgenes (Say the Margins) (Galaxia Gutenberg, 2022). Conversations with Muriel Chazalon. Kill Plato has been performed in concert on numerous stages. More information at: https://chantalmaillard.com/.

Biography
José Corredor-Matheos (Alcázar de San Juan, 1929) is a poet, art critic and translator. As a poet, he received Spain’s National Poetry Prize (2005) and the Boscán Poetry Prize (1961). José Corredor-Matheos is the author of numerous art publications, he is the corresponding member of the Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando, full member of the International Academy of Ceramics, honorary member of the Reial Acadèmia Catalana de Belles Arts de Sant Jordi, founder and first president of the Associació Catalana de Crítics d’Art (ACCA) and the Fine Arts Award of the Generalitat Government of Catalonia (1993). As a translator he was recognised with the National Award for Translation between Spanish Languages (1984), awarded by the Ministry of Culture. As a result of his career, the Generalitat Government of Catalonia awarded him the Creu de Sant Jordi (1988), and the Barcelona City Council, the Gold Medal for cultural merit (2003).