Within the extensive program of itinerant exhibitions around the province organized by the Department of Art and Exhibitions of the Leonés Institute of Culture (ILC) of the Diputación de León, the Interpretation Center of the Biosphere Reserve of Omaña y Luna -in Murias de Paredes- hosts the exhibition ‘The sleeping forest’, by José Antonio Santocildes. It is an exhibition in which wood is the main protagonist, a material in which This veteran artist from Leon has been expressing a particular and highly personal creative universe.
The exhibition, which can be visited during the next two months, was opened by the deputy for Culture, Art and Heritage, Pablo López Presa; the mayor of Murias, Mari Carmen Mallo; and the director of Art and Exhibitions of the ILC, Luis García Martínez, with the presence of the author of the works, José Antonio Santocildes, linked from an early age with the town of Carrizo de la Ribera.
Specifically, the exhibition is made up of a total of thirty-one graphic works with sculptural treatment, made on wood, and an installation created from an old trunk-vine of walnut, one of the woods considered magical of our land.
The sleeping forest
The pieces that populate ‘The sleeping forest’ have been formalized by means of a wide and diverse set of woods, almost all typical of the Leonese regions, and ranging from the noblest, such as walnut; to the most humble, such as poplar, through oak and birch, although we also find some tropical woods. On the other hand, sculpture-engravings are one of the most characteristic specialties of the creative work of José Antonio Santocildes and his daughter Alexandra; works that are usually presented as pressed laminar structures and that have been modified in their original form by heat, humidity and pressure systems to achieve the adequate curvatures and precise definition of the volume, including in some cases cuts, turns and contours of areas that open dialogues of interrelation with the surrounding spaces of the work. In addition, the stamping or engraving systems used constitute innovative techniques that have been recognized in several editions of the National Calcography engraving awards, with honorable mentions obtained during the consecutive years of 1999, 2000 and 2001.
«The dialogue and communication that, in the act of creating, is generated between Santocildes and the wood has something spiritual, of an experiential connection with nature, of a magical initiation ritual that takes us to the dawn of human culture -explains Luis García, Art Director of the ILC and curator of the exhibition-. In fact, José Antonio loves, pampers, cares for and fruitfully dialogues with this organic matter, which keeps a certain vital sense latent, even after the tree has been cut down and transformed.
Sample schedules
The The exhibition can be seen during the usual hours of the center, from 11:30 to 13:30 and from 16:30 to 20:30 from Tuesday to Friday, and from 10:00 to 14:00 and from 16:30 to 20:30 on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays. To contemplate the exhibition and all the content of the Interpretation Center of the Omaña y Luna Biosphere Reserve, it is necessary to request an appointment by calling 608 803 596 or 987593118, or also through the email [email protected].
On the other hand, the act also served to deliver the prizes of the Short Stories Contest convened by the Murias de Paredes City Council, in which the winners were, in the adult category, Raquel Álvarez Álvarez, from Fasgar, for the story ‘The snow’; and in the infantile, Alba García García, by Murias de Paredes, for ‘Dreams are fulfilled’.
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