New portrait: Valentin Torrens. /  by Toni Ricart

I did Valentin's portrait in his sunny room surrounded by dozens of masks, trying to catch the essence of his personality among all those other faces.

Since 1990 Valentin Torrens has carried out actions in thirty countries in Europe, America, Asia and Africa. Presenting at international festivals and individual shows. Interested in the uses and rewards of mass media. Perception as the source and limit of desire. The politics of perception and its liberation. Using changing strategies to decode the accommodations of art and culture, their connivance with horror. A real / illusory double code, of the artist as a shadow, his and that of the context; transforming both. Humor and liminal game, short circuiting the logic of the language and the mind of the spectator. From 2000 to 2014, he coordinated "Territorio performance", within the Periferias, Huesca and other multifestival such as Trobada d'art i tecnologìa in 1993, La Floresta; Territoris nomades in 2001, Barcelona. In 2008 he edited the book "Pedagogy of performance" with courses and workshops programs of forty artists and teachers. In 2014, "Enseñando performance" and the English edition "How we teach performance art"

Intramurs.org

New portrait: Pep Puig. /  by Toni Ricart

_MG_6772.jpg

I've spent a nice afternoon at Pep Puig studio in La Floresta, admiring his great works. 
Pep is a multidisciplinary artist who constantly researches on new supports and techniques. Lately he is applying his particular criteria on randomness to peculiar stamping techniques, with amazing results.

Helena Ginès. New portrait for the "musicians" series /  by Toni Ricart

Born in Girona, Helena Ginès studied with Montserrat Massaguer, and later with Eulàlia Solé at the Badalona Conservatory, where she obtained the piano master's degree in 1996. Later she studied with Achilles Delle Vigne at the Conservatory of Rotterdam until 2000.

She has been awarded several contests and has performed solo piano recitals, chamber music or as orchestra soloist. It is worth mentioning a concert at the Palau de la Música Catalana in the VI cycle The first Palau (2001), and the recording of the Preludes of Claude Debussy, with the Anacrusi label (2003).

Testing the amazing carbon transfer print. /  by Toni Ricart

The original digital file

The original digital file

I recently commissioned a print from The Wet Print, an alternative photographic printing service, using a technique which was unknown to me. Carbon transfer Is a craft process that requires several days of work, achieving high quality unique results in each print.

Closeup detail of the finished print

Closeup detail of the finished print

The result is awesome. Calvin Grier, The Wet Print alma mater takes care of his work with delicacy and professionalism. I recommend visiting his website.

Aligning negatives

Aligning negatives

Prepared materials

Prepared materials

Developing first layer

Developing first layer

First layer

First layer

Developing second layer

Developing second layer

Transfer to paper

Transfer to paper

Photo session with Trio Pedrell /  by Toni Ricart

I recently did a portrait photo session with the three talented members of Trio Pedrell: Jordi Humet, piano; Ferran Bardolet, cello, and Christian Torres violin.

Despite being a young formation, they have already collected some important awards such as the first prize at the Capellades 24th International Music Competition “Paper de Música”, the first prize at the IV International Competition of Chamber Music Antón García Abril, the first prize at the Les Corts 9th International Competition of Chamber Music and the Special Audience Prize and 2nd Prize at the 11th International Competition of Chamber Music Montserrat Alavedra, as well as the Special Audience Prize or the Prize for young interpreters which included a training at the Xarxa de Músiques de Catalunya within the  21st Competition Josep Mirabent i Magrans in Sitges. In 2015 they won the contest “Mi Primer Auditorio” at Foundation Piu Mosso. Selected from more than 500 groups, they performed a debut concert at the Auditorio Nacional in Madrid with great success within public and critics.
The trio has played in venues such as the Kammermusiksaal at the HMT in Leipzig, the Auditori Municipal in Terrassa, the Universitat Autònoma de Bellaterra, Universitat Rovira i Virgili in Tarragona, Universitat de Barcelona, Teatre Municipal in Palafrugell. They have also been invited to perform at festivals such as the “Juliol de Música i Poesia” in Balaguer, the “Festival de Música del Maresme”, the 34th “Festival Internacional de Música de Matadepera, the 34th “Festival Internacional de Música Pau Casals” in Vendrell or the 35th “Festival Internacional de Música” in Ripoll, as well as a concert in Osteröde (Germany). In October and November 2015, they toured around Spain, visiting cities such as Almeria, Zamora, Zafra, Segovia, Burgos, Oviedo or La Coruña.
 

Ferran Bardolet

Cellist of a great depth who studied with great teachers and in great schools such as the Escola de Música Municipal de Manlleu, the ESMUC, the Escuela Superior de Música Reina Sofía in Madrid or the Hochschule für Teather, Musik und Medien in Hannover (Germany).

 

Jordi Humet

Jordi is a pianist who has studied with great teachers at important schools such as ESMUC (University of Music from Catalonia), Musikeon (Valencia), the Hochschule für Musik und Theater Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy in Leipzig (Germany) or Hochschule für Musik, Teather und Medien Hannover (Germany).

 

Christian Torres

Versatile musician, specializing in violin, as a soloist and within the orchestra, but with emphasis in chamber music. He studied the higher grade of music in the ESMUC and then a master’s degree in the Hochschule für musik “Hanns Eisler” in Berlin; he completed his training with Trio Pedrell at the Hochschule für Musik, Theater und Medien Hannover.