BarcelonaAll of Susana Pérez’s works always have the same elements: five circles and straight lines that join them. On a white background, and with a black marker, draw four circles, which would be the vertices of a square if joined together. And the fifth one is in the middle, just above a vertical axis, which is more or less in the middle of this imaginary square, and which arises from a scratched base. Susana’s paintings are part of a collection of 240 works hung in the Residence of the bonÀrea Foundation and all of them are made by people with functional diversity, mental disorders or who are at risk of social exclusion. The project is part of one of the initiatives promoted by the Josep Santacreu Foundation within the framework of Art Singular, which aims to bring art closer to people with some type of disability.
The Josep Santacreu Foundation was born in 2018, when Eva Calatayud and Josep Santacreu decided to create an initiative that would allow society to understand that people with disabilities can also be creative. And so his first project emerged: Art Singular. Calatayud, director of the program, began to present herself to social entities that work with this kind of people to propose that they hold art workshops with the users and then exhibit the works. “Being able to create with total freedom and tell them what they’ve done is a lot choose it gives them security and makes them feel very special – he explains -. Every time I see a work I am surprised,” he adds.
Over time, the foundation has managed to exhibit several works of the project in museums, galleries, universities and all kinds of spaces. There are even works exhibited in offices. Based on a collaboration with the bonÀrea Foundation, the last project they have done has been the creation of a catalog that includes 240 pieces which, in addition, are hung in the rooms of the residence for the elderly in Casserole “The surprise was to see that the grandparents were delighted to have the works in their room,” explains Calatayud.
From the foundation they defend that this project has added value because “it is the only activity that is carried out in social entities in which no one tells them (the users) what to do” and they “gain security and autonomy” . The fact that the pieces don’t stay in a drawer and end up being presented somewhere also makes them feel more “important”, points out the director.
When people who are not linked to a disability visit an exhibition they are surprised, says Calatayud. “They think they will come across four cartoons. In a way we are helping them understand disability in a different way,” he opines. As an anecdote, he adds that years ago he held an exhibition with works by friends who were professional artists along with other works by people with disabilities, and he assures that no one noticed which were which. “I, the disability, do not see it,” he concludes.
Exhibition at the Museum of Montserrat
The Josep Santacreu Foundation is now working on the final preparations for a Eyes, nose and moutha selection of works from the same workshops of the social entities that will be exhibited at the Museum of Montserrat from February 14. To make the selection for all projects, the foundation consults art critics, collectors or other artists to help them. Every time the production of works is greater, and now it is the same entities that call because they want to be part of the project.
Regarding funding, Calatayud explains that presenting itself as a foundation has allowed them to present the project more easily. However, he assures that it is not a very expensive activity, beyond deciding whether to exhibit framed works or not, for example. Although they have sometimes asked for a subsidy, “the cost is time”, he concludes.
Source: www.ara.cat
