The Malagueñer – Illustrations with history.

I rarely know what I'm going to find when I visit an art gallery, but as I always say, they never cease to amaze me. Often I can admire beautiful oddities, different styles, surprising materials and simply spectacular art. Other times there is a lot of history and culture behind an exhibition, but in this case the two things come together.

This exhibition does not feature the work of one artist, but rather 41 artists who have come together to create this wonderful presentation of illustrations related to the city, its history, its culture and everything that Málaga stands for.

Since I arrived, I have learned that Malaga is like a separate country. In the capital, for example, there are several ways or names given to coffee depending on the amount of milk it contains, and this is not the case anywhere else, not even in the towns within the same province. Therefore, as in many other parts of Spain and the world, the city has a unique identity that makes it special.

I think that's what these illustrators wanted to capture. It's a great project, really, because getting 41 people together to agree on and design this wonderful exhibition and illustrations that pay tribute to the city can't have been easy. But their love for the city and its culture has made it possible.

It is a collection of covers that manage to show the identity of the city through art created with great talent. The illustrations are truly incredible and beautiful, and seeing them up close and enjoying each one has been wonderful.

That day I was accompanied by my friend Loli, who is from Malaga, although she was not born in the capital but in a village about 75 kilometres away. She couldn't have been better company at that moment, because she explained many of the things shown in the illustrations to me, although after living in the city for more than seven years I already knew them myself.

For example, there is a specific illustration, number 18, of a very famous actress who is from Malaga. My friend told me her story and how she moved away from her profession. Her name is Marisol, and Spaniards probably know her. I had heard some of her songs, but I didn't know much about her story.

As well as this illustration, my friend told me about many others. Many of them have to do with iconic buildings in the city, with history or with lifestyles, such as espeto or pescadito frito (fried fish) and similar things.

On a black poster, I could see the list of participating artists, while on another white poster there were drawings with explanatory phrases about expressions or things related to the people of Malaga. My friend and I laughed a lot because it was like taking a walk through the city and its culture, experiencing everyday life, such as certain words that are always used.

In one corner of the exhibition, there were also some leaflets that you could take away with you, explaining a little about everything I have mentioned. This project took over a year to organise and was a fantastic adventure, paying tribute to the city of Malaga. Each of these illustrations or illustrated covers shows a little of what the people of Malaga and their environment are like.

A collective exhibition organised by this gallery, El Ateneo. A journey through important figures, landscapes, buildings, customs and even typical foods that demonstrate a great tradition and, as I said before, the love and memories of the city. The people responsible for this project are Pilar Orellana, Carlos Leós and Teresa Pérez. They brought the artists together to create this marvel.

Thank you very much for joining me today, I wish you a very good Sunday. See you soon.
Amonet.

All photographs are my own.