On 10 March 2022, members of our club visited the art museum at the University of Alicante and had a privilege of meeting two of the artists exhibiting. First, we saw the Jungles exhibition in the company of its creator, the Cuban artist Elio Rodriguez (who lives in Elche). Then the museum coordinator Reme Navarro gave us a tour of the group exhibition Mulier Mulieris with works by 14 female and 4 male artists, all centred on the historical and contemporary female experience. One of the exhibiting artists, Susana Guerrero, explained her work in the series Las Decapitadas. For me, the highlight, besides the work of these two artists, were the photographs by Lisl Steiner and the “chapel”, a series of small paintings illustrating passages from the Bible that touch on the role of women, especially those (many) that define women as subordinate to men, or even their property. Quite striking.
I had visited the museum less than a week earlier, but it turned out to be a very different experience to visit in the company of the artists and to hear the explanations of their work straight from the primary source.
The Mulier Mulieris exhibition runs until May 8th, Elio Rodriguez’s Jungles exhibition until May 1st, and the Lisl Steiner exhibition closes on April 3rd.
Here are some photos from our visit.
Our three hosts for the evening: Elio Rodriguez, Reme Navarro and Susana Guerrero
Elio Rodriguez talks about his jungle
Kari and Kaisa listen
Interpretation
The Jungle is a multimedia experience
Virginia and Elio
Kaisa contemplates an Alicante utopia
Reme explains a work about women who choose to remain childless
Susana Guerrero, colour-coordinated with her work
Susana explains
The chapel
Adam and Eve eat the forbidden fruit
“A woman should learn in quietness and full submission. I do not permit a woman to teach or to assume authority over a man; she must be quiet.” Timothy 2:11-12
The group listens to Reme
Lisl Steiner exhibition
Applause for Reme, Susana and Elio at the end of the visit
Going home