Last Friday, the headquarters of the César Manrique Foundation (FCM) revived the festive, cultural and avant-garde atmosphere that César Manrique imprinted on his house in the 70s of the last century, with the inauguration of the exhibition 'Filip Custic in conversation with César Manrique', curated by Belinda Martín Porras, whose central piece is a kinetic, humanoid and hyperrealistic sculpture, based on the series 'Wind Toys' by the artist from Lanzarote.
More than 350 people enjoyed Custic's tribute to Manrique in Taro de Tahíche, with an installation that, in addition to the mobile sculpture, entitled (hyperrealistic ego) + (wind toy) =, combines 3D animation, video art, sound and augmented reality. The experience was completed with a cocktail in the bubbles and the pool area, which lasted until one in the morning.
The performer Virgen María also took part in this immersive experience, who gave a one and a half hour performance in which she combined body representation with music.
The exhibition, which aims to recover the work of César Manrique to integrate it into our present from the perspective of new technologies and social networks, can be visited until September 1, in the Gallery room of the FCM headquarters, from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
Filip Custic, the human being and the impact of digital technologies
Filip Custic (Santa Cruz de Tenerife, 1993) is a Spanish-Croatian artist who lives and resides in Madrid, whose artistic practice combines photography, performance, sculpture and video art. As a creative director and fashion photographer, he has worked for Opening Ceremony, VOGUE, Fucking Young!, GQ UK, Esquire, Camper, Visionare, Rosalía or Palomo Spain, among others.
Currently his work explores what it means to be human in our present and immediate future, as well as the impact of digital technologies on our consciousness and sense of identity. Among his latest exhibitions are 'Homo-?' at La Térmica, Málaga (2019); 'Presente mental', at the Cultural Center of Spain in Montevideo (2019); 'Labyrinth of Mirrors', performance for Absolut Manifesto 19 - We Are A New World, Madrid (2019); 'The Search For (Modern) Pleasure, at the MIRA Festival, Barcelona (2018); 'Les Rencontres d'Arles' (2018), at PHotoEspaña 2018, Madrid; 'The Gathering. La Noche Warhol', at Caixa Forum Madrid (2018); and 'Patafísica: Suspensión, Fragmentación', James Fuentes Gallery, New York (2017).
For her part, Belinda Martín Porras (Santa Cruz de Tenerife, 1993) is an art historian, researcher and editor of the MTArt Journal. She currently combines her curatorial projects with the completion of her doctoral thesis in Art and Classical Literature at King's College London, the city where she resides. Her research focuses on the concept of the monstrous as an aesthetic phenomenon in Greco-Roman culture, as well as in our contemporaneity. Previously she has worked as an assistant curator in various spaces and centers dedicated to contemporary and classical art, such as the Max Estrella Gallery, Madrid; the Musée d'Art Classique de Mougins and King's College London.
