The CEO of the Tourist Centers, Benjamín Perdomo, the director of the MIAC-Castillo de San José, María José Alcántara, and the photographer Rubén Acosta presented this Friday the most relevant aspects of "Tours, volcanoes and lentils", the latest exhibition work by the artist from Lanzarote.
"Tours, volcanoes and lentils", which opens at 8:00 p.m. this Friday, is a journey through time in which Acosta discovers the changes on an island that navigates in a delicate balance between nature, tradition and the tourist phenomenon. It is a current look from the inside, a reflection on the present and the traces of the past; a new vision of the contemporary landscape, the evolution of traditions and the revolution of identity.
The CEO of the Tourist Centers, Benjamín Perdomo, said he was deeply "satisfied and proud to present a sample of the talent of a local artist who, in addition to being a magnificent collection of images about the island territory, is also an invitation to discover what we were to help us understand what we are."
Perdomo pointed out the importance for the Entity of "projecting and promoting" the talent that is made on the island. "Our exhibition spaces and our stages are the best platforms to publicize the much and good that our creators do," he added.
The director of the MIAC-Castillo de San José, María José Alcántara, explained the content of an exhibition that will remain housed in the MIAC-Castillo de San José until August 20. "Tours, volcanoes and lentils represents a look from the stage, but also from the backstage of an international tourist destination such as Lanzarote, and provides a reflection on the present of the island, based on a review of the contemporary landscape, the evolution of the island's culture and the mutations of its identity," he said.
"Tours, volcanoes and lentils" is the artist's first solo exhibition at the MIAC with the Tourist Centers. "It is a pride, an award and a dream come true," Acosta said.
"Tours, volcanoes and lentils"
"Lanzarote. Tours, volcanoes and lentils" is a photographic project by a creator residing on the island, who observes the changes in the territory while navigating in a complex balance between nature, tradition and tourism.
"This story takes the form of an exhibition and a photography book. It is not a tourist guide, although it could well be. It is not an experimental project, although it is inevitable to have contemporary resources. It is an invitation to delve into the moment and the place of an extreme island," they explain from the Cabildo.
The project is articulated on four axes represented in the chapters Malpéises, which deals with the natural landscape; Magua, which includes tradition, culture, gastronomy, "Canarianism"; Taro, which focuses on what is built, on architecture, on Manrique and on the transformation of the landscape, and La Tiñosa, related to tourism, globalization and identity conflicts, among others. The exhibition also contains a small tribute to Agustín Espinosa.
The book will be published by Ediciones Remotas and is in the production phase. The editor of the book is Ricardo Cases and it is scheduled to be released throughout 2022.
About Rubén Acosta
Rubén Acosta (Lanzarote, 1976) has a degree in Audiovisual Communication from the Complutense University of Madrid, with a Master's degree in photography from the EFTI school, in which he receives the Future Award for the most outstanding student of his class (2001). He also has a Master's degree in Cultural Engineering from the European University of Madrid, 2011.
He has been carrying out photographic projects and exhibiting regularly since 2002 in various national and international photographic halls and events. He is a finalist in Discoveries of Photoespaña in 2002, winner of the Acciona Award in 2009, Second AENA prize in 2011 and First Septenio Prize in 2011, among others. He participates in exhibitions at Photoespaña, Madridfoto, in art galleries in Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia, Bilbao, etc..., as well as in international events such as the Bamako Photography Biennial or the Dakar Biennial. His photographs are part of art collections and museums such as the Coca Cola Foundation, Enaire Foundation, AENA Foundation, Centro de Arte 2 de Mayo, CAAM, TEA, MIAC, Government of the Canary Islands, as well as private collections in Spain and the United States.
His photographic projects deal with the territory and its relationship with the contemporary landscape, man and identity, and the relationship of these with the environment and sustainability. He currently runs a photography studio in Lanzarote and is an editor at the independent publishing house Ediciones Remotas, with which he has published to date more than 40 publications on culture, photography, heritage and the environment.