Dali exhibition comes to town in November
Print Edition
As the only authorized Dalí exhibition in China since 2001, “Dalí Media” will begin on November 5 at K11 Mall in Shanghai.
Juan Manuel Sevillano, the managing director at Fundació Gala–Salvador Dalí, which is loaning the pieces for the exhibit, was recently in town to prepare for the show.
Born in Barcelona in 1963, he holds an MBA from IESE Business School, Barcelona, a BBA from the European University, Brussels and did business and engineering studies at the Polytechnic and Central Universities of Barcelona. Having lived and worked in five countries, the exploration and understanding of cultural diversity has become one of his key personal interests.
Sevillano has worked at Fundació Gala-Salvador Dalí since 1999. He has helped the foundation develop a financially independent platform upon which it has been able to flourish, fulfilling its mission and its role as a worldwide Dalí reference. After helping consolidate three successful museums, a research center and an international exhibition program, Sevillano is helping the institution move into managing Salvador Dalí’s rights including intellectual property, trademarks, editorial and image.
Q: Can you use three adjectives to describe the work of Dalí?
A: I am afraid I cannot. Dalí’s artistic legacy is enormous and varied.
I feel that using only three words would be unfair, insufficient and arrogant from my side. I can say, though, that Dalí’s works are tremendously relevant to the world of 20th century art and the creative industries.
It would not be unfair to say he has left an influence and set the playing field to what we understand by contemporary art today. Dalí’s creative genius jumps at you full of energy when you look at it. It leaves nobody impassive or unmoved.
Q: As managing director of Fundació Gala-Salvador Dalí, what are your main responsibilities?
A: As a member of the management committee responsible for the overall direction, I oversee and lead the foundation’s development and growth activities, with a special emphasis on Dalí’s immaterial legacy.
Q: Is there a special part of this Dalí exhibition in Shanghai?
A: The whole exhibition has to be seen as a coherent set in all parts. All parts are special and important in the overall. In “Dalí and Media” we’ll be able to see a selected example of Dalí’s work environment outside of his studio, including working tools and images of his atelier.
After this, the exhibition is divided in three parts: First is a selection of Dalí’s interaction with printed media, magazine covers, articles, advertisements, where Dalí is sometimes the author or the subject. We will learn how important mass media was for him.
Secondly is masterworks. Paintings and drawings made in the years of intense engagement with the media. We learn about Dalí’s main iconography, reflected in his work.
The other is a block where the Chinese public will be able to explore the influence of Dalí in Chinese artists of today. This section proves that Dalí’s creative genius is still alive and a source of inspiration for contemporary artists. So in this major exhibition, it will also feature Chinese contemporary artists to create a new interaction and inspiration from Surrealism to Chinese art communities.
Q: What are the criteria in selecting Dalí’s work from your foundation for the show in Shanghai?
A: Curatorial criteria are a consequence of the theme. Works selected are important and related to the period in which Dalí had a particular interaction with the media of the time. Every piece selected is considered a masterwork and these pieces can only leave our museum for exhibitions of the highest artistic level.
Q: The venue at K11 is not the familiar space at museums or galleries, what’s your view on this?
A: Taking advantage of a successful and exclusive commercial space to set up its art center, K11 Art Foundation represents a very interesting option for our foundation to lend prestige and promote the work of Salvador Dalí to a wider public.
Additionally the theme of this exhibition “Media Dalí” is well adjusted to these surroundings. “Dalí and Media” is an example of the artist’s modernity, of him being well ahead of his time and exploring the limits of artistic creativity. Dalí was a master of all this, 50 years ahead of his contemporaries.
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 沪ICP证：沪ICP备05050403号-1
- |
- 互联网新闻信息服务许可证：31120180004
- |
- 网络视听许可证：0909346
- |
- 广播电视节目制作许可证：沪字第354号
- |
- 增值电信业务经营许可证：沪B2-20120012
Copyright © 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
