Artizar Gallery Opens Madrid Space with Julio Blancas Exhibition

"What happens while you live" is the title of a new exhibition by artist Julio Blancas (born in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, 1967). This show marks the opening of Galería Artizar's new space in Madrid. The exhibition opens on Thursday at 7:00 PM (Peninsular time).

Curated by Dalia de la Rosa, the exhibition features the Gran Canarian artist's most recent works. You can see it until March 14 at Artizar Madrid, located at 6 Doctor Fourquet Street.

Galería Artizar, originally based at 63 San Agustín Street in La Laguna, has 36 years of experience. They have shown art internationally at fairs like Zona Maco, Expo Chicago, and Pinta Miami. Now, they are opening a new gallery in the heart of Madrid, on Doctor Fourquet Street. This area is known as the "epicenter of contemporary art in Madrid." The new space will feature works by about twenty artists, focusing on current art from the Canary Islands and Spain, as well as important Cuban artists.

The gallery states that it's "not just a typical gallery." Since its founding in 1989, it has actively supported the art scene in the Canary Islands. They've done this through scholarship programs for young artists and publishing projects. The gallery also works with public and private organizations to help its artists show their work at international biennials. For example, Roberto Diago will represent Cuba at the Venice Biennale in 2026, making the gallery a "bridge between cultures and geographies."

The new Madrid venue will host both group and solo exhibitions, allowing visitors to explore "this new landscape" of art. Among the Canarian artists who work with Galería Artizar are Carlos Nicanor, Romina Rivero, Marco Alom, Idaira del Castillo, Santiago Palenzuela, and Laura Mesa.

From mainland Spain, notable artists include Paula Valdeón, Amparo Sard, Pamen Pereira, and Jesús Zurita. These, combined with Cuban artists like Roberto Diago (mentioned earlier), Marta María Pérez Bravo, and René Peña, create a diverse and innovative collection for Galería Artizar, now brought to Madrid.

Julio Blancas, whose exhibition "What happens while you live" is the first at Artizar Madrid, has spent over three decades exploring themes of natural and mental landscapes. He also examines how memory shapes our view of reality and how these landscapes are organized, always with a strong sense of structure in his final pieces. The artist works almost exclusively with pencil and graphite on various surfaces, mainly canvas and paper, but sometimes on unusual objects like the satellite dishes that will be displayed in this exhibition.

Galería Artizar explains that Julio Blancas finds inspiration in nature. He uses a simple but consistent method: he starts with a basic line and then layers many lines in different directions to create bright, changing shades. His art first invites you to get lost in the "forest" and textures he skillfully creates – his natural landscape. Then, you are surprised by his technical skill, getting lost in the "mental landscape" of the work.