what to visit in Malaga

Working or not, that’s the real question here. You’re forgotten quickly. Although you worked hard. Although you took tons of classes and learned the unthinkable.

When you’re working everybody counts on you. They put you into situations at work that you are not prepared for. You get more responsibility and they motivate you. They promise you everything if you just do what you are supposed to do. But one day to the next everything can change.

- Arturo, please come to my office – says the boss with a serious tone.

-Yes, boss you wanted to see me – is your response and you’re expecting the worst.

- As you know the company is going through some hard times at the moment and the situation forces us to make some cuts. We’re going to have to let you go. As you know our profits have gone down and although I’m aware…blahblahblah. – A monologue that goes on for hours just to tell you that you are being fired.

45 years old and unemployed. 3 people you have to take care of and now you don’t have a job. A decease so contagious as leprosy. You are going to be marginalized, they put a mask on you to be able to deal with you, and you have to wait in overcrowded rooms. When you’re telling your story people give you a look of disgust as if you smell bad. Everyone encourages you, but noone offers their help.

Your profile is specific and there are no job offers for you. And at the point of complete desperation when you’re telling everyone that you are looking for a job everyone tells you the same:

-What skills do you have? – they ask-

- I have a PhD in nuclear physics and a master in quantum mechanics, but I could do anything. I’m a fast learner, responsible and a hard worker – is your response.

- At the moment I got nothing, but once I hear something I’ll let you know – but you already know this won’t happen.

ManuManué

But maybe unemployment is an opportunity for you to travel the world. If you feel that way you should rent apartments in Malaga and turn this frown upside down.

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Translated by: Poppy
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In 1922, the Swiss Artist Sylvie Fleury appeared with strength in the international artistic scene with her work of art Poison, that consisted of a pile of shopping bags from expensive and exclusive clothing and cosmetics brands that contained in its interior the objects of desire the shoppers had bought, an artistic approach not so different of an alteration of the Kunstverein Gallery in Cologne into a shoe shop completed by the Belgium artist Guillaume Bjil in 1986.

It is possible that Poison has certain relationship with art pieces of Jeff Koons or Haim Steinbach, with the exception that  the ironic content is missing, and it is giving a much more critical and straight point of view of disapproval not only of the glamorous aspect of our society for it seems as if it was celebrating the identification of the merchandise and the art object itself

Just as Warhol showed his Brillo boxes and Campbell soups in the sixties, Fleury doesn’t emulate ingenious artistic copies of the objects, but as other artists, perhaps WC Ange Leccia and her Mercedes Benz on pedestals, she follows the path of Duchamp and the new realists emphasizing the action of exposing something as an essential element and constitutive of art.

Almost 20 years have passed since that day, and Sylvie Fleury has walked a long prolific and diverse path  which itineraries we can follow in the retrospective exhibition of her works in the Centro de Arte Contemporaneo of Malaga until the 12 of June.

Organized in collaboration with the Swiss organization for the support of the Pro Helvetian culture, it is  composed of over 100 art pieces along with an extensive sample of her video productions. This is the first individual exposition that is dedicated to the stimulating work of this artist

It can be said that the diagnosis Fleury has of the world thru her videos, sculptures, neons, etc,  barely has changed. It’s sick with superficiality caused by the disillusion, dissatisfaction and the disappointment inoculated by a blindly materialistic consummist society in which we live in and which symptoms she exemplifies, including the present art world state with which the artist has ambivalent relationship manifested with the misappropriation of the works of artists she admires (Modrian, Duchamp, Vasarely, Judd, Kosuth, Andre..)

It can be said that almost all the faces of this multipurpose artist are very well represented in the exhibition where not only the glamorous and the kitsch combine, but the masculine and feminine also

More info: http://cacmalaga.org/

Paul Oilzum

This is an excellent opportunity to get acquainted with his interesting art, if you rent apartments in Malaga Discover his videos, sculptures, neon, installations and murals.

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Translated by: Marc
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Amidst the tense negotiations between the Spanish Ministerio de Cultura and Carmen Thyssen to make sure that the works of the Carmen Thyssen-Bornemisza collection belonged at the Thyssen-Bornemisza art museum in Madrid, the famous art collector has opened a brand new art center in the city of Malaga, which will display 230 pieces from her personal collection – a large part of which are Spanish 19th century – possibly the largest collection of its kind in the world.

The art center, which is three levels high, is called the Museo Carmen Thyssen de Málaga, and is on Calle Compañía, of Islamic origin, in the resored landmark of the Villalón Palace, next to the Plaza de la Constitución square – a seven minute walk from the Picasso Museum, and around 200m from the San Juan church, from which each Semana Santa (Holy Week), the Malaga-born actor Antonio Banderas (who was invited to the museum opening along with his wife Melanie Griffith) takes the pictures for the Cofradía de Fusionadas, and not so far from the Malaga Centre for Contemporary Art.

Though the palace is from the Renaissance of the 16th century, during the restoration of the building, interesting archeological remains were found such as possibly Byzantine necropolis, and different Roman houses with an interesting, picturesque kind style of decor – as well as parts from a Roman garum factory (garum was a popular sauce made from fermented fish, which was an essential base for Roman cooking, and was believed to be an afrodisiac).

Next to the Villalón Palace, the museum has built two brand new buildings, designed – along with the restoration of the palace – by young architects Rafael Roldán and Javier Gónzalez, who have aimed to preserve the elegant columns, and powerful craft of the original construction of the building, leaving the interior mostly white. In total, the space takes up around 7,150 meters sq. – the majority of which is exhibition space, with an additional library, cafeteria, and of course, a shop.

According to the agreement with the Malaga council, the works have been presented without any economical compensation – and will be on display at the Malaga museum until 2026, when the relatives of Carmen Thyssen will be required to renegotiate the terms of the lease.

Though the collection is mainly based in Spanish painting from the 19th century, this isn’t the only attraction. There are also other interesting works such as the Roman carving of Christ, previously held by the National Museum of Art of Catalonia (MNAC) – as well as a section dedicated to old masters such as Zurbarán.

For more details: http://www.carmenthyssenmalaga.org/

Paul Oilzum

Another reason to rent apartments in Malaga such a wonderful city – pay a visit to the new museum Carmen Thyssen of Malaga.

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Translated by: Poppy
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Vetusta Morla seem legendary without actually being so. The sons of direct alternative rock, somewhere between pop and psychedelia, the band’s origins led to a long path to the release of their first and only album – apart of course from their EP, “Mira.”

Maybe you’ve already tried to see them – there were no tickets left, you went back home and that was the end of it. But what is the charm of Vetusta Morla? A long career, with its fair share of live concerts but barely two official recordings would suggest a perfectionism and good taste. I recommend that, in order to get the full picture, you get hold of their demos: 13 horas con Lucy (2000), Vetusta Morla (2001) and La cuadratura del círculo (2003).

Lets put it this way – a group of this level who maintains their independence, produces on their own label, is a massive success, if not a total phenomenon. The independence of the musician, in todays world of endless media options, is relatively easy – but such high quality production is not so easy. Vetusta Morla don’t necessarily take lots of risks, but their lyrics are certainly poetic.

“Un día en el mundo”  was their debut release in 2008, and last year the vinyl version came out. It’s worth summing up in a few lines – melancholic voices with punch, high volumes and words which speak about today. “Autocrítica” is the first track, and if these guys are alternative then it’s in the UK style of alternative. “Sálvese quien pueda” gives hope, telling us that everyone is bad apart from you – great! “Valiente” is a similar kind of idea and the acoustic “La Marea” is full of feeling, with beautiful lyrics. “La cuadratura del círculo” is an ode to Buenos Aires. A true guitar sound, yes, but the best thing about the band are their lyrics, which owe a lot to Radiohead, as well as early The Verve, and the more current Cold War Kids.

They have won several awards in Spain – the critics adore them. Passing through Beirut, Uruguay and Argentina amongst others, Vetusta Morla will be playing at Malaga’s Auditorio Municipal. For more information, visit the website, where you can also buy tickets. Do it! http://www.vetustamorla.com/

SISTER RAY

The best thing to do is listen to Vetusta Morla alone in your room, with a cigarette without any interruptions. These guys are going deliver a great show, despite of the delay in recordings. Rent an apartments in Malaga and go and see them, discovering the city at the same time.

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Translated by: Poppy
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Festival Reggae Attack is at the Sala Vivero in Malaga on the 29th April (originally the 15th). The event focuses on local reggae, aiming to bring together the best of the Malaga scene. The second edition of the festival includes veteran local acts such as Sonido Internacional, 12-13 ReggaeBand, Jahnorum, Teteman Levi y Roots Selectors.

Since its origins in the 1960s, reggae has become a sound synonymous with human rights, and the fight against racial inequality. The roots of reggae rose up from the counterculture of young people in the poor neighbourhoods in Jamaica, who were looking for self-expression, and something other than the dominant musical styles of the time. This search for identity led to the creation of music, and the movement made legendary by Bob Marley.

To keep flame burning, Festival Attack II has organised this musical gathering. Amongst the stand-out acts are Sonido Internacional, pioneers of the Andalucian “mestizaje” which mixes ska, rock, afro, pop, cumbia, raggachento, rap and punk. Their musical eclecticism has transformed them into a cult band for reggae fans who also enjoy the incorporation of different styles. They are also key figures of counter-cultural resistance to the mainstream music industry, and make their music available online for free.

Another great reggae band on the bill is 1213ReggaeBand. They are an integral part of Malaga’s reggae history, starting out in the 90s under the name of Raza Reggae. Their fame has seen them sharing the stage with The Wailers, Michael Rosey, Steel Pulse amongst others. Their vibrant, upbeat sound, which has an Andalucian stamp, is a fusion of different cultures, making them one of the most innovative and interesting bands in Spanish reggae.

Perhaps the band who reflect the most upon the original spirit of reggae, is Janhorum. Formed in 1994, in the poor El Llano de la Santísima Trinidad, in Malaga, where daily life is about survival, the band’s members were mostly still only about 15 years old. The story of Jahhorum started in an old church in Malaga called Santo Doming, where the priest lent them space. Now, the band have played all over the place, and their music blends local sounds with roots reggae.

For more information http://www.salavivero.com/conciertos/index.php?op=textolargo&idprogramacion=554

Nancy Guzman

If you are renting apartments in Malaga enjoying the start of spring, why not go down to Festival Attack II and listen to some good reggae.

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Translated by: Poppy
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With the work of German artist Martin Kippenberg, whose plastic and painting  work has been recognized by international critics as one of the foremost exponent of the art of the 80′s and 90′s, the Picasso Museum in Malaga will inaugurate the exhibition” Kippenberg looked at Picasso“ on February 21 and which will remain open until May 29.

Dormunt Martin Kippenberg was born in Germany in 1953. These were post war years and Germany was at the epicentre of the Cold War. The context was the symbol of the Holocaust, the division of the world reflected in the construction of the Berlin Wall, American troops and the implementation of their culture that rearranged the social imaginary German and symbols. Within this frame a rebellious generation known as the German enfants terribles arose, which Kippenberg his work belonged to.

He began as an artist in the 70′s and was part of the artistic movement Neue Wilde, then become an avant-garde legend of 80’s. His perception of the end of painting as an expression of contemporary art led him to experiment with controversial ideas adding popular culture, architecture and design, music and politics to his work. Challenging and provocative he used humour as a critique of society, leading to an accumulation of works that plotted him, as “Zuerst Die Füsse” or “The crucified frog”, which set off protests from Catholics to be exhibited at the Museum of Bolzano, Italy, who considered it a provocation to Catholics.

After his death, his work was at the Venice Biennale 1988 and Documenta in Kassel 997, where he had been dismissed earlier.

Kippenberg was emotionally and artistically linked to Spain since the late 80′s when he lived in Carmona, Seville, developing the pictorial series ”Untitled”. Later, he became interested in some pictures that David Douglas Duncan did to Picasso and his wife Jacqueline in the sixties and it inspired the production of his series of paintings “Jacqueline: pictures that Paul could no longer paint”

This retrospective exhibition curated by Eva Meyer-Hermann, is a reflection of the common themes that dominated the world of Picasso and Kippenberg, through a selection that treats the portrait as an expression and representation of their lives tragically. Among the 50 Kippenberg’s works there are large paintings, sculptures and drawings. Also books, catalogues and more than 36 posters designed by the artist will be displayed.

David Douglas Duncan met Picasso in 1956 and photographed his life, work and intimacy until his death in 1973. The exhibition includes 120 photographs taken by Duncan to Picasso between 1956 and 1961, accompanied by works by Picasso displayed in the photos.

Nancy Guzman

Knowing Kippenber is a good bet if you are in Malaga. Through his works you will find a character whose humour sparked controversy and rejection, then rest in apartments in Malaga and enjoy being with a cult artist, whose works are exhibited in the most important museums in the world.

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Translated by: Maria
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Somewhere between animal and vegetal, the Cordyceps Sinensis is a combination of a caterpillar and a fungus, which grows 4,000m high in the plateaus of Tibet, forming when the fungus preserves it in a kind of mummification. For around 500 years, the Cordyseps has been known in traditional Chinese medicine for its stimulating effect on the immune system. Nowadays, it’s called Himalaya viagra, as it is believed to help improve sexual impotency.

Cordyseps, also known as yarsagumba, is currently higher in value than gold. One kilo can cost anywhere between 10,000 and 20,000 dollars, and has become such a coveted asset to the Chinese economy that drug traffickers and large pharmaceutical companies are fighting to corner the lucrative market. Each year, at the start of spring, and before the monsoon season, hundreds of Tibetans illegally cross the border into Nepal in search of yarsagumba in order to sell it in China.

The mountainous area between Tibet and Nepal is one of the most protected, remote and beautiful parts of the world, inhabited for hundreds of years by peaceful agrarian Buddhist communities. But in recent years, the peace of these communities has been disrupted by greed, murder and jealousy. “We consider it a sin to trade yarsagumba” says Sangay, a habitant of the freezing Humde region; “Our Buddhist culture prohibits us from harvesting it – that’s our tradition. But the younger generations are different – they don’t believe in sin or religion. They are making money out of it.“

Yarsagumba is now the most valuable natural material from this remote region – a place of limited economic supplies and resources. This product is so lucrative, and sought after that the government of the area has implemented a permission policy to help regulate the harvesting amongst natives and foreigners – and in some places, permission to foreigners is even denied altogether.

For some villagers, yarsagumba has generated an economic stability for the inhospitable region, whilst for others it has done nothing but bring misfortune. A group of seven men were attacked in June 2009 in the Gorkha region in Nepal. They had been trying to pick the fungus when they were killed by a group defending their territory. The police found the bodies in the ravines of the mountains, and 36 men were arrested from the village of Nar.

The region doesn’t have a prison with space for all of them, so currently, they await verdict in a makeshift cell in the town offices. According to the women, the land of the area hasn’t been ploughed since the men were detained. Many Buddhists in the region believe that yarsagumba is a curse, and have an old proverb that the fungus is a curse which brings nothing but bad luck.

So perhaps the best thing is to forget all about yarsagumba, and instead go and discover the beauty of the beaches and mountains on the Iberian peninsula. Nights spent under the Mediterranean moonlight are the best aphrodisiac. Rent apartments in Malaga, and nourish your body with this magical city.

Laura Aurelia

So perhaps the best thing is to forget all about yarsagumba, and instead go and discover the beauty of the beaches and mountains on the Iberian peninsula. Nights spent under the Mediterranean moonlight are the best aphrodisiac. Rent apartments in Malaga and nourish your body with this magical city.

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Translated by: Poppy
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Showing at Malaga’s Cánovas Theatre between 9th-11th April is the play from Producciones Imperdibles, “The Seven Deadly Sins.” It is an exciting project which mixes dance, theatre and multimedia in order to explore the seven deadly sins.

The work is an aesthetic comment based on the first teachings of Christianity, which guided followers on morality. The show has been designed to fuse text, music and multimedia art, and carries the unmistakeable stamp of the Producciones Imperdibles team, who have become known for their innovative, poetic work, which has in the past been largely improvisation-based.

The constructivist method of the play, whereby each spectator interacts with its aesthetic and forms their own imagination of it, also involves a massive stage , constructed from three screens arranged into a semicircle, screening flashing images accompanied by musical works from Pergolesi, Vivaldi, Verdi and Dvorak, whilst the dancers move around gracefully underneath a light constantly changing in colour and intensity.

The language of the play, based on Shakespeare texts, is complemented by a powerful audiovisual language, consisting of the iconic, Flemish imagery of the works of Pieter Brueghel and Dutch painter Bosco. The play surprises, shocks and captures the senses.

Though the seven “deadly sins,” (anger, green, sloth, pride, lust, envy and gluttony) are all reflected, the play rejects their religious association, approaching them instead as human passions operating within culture.

Etymologically, the word “sin” derives from the latin word capitalis referring to an almost irresistible vice. Few words are as seductive as sin – which is regarded as voluntary human transgression and indulgence. In this sense, the play makes an interesting examination of the political concept of sin – a censored view of sexuality, and passion represented by lust, gluttony and sloth suggests social control – a recurrent topic in liberal thought; the idea that these sins are simply an expression of the wonderful freedom that human beings have to grant themselves happiness.

The Marquis de Sade reflects very profounly on virtue and sin in his work – particularly Justine, in which the young ingenue at the hands of sexual excess represents virtue, and the libertine monks who subject her to their passions, represent sin. In other words, Sade condemns those who deny human rights in favour of personal pleasure.

For more information http://www.imperdible.org/productora_de_teatro/

Nancy Guzman

This interesting discussion of virtue and sin from Producciones Imperdibles, “The Seven Deadly Sins,” looks at things from a different perspective. All you need to do is come to Malaga, and head to down to the show. Then live out some sins at your rented apartments in Malaga

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Translated by: Poppy
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It’s difficult to highlight just one of the tourist attractions in Malaga, city whose light, one of the most seductive of the Mediterranean, bathes with grace the stones of a Roman theatre, an Arab fortress, an imposing Renaissance cathedral of a dramatic beauty, fishermen’s quarters, a white old quarter trimmed with gold and full of baroque churches where spirit of the Counter-Reformation triumphs in numinous glory, dazzling, and even somewhat perverse; there is a modern market, a beautiful bullring, an English cementery, an interesting Contemporary Art Centre and even the birthplace of Pablo Picasso, with its adjacent museum.

However, below ground, where no sunlight reaches, there is another city that covers the same historical path as the visible city at ground level. A city that is emerging to the surface from excavations carried out along the subway line number one.

Thus, in the almunias or Arab houses located at Calle Poeta Muñoz Rojas y Eguiluz vestiges pointing to the existence during the Roman period of important pottery kilns in the area have been discovered . Thanks to the work of the subway it was determined that the almunias, with their corresponding orchards, dated from the Moorish period (XIII-XIV), were located at the south of the main access road to the city, attached to the old coastline, approximately where there is now the Heroe de Sosota.

Perhaps the most significant archaeological discoveries found in this area are those that concern the daily lives of city dwellers, particularly women. In this regard, we must stress the fact that many eyeliners found are virtually identical to those now used in a large number of areas of the Maghreb, confirming the existence of an ancient tradition of cultural continuity between the peoples of both sides of the Mediterranean.

The excavations are confirming the theory that the areas of the Cruz del Humilladero and the Perchel, where Malaga industries of nineteenth-century industrial revolution were installed was a major manufacturing area since Roman times, when they specialized in production of clay pots and containers.

However, over time, the pottery business was moving closer to the city, to the current surroundings of María Zambrano station, where there was the highest concentration of kilns in the Moorish period.

Another important element in the outskirts of downtown was the discovery of parts of the Arabic defensive wall, including an octagonal tower, which evidence signs of high urban development, despite being almost on the outskirts of the El Perchel, which enjoyed an ingenious system of sewers.

Paul Oilzum

Although there are logical misgivings concerning the extent to which important archaeological remains will be preserved as long as they hamper the continuation of works on the subway, they are producing an exciting series of excavations that remind us once again the extraordinary historical and cultural wealth of the city. One more reason to rent apartments in Malaga

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Translated by: Maria
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Until April 3 the Contemporary Art Center of Malaga presents Method of Discourse, exhibition by conceptual artist Fernando Sanchez Castillo. The work consists of paintings and sculptures made with the help of a bomb deactivator robot which was specifically designed for Centre’s Space 2.

Fernando Sanchez Castillo was born in Madrid in 1970, he has a degree in Fine Arts from the Complutense University of Madrid and a Master in Philosophy and Aesthetics at the University of Madrid. He has been considered one of the most outstanding young artists from Spain, in 1999 he was the only Spanish artist in the Abracadabra exhibition at the Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris and the famous Tate Gallery in London.

“Method of Discourse” takes its name from the famous Method of Discourse of French philosopher René Descartes, and in the opposite direction to Descartes, Sanchez Castillo does not reduce his speech against the creation of technology at the service of power, he dares to express anything can deliberately be different and turns the explosives deactivator robot into a harmless machine at the service of human creativity: art. This novel bet for redefinition of violence in life inspires the viewer to look the other face of power, which is the aesthetic bet that moves Sanchez Castillo.

This intention can be seen in the sculpture “El Alimentador de Pajaros” (The Bird Feeder), which uses the bust of Felipe V to install a bird feeder, placed at the entrance of the CAC. In this sculpture Sanchez Castillo satirizes power and weakness in a deeply political sense, where the symbiotic relationship perpetuates them in dependence.

Tributary of a post-Franco culture, he has developed a testimonial mark of the generation that did not know the regime that ruled Spain for nearly 40 years, but that received the effects of this culture. His aesthetic bet challenges the viewer to think from an alternative perspective, breaking with stereotypes of the viewer / observer to become a critic, which breaks with the hegemonic view that dominates our lives and actions.

In “Events“, another of his works in this exhibition, he pays tribute to the memory of those who have driven the social change and the urban revolution of the twentieth century from a popular stage. The work consists of the representation of political demonstrations in bronze, a material used to represent the power in the sculptures.

His work “Down with Intelligence”, -named after the famous debate between Miguel de Unamuno and Millan Estraya on October 12, 1936 in the auditorium of the University of Salamanca on the occasion of the discovery of America- is a sharp look at twentieth-century in Spain, through objects that have been captured in the memory, like the attempt to Carrero Blanco’s car.

For further info http://cacmalaga.org/?p=3875

Nancy Guzman

The work of Fernando Sanchez Castillo is an interesting challenge to think about art and politics seen from the contemporary history of Spain. If you are visiting Malaga and want to have the pleasure to enjoy this great panorama visit the CAC and to finally complete your tastes, rent one of the apartments in Malaga

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Translated by: Maria
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