Many years ago, at ARCO Madrid, some leaflets were distributed (“I still have one saved there”) that greatly impacted people. Paco Marble. “They said something like ‘a public institution organizes a retrospective of a renowned author; Does the carrier charge? Yes, does the designer charge? Yes, does the printing press charge? Yes, does the curator get paid? Yes, does the artist get paid? No’. That is to say, the person who carried out the work that fed that entire chain of works did not receive anything,” says the artist from Cádiz who now says “up to this point, I stand up” after that Add the rest (full stop) which this Friday was inaugurated at the Contemporary Culture Space (ECCO) in Cádiz.
“I’m not telling you to charge anymore, but does it cost you money? And that’s what happens, that exposing costs you money, and if those are the rules of the game, I don’t play anymore“, announces the creator at the launch of what will be his last exhibition, if he is not offered “decent conditions to exhibit the works.”
Thus, in this event, which I hope does not say goodbye to us, Paco Mármol, in addition to showing the works that have not been seen in his city in recent years, draw with your wordsin a precarious and “traumatizing” art scene for professionals. “In most cases, to exhibit, the artist has to take care of the transportation, the advertising, the assembly… As I say, it’s not like they pay you anymore, fortunately, in my case, I have my salary as a technician. of the Provincial Council, but, in addition to the fact that I defend that every artist must be paid for his work, it already seems crazy to me that it is the artist who has to pay for doing his work. That doesn’t happen to a musician or an actress… That only happens to the plastic artist,” he denounces.
In fact, Mármol, driven by that feeling of injustice, has had to “suspend” two exhibitions which was planned soon, one, with a City Council in the province, and another, with an exhibition hall in Granada. “The one in Granada was already the last straw, on top of the fact that I had to take care of all the expenses, I also had to give them a work for their collection,” he laments.
Conditions that are “very normal” in the art industry and that have been “assumed as if it were nothing.” “This is how it works, you get tired of sending dossiers and 98% of the time they don’t even answer you, not even a thank you for sending me information; other times they answer you, tell you that they like your work but that they no longer welcome new artists; and, finally, they tell you that they are interested in your work, that There you have your walls but you have to bear all the expenses. And that seems totally unfair to me. “We have to say enough is enough in some way,” says the artist who, as a technician at the Provincial Culture Foundation, tries to “treat artists with dignity,” “always answer, of course,” and do “everything in my power now.” my reach” by the creator.
However, Paco Mármol clarifies that this “getting off the playing field” has nothing to do with abandoning creation. “I am going to continue drawing, but what I will try is to look for other exhibition channels, because it is very traumatizing to go looking for theaters. “I’m going to try to focus on networks, digital media, and make smaller work with the idea of editing photobooks, for example.” Of course, I would be “delighted” to continue exposing “if someone comes and offers me decent conditions or, at least, an attempt at negotiation where you don’t feel stupid, that if the room or the public body has few resources, then one in charge of the cost of some things and the other of another… Sometimes it’s just about that, not feeling stupid,” he confesses.
‘Pour the rest (full stop)’, a container for three different projects
Although its original name, Everything I haven’t told you yetchanged for that definitive Add the rest (full stop), the content of the exhibition that Paco Mármol inaugurated this May 3 at the Contemporary Culture Space (ECCO) It hasn’t changed in the slightest. And, although it may be the last exhibition in the gallery of the Cadiz artist (at least until decent conditions are met for the artists), the objective was always to show the latest projects that had not been able to be seen in these years in your city, Scrap, Templum and Balms.
Three samples that are supported by the animalistic and ecological vocation of the creator but with their different specifications. Scrapmade between 2018-2019 and exhibited in 2020, questions “our current consumption modelto buy, to throw away, to buy again” and that is reflected in a series of drawings, in blue pencil, of cars and objects in a junk state that stand as a reflection of both the passage of time and “how “That today is junk, yesterday it was the latest model.”
Templum it’s a “personal tribute to canine love” where Mármol, which was transformed with the arrival of Flippo to his life, he draws a syllogism through the similarity between the English words dog and god (dog and god) to conclude that “if dogs are gods, and I am drawing dogs, then the place where these works are exhibited is a temple.” .
Finally, Balmsa project still in development, is deeply marked by the reading of The power of cute, by the British philosopher Simon May. “There it is stated that the system, so that we are not aware of the hardness of life, is responsible for surrounding us with cute, soft things, like a consumption strategywhich is what matters,” details the artist who materializes this idea by drawing a series of apparently sweet elements (stuffed animals, toys) but that from this perspective still have a perverse side.
