Inauguration of Maite Llongueras (April 24th 2009)

On April 24th, Maite Llongueras inaugurated her exhibition “Tibidabo 360º” at the Rusiñol Gallery. A very evocative title, indeed: it refers to the typical Luna-Park, located on top of the Collcerola range, which offers a unique view of the city of Barcelona. The 360º? Alluding to the attractions chosen by the artist. The carousel and the revolving wheel, the life of which consists in turning around themselves (the 360º) over and over again, while offering a journey of illusion to the imagination of men.

The vernissage had two lectures of presentation and artistic assessment. The first one was delivered by Mr. Carles Duarte, i Montserrat, poet and Director of the Luis Carulla foundation. Mr. Duarte considered a good choice that Ms. Maite spoke to us of important things in a language (the Tibidabo attractions) inviting us to reminisce and to revive. Thus, for instance, the sensation of motion transmitted by the works of  “Tibidabo 360º” -the blue tramway, the carousel- invite us to understand the cyclic nature of our own existence, immersed in a motion which is not vertiginous but gentle, slow and deep.

Attendance to the inauguration.

Josep Mª Cadena, reporter and art critic, quite regular at the vernissages of the Rusiñol Gallery, wanted to emphasize Maite’s art as an expression of her own and collective life, insofar the images of the Tibidabo attractions grasp intimate realities of the human person while stirring up his feelings. As an instance, Mr. Cadena remembered how he -when a child- realized what a plane was like when seeing the one that has always existed at the above mentioned Luna Park and understood Cerdà’s grid of his city scheme by looking at Barcelona from the Tibidabo.

This was the first exhibition Maite had dedicated to the Tibidabo exclusively. She had been only twice at the Rusiñol Gallery (the last, at 2004). That time, she basically presented marine oils. Among all her paintings, however, she included “as a surprise” one of the Tibidabo Luna Park. She was doubtful about it, but Victoria Cabanas with Ignasi Cabanas.