Alejandro Botubol
It is with great pleasure to present the work of Alejandro Botubol, a painter based in Madrid, Spain. His practice has a focus on the duality of natural and artificial light, landscape, color, still life, and abstraction. Every day Alejandro draws inspiration from the sunlight that greets him in his Madrid studio. He leans into wonder and listens with his eyes while capturing the essence of light and its entire spectrum. He takes note of how light and atmosphere shift when the day opens and closes. The result of his observations is majestic paintings that feel like visual poems that illuminate the magic of light.
In addition to Alejandro’s direct relationship with nature and light that informs his work, he also draws inspiration from artists Georgia O’Keefe, Mark Rothko, Edward Hopper, Richard Tuttle, and James Turrell. All of these exceptional artists have mastered an element that Alejandro has brought into harmony and employs in his practice such as color theory, shadow, nature, light, space, movement, minimalism, and abstraction.
“The vital experience with light and color in my workshop has been growing day by day since I arrived there. Every day it dawns and dusks, but every afternoon is different in my studio... I invent my evenings to paint them.”
We are delighted to have two new works included in the Community Art Collection that were painted in Chicago last winter. The first painting, El Eterno Retorno a Chicago, depicts a neutral backdrop that is the color and texture of sand on a beach with a boomerang shape near the top center emanating colorful light that can also be read as a horizon line, or a sunset. The second painting, El Sueño de James Webb, offers viewers a sublime view of the velvet night sky with glistening stars throughout. These paintings feel like living meditation and we are excited to share our interview with Alejandro Botubol!
Botubol has a degree in Fine Arts (Seville, Spain 2007) and a Master's degree in “idea y Producción” (Concept and creation) (University of Seville, 2013). He spent 2013 in New York, where he developed an ambitious art project during various artistic residencies: Residency Unlimited (RU) Brooklyn, International Studio & Curatorial Program (ISCP) Brooklyn, New York; Flux Factory Long Island City, New York. His work has been exhibited in museums, galleries, and international institutions: Spain, Portugal, Switzerland, Finland, Mexico, Peru, Ecuador, Argentina, Colombia, and the United States. He currently lives and works in Madrid, Spain.
ARTIST Q&A
A conversation between Michelle Ruiz and Alejandro Botubol
Michelle Ruiz: Your work explores light (both natural and artificial), color, nature, and landscapes in a poetic, meditative, and memorable manner. Can you tell us what drew you to illuminate these subjects like you do?
Alejandro Botubol: In my beginnings with painting, I always liked the idea of painting pictures outdoors and trying to capture natural light. That perception of the passage of time and the movements of shadows from the perception of natural light continues to be part of my current statement. From my studio in Madrid, I continue waiting for the sun to come through my window to create beautiful scenery with still lifes that I improvise in my workshop. Then I paint them and sometimes I invent them in a poetic way.
MR: What projects or bodies of work are you currently excited about or working on?
AB: I am currently working on a new series of paintings inspired by lighthouses. I like the idea of a lighthouse serving as a guide for ships to see the coast at night. I am working together with a new group of artists to set up a new artist studio in Madrid. Chicago artist Elsa Muñoz joins this collective project. It will be a new space in which artistic projects and curatorial collaborations will be carried out with other alternative spaces from different countries around the world.
MR: Congratulations on being the recipient of many awards and accolades such as Gold Medal Prize, 82º International Art Prize, Valdepeñas, Spain, First Prize, XIV Fine Art Awards, La Carolina, Jaén, and an honorable mention Li Rafael Zabaleta Art Prize, Quesada, Jaén. Can you tell us about the artwork that received the 82º International Art Prize and what this significant recognition was like for you?
AB: The work I submitted to this contest is the largest work I have painted in my life. 250 x 195cm. I won the Gold Medal in the oldest art competition in Spain. For me, this recognition is a source of pride since the most important Spanish artists have won. The director of the Reina Sofía Art Museum in Madrid, Juan Manuel Bonet, was on the jury. I got $15000.
MR: I love and admire the international studio practice that you have built for yourself. There can be many complexities when branching out to new regions and areas of the art world. What advice would you give to artists looking to branch out geographically?
AB: My advice for the people is to try to share a studio with a good community of artists. Whether in your country or in new frontiers. You have to be generous with others. Help to the people around you and offer your creativity and your time to others to sow love in new lands. That is important. Just like plants need light, sun, water to grow well. We must know how to plant our work in the right place so that it grows well.
MR: Are there any upcoming events or exhibitions on the horizon featuring your work that we can keep in mind?
AB: Next December during Art Basel Miami art week, you will be able to see my work at the PintaMiami art fair. It is a Latin American art fair in which Spanish art galleries also participate. I participate with the Llamazares Gallery. In the month of October, I will also participate with my most recent work, in the Estampa 2023 fair. It is the most important stamping and engraving fair in Spain and takes place in Madrid. In November you will see my work in a group show with Spanish artists in Zurich. In the Art gallery of Vanessa Moos.
MR: As a creative and maker, what keeps you grounded and how do you replenish your energy, spirit, and mind in between projects and time in the studio?
AB: Every morning before starting the day I practice 30 minutes of meditation. Then I light a small candle of the Virgin of Guadalupe and thank heaven for all the good that surrounds me. Afterward, I really like walking by the river and nature which recharges my batteries. In the studio, I almost always paint with good music that inspires me.