The exhibition de la Concha. Coreografías de la Atención" (Félix de la Concha. Choreographies of Attention), curated by ICS researcher Nieves Acedo, has opened.

La Térmica Cultural (Ponferrada, León) is hosting the exhibition Félix de la Concha. Coreografías de la Atención, which brings together 16 series, more than 800 pieces in total, representing more than thirty years of the León-born artist's career. The sample been curated by Nieves Acedo, a researcher at the Institute for Culture and Society (ICS). In line with her work the University of Navarra, where she directs theMOAS (Models for Art Spectatorship) project , the sample viewers a free-flowing journey, inviting them to play and opening up spaces for contemplation and reflection on the artist's work.

The curator explains that each of these series "is governed by a choreography, a score in which the artist defines the action of the body in time and space. It is similar to what we see in artists such as Hamish Fulton or Richard Long." However, unlike these artists, "the trace of De la Concha's actions is not captured in manipulated photographs or installations in nature, but in paintings which, due to their traditional appearance, discreetly cover the radical nature of the proposal." In this sense, he emphasizes that "an attentive viewer notices that everything revolves around the experience and the particular, almost obsessive way in which this artist orders the experience of looking and connecting with something through painting. Precisely for this reason, it is inconceivable for him to work in a studio from reproductions."

A space of resistance

The uniqueness of this proposal makes it particularly well suited to combating and healing the harmful effects of the Economics attention. This phenomenon means that, at present, many companies, especially technology companies, are vying for people's attention and time. This exhibition and persistent exhibition to digital content (news, social media, online shopping, etc.), where speed of consumption is paramount, leads to a deterioration in the ability to pause, concentrate, and be present.

Faced with this paradigm, art offers a space for resistance that promotes the recovery of attention span. "Art does not start from nothing, but from a given material—stone, clay, language, society, culture, bodies, institutions, emotions themselves, or public space. Whatever its subject, the artist must delve into it, play with it, dance with it, and understand it thoroughly," explains Acedo. And the viewer goes through the same experience when contemplating the piece: "When they play the game proposed by the author, they complete it, transform it, and recreate it in a new way each time. It is a radically different way of relating to the superficial, consumer-oriented ease proposed by social media. The experience of art requires an attitude opposed to this culture of quick use and disposal. Therefore, it is the best training for resistance."

To make the visit easier visit viewers, the curator explains that they have opted for "a non-invasive curatorial approach, which leaves visitors free to explore at their leisure. However, every aspect has been designed with the aim of making visible and allowing visitors to experience the proposal contains on the importance of attention." Every detail of the exhibition display contributes to this, such as the inclusion of audio recordings accompanying some pieces, the synthesis in the wall texts and labels, and a conference room map conference room seeks to provide clues to the choreography of each series. Likewise, as proposal , an area has been designed in the center of the conference room, which contains documents, photographs of the process, and more detailed labels, with the possibility of sitting down and comfortably viewing documents, videos, and books.

The exhibition also exhibition a program of activities, including guided tours every Saturday and talks with Félix de la Concha (May 9) and Juan Herreros and Jens Richter from Estudio Herreros (May 30). In addition, on May 17, Fantasma Sur will perform a concert-performance that will dialogue with the exhibition, with Isaki Lacuesta, Alondra Bentley, Ylia, and Albert Coma. On May 9, there will also be a workshop for viewers, led by Acedo and Inés Olza, principal investigator of the ICS group , Creativity, and Culture. group This proposal conceived as work for project , which "is creating indicators to evaluate how institutions allow art to find viewers."

In partnership La Térmica Cultural, a space created and managed from Ponferrada by the City of Energy Foundation (CIUDEN), through the Institute for Just Transition (ITJ), the aim is to "qualitatively measure the result the exhibition." This study will contribute to a better understanding of the audiences of the center, which opened in 2023, and promote dialogue. "This has allowed us to develop an innovative survey workshop model through a specially designed app, which applies some of the concepts we have developed in the project. In this sense, the partnership proving to be very enriching for MOAS," says Acedo.