A RED ROSE IN A RED DREAM. PIONEERING WOMEN IN DIGITAL GRAPHICS IN THE MIDE-CIANT / UCLM COLLECTIONS

 

When:

March 18, 2025 – June 1, 2025

Where:

Antonio Pérez Foundation of Cuenca

San Clemente Museum of Graphic Art

Curators:

Ana Navarrete

Montserrat de Pablo

Coordination:

Rubén Serna

Click here to access the exhibition catalogue.

 

The MIDECIANT collections originated in 1989 with the donation of 200 works by gallery owner Pascual Fort from the 1984 First Copy Art Biennial held in Barcelona. These were followed by more than 300 works from the 1989 Second Copy Art Biennial, held this time in Valencia. Over the course of 35 years, the collection has grown with donations from renowned artists and associations. Furthermore, the scholarship and artist residency program generated a steady stream of national and international artists, whose contributions not only enriched the collection but also encouraged experimentation with new media, machines, and technological processes.

Most of the works presented in this exhibition come from these first two biennials and from the artist residency program.

These artists were protagonists of a key period in the evolution of digital art, especially between 1980 and 1990, with the arrival of new technologies such as the Xerox 9700 laser printer in 1977. Despite their diverse trajectories and geographical origins, they all shared an experimental approach and a desire to break with the traditional limits of graphic representation, thus contributing to the construction of their own artistic language within the digital sphere.

Their work was characterized by the integration of emerging tools such as the photocopier, computers, and digital photography, expanding the expressive possibilities of art. Digital graphics offered these artists a more accessible and flexible creative avenue compared to traditional media, allowing them to develop without the barriers imposed by the conventional art system. Their connection with education and technological research consolidated this field as a space for innovation and exploration. Since then, digital art has expanded its boundaries, transforming the way art is produced, distributed, and experienced today.

CARTEL UNA ROSA ROJA

Virginia Woolf said in A Room of One's Own (1929): "A woman must have money and a room of her own to be able to write novels." For women artists, this room of her own not only means a space to create, but also the opportunity to exhibit, market, and have their works acquired by museums and public collections. To this end, we present the work of some of the pioneers of digital graphics, while also promoting the holdings of our collections and archives.

A Red Rose in a Red Dream is the title of a collage by Dina Dar, featured in this exhibition, which we borrowed because it encapsulates the poetic and experimental impulse of these artists. Just as a red rose blooms in a dream, these creators paved the way into uncharted territory, leaving an indelible mark on digital graphics.