19TH POLLUX AWARDS - FOTONOSTRUM GALLERY.
Don’t worry! I know it’s the end of December but this blog has nothing to do with Christmas or those somewhat ambitious, often unachievable, January goals! I’m sure you’re all bored of hearing about them by now anyway, as we all sit in the limbo of the post-Christmas week slump! No! This is about something way more important, well to me anyway—my first international exhibition at the Fotonosturm Gallery in Barcelona, Spain.
2 HONOURABLE MENTIONS = exhibition.
If you read the blog regularly or follow me on social media, you might remember me talking about the honourable mentions I got in the 19th Pollux Awards. If you don’t, then don’t panic. Here’s a link to the original blog post… BREAKING NEWS! Anyway, as a result of the honourable mentions, I was invited to exhibit 2 pieces of work at the Fotonostrum Gallery in Barcelona. I selected these two:
NAKED IS ALWAYS IN FASHION! - MODEL: Rebecca Perry
MELANCHOLIA III
Well, that was way back in July of this year. Now the time had come for the exhibition launch night. So, I packed my bags and got on a plane for a whirlwind two-night trip to one of my favourite cities in the world to see my work at the gallery.
I won’t bore you with all of the crazy stories I've got from Barcelona but let’s just say it was a lot of fun, and I’m so happy that I went. I say that because there was a piece of me that was really nervous! I’d decided I was going to go solo. So, it was definitely an adventure that tested not only my Spanish but also how I regard myself as an artist. Anyway, that’s all a bit deep. Let’s keep it to the exhibition! The opening night of the show was awesome!
THE EXHIBITION!
Sadly, I didn’t take that many pictures of the night, and the ones I did were very early on in the show, as people were arriving. I was too busy chatting with lots of other photographers and creatives who had work in the show, or people who were there just for the love of photography. I met so many interesting people from all over the world. Americans, Italians, Dutch, Lebanese, obviously Spanish and even a few Brits!
The team at the Fotonosturm Gallery were incredible! They were always emailing with updates before the show, and when I arrived they were equally as incredible! The professionalism and standard of the show was very high and curated well. The print quality of all of the pieces of work was outstanding! I say that, because the image of the rose is notoriously hard to print due to the high levels of black, and it was done perfectly. I want to say a huge thank you to them for all of their hard work.
Needless to say, my head was a bit of a whirlwind after meeting so many people! But I want to give a special mention to Pol, Ginny, Emma and Monica (and her amazing Aunt). You made my night!
RARE SIGHTING! - ME THE OTHER SIDE OF THE CAMERA!
ARTISTIC VALIDATION.
I’ll be honest! If you'd asked me this time last year if it was possible to have work exhibited in a gallery in Barcelona, I probably wouldn’t have believed it. But I did! And, the validation I got from this trip was worth way more than any of the cost! It’s hard to know if you’re on the right path sometimes. But, seeing and hearing the response to my work was priceless for me, and the journey I’m on.
I set myself goals all the time, and the thing is, the more you chip away at your goals the closer you get to them. Then comes a point, where hopefully you reach those targets and you start again with new ones. It’s never about the destination but always about the journey. And, believing that you can do it! This trip helped me believe!
NO CHRISTMAS POLLUX HERE!
Did you see what I did there? Well, as promised, no Christmas nonsense in sight. But, as it's the season of goodwill and all that, I just wanted to say a very special thank you, to you! Thank you for reading the blog post, and if you’re signed up for the newsletter, you’re definitely on the nice list and not the naughty list! I had to get one Christmas-based pun in there somewhere!
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Thanks again for coming with me on this journey and until next time…