Genalguacil celebrates 20th Anniversary of its Arts Festival

Until 14th August the town of Genalguacil in the Malaga Province will be celebrating the 20th anniversary of its much-talked about arts festival, a highlight on the social calendar of many art lovers living at the Costa del Sol.

Art buyers from as far away as Marbella, Barcelona and Madrid will be expected to pay a visit at the "village show" of the year.

Bigger and Better

Genalguacil seems an unlikely candidate for international art festival stardom, for the village boasts just 550 residents and can only muster EUR 100,000 to fund this year's event, a drop in the ocean for most art festival organisers. However, for the festival committee in Genalguacil it's the largest budget they've ever had in the event's 20 years' history. EUR 80,000 of this budget is being made available by the Provincial Government.

According to the town's mayor, Miguel Angel Herrera, the art festival has "become the economic engine of the town". At the opening ceremony on 31st July the mayor stated how the project represented "the province and the richness of Malaga's cultural appeal".

This is a sentiment shared by the Provincial Government. The festival represents more than just a cash injection to boost a small local economy. Elias Bendodo, the President of the Provincial Government stated that Genalguacil's festival was "an international benchmark of urban art".

Artistic Haven
 
The creative village in the Genal valley is confident that this year's event will be its most ambitious yet and has put together 11 amazing projects to celebrate two decades of art appreciation. The International Festival of Art Encounters will showcase works from artists who have exhibited in international galleries as well as appearing regularly in Spanish art venues.

Around 132 artists have participated in the festival over the past two decades and this summer artists like Tamara Feijoo, Félix Fernández, José Luis Serzo, Daniel Silvo, Antonio Montalvo, Antonio Fernández Alvira, Nekane Manrique, Juan Zamora and local artists María Bueno, Eva Grau and Alba Moreno will be exhibiting their works.

This year's festival should contain something for everybody's taste. Two of the artists are high profile and have exhibited their works in renown venues like the Madrid Contemporary Art Fair (ARCO): Eugenio Merino and Juan Francisco Casas, the former a sculptor, the latter an illustrator and painter who produces hyperrealist drawings using nothing more than a ballpoint pen.

Like every year the prize winning work of this year's chosen artists will be shown throughout the village for a full year. In addition, and for the first time ever, there will be a EUR 1,000 prize for the chosen artists. The committee must select from a range of 95 potential exhibitors this year.


Model of urban Regeneration

Putting the works on public display is one of the best aspects of the entire festival, for it means that everybody gets a chance to see art, not just people who happen to live in a big city.

Located ca. 45 km from the famous white-washed hill town of Ronda and 150 km from Malaga City, Genalguacil lies in one of the verdant valleys that criss-cross the Serrania de Ronda. The small village is overlooked by the Sierra de las Nievas and surrounded by pine forests, chestnuts and cork oak, a typical agricultural Andalusia landscape.

Strolling through the winding flagstoned streets of the little village visitors discover that every available secret courtyard and charming plaza contains sculptures and murals. This is what makes the village so special: there are works of art that make visitors laugh and there are sculptures that bring tears to the eyes of residents because they serve as a poignant reminder of important events.

Like every year several thousand people will descend on little Genalguacil for a day of art appreciation - and like in former years, not all visitors will leave. Some will stay to become resident artists, because they love the creative vibe the village emanates and the natural beauty of the surrounding countryside.

Genalguacil has put itself on the map of desirable property hot spots and continues, in its own charming way, to attract an international crowd of potential property buyers. The village has become a model for urban regeneration and has no doubt given many Town Halls along the Costa del Sol much to think about.