From this Thursday, photographer Ignacio González Oramas is exhibiting a collection of large-format black-and-white works on textured aluminium at the Mapfre Canarias Foundation, the result of his exploration of the ‚inner sea‘ of Gran Canaria, the island that inspires much of his work.
In this exhibition, entitled «Mar de Isla», which opens at 7.00 pm, the photographer captures landscapes from the interior of Gran Canaria which, through an image or a dreamlike vision, represent «the sea within the island», as he told journalists on Wednesday whilst presenting the exhibition.
«These are natural spaces in the interior of the island where the sea takes centre stage, whether visually or lyrically. The idea came about some time ago, whilst searching through old greenhouses for shapes that resembled waves,» he explained.
Mar de Isla: Greenhouse concept gives way to black-and-white landscapes
When he set out to revive this idea, González Oramas realised that the remaining greenhouses were either badly dilapidated or far too modern; they did not convey the sense of the tide that he was trying to capture.
For this reason, in order to capture a sense of waves within the landscape, seeking to portray the dichotomy of the sea, «which at times overwhelms us whilst inviting us to dream and let our imaginations run wild», as well as the beauty of the island itself, the photographer set himself the challenge of abandoning colour and using black and white in large-format works, given their greater «testimonial and dramatic power».
In this way, González Oramas has sought to pay tribute to the great American landscape photographers of the last century, who created landscapes rich in nuance within the black and white.
Textured aluminium creates shifting reflections
The other new feature of this exhibition is the material on which the photographs are printed, a textured aluminium that is also part of the artwork, he explained.
«They are deliberately designed to be viewed from a certain distance, and as you walk past the images, the aluminium creates reflections that gradually illuminate and reveal parts of the photograph,» he said.
The artist admits that one of the challenges in staging this exhibition has been the lighting in the gallery, as the works are best viewed in low light so that the effect emanating from the photographs themselves can be appreciated: from a spotlight reminiscent of the sun to a sunrise.
Gran Canaria: Photographer in search of an inner landscape
González Oramas recalls that over the last 10 or 15 years he has produced a great deal of landscape art; he has sought out landscapes within Gran Canaria, where he has taken an interest in the alignment of recognisable landmarks, a process that requires a great deal of planning.
On this occasion, «there is another quest», that of «an inner landscape of the island in which those highly recognisable elements are absent, although they are present in some way», he says.
«Exhibition in Gran Canaria showcases black-and-white landscapes»
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