FLUX SUMMA: Joan Vinuesa

Joan Vinuesa i Baliu. Self-taught and insubmissive. Artist by necessity.

‘The first painting exhibition I did was organised by my father, in the house in the Sants neighbourhood where we lived, with my mother and grandparents, when I was five years old. The drawings hung on strips of gummed paper one on top of the other, and the themes were boats, Indians and convoys, whales, volcanoes and battles with cannons firing. The exhibition lasted about two months. Relatives, neighbours and friends who came to the house could look at those first drawings; before, people visited more, and to their surprise, it was in the 50s, there was no TV, few cars and the only machines in the house were sewing machines with pedals, a wall clock and a radio. Sixty-five years have passed. I expanded my natural unease and at last a bit of art came out, like a squeezed oil painting, scarce and precious, like everyone has, more or less.

‘I have practised many expressions and creations have come out of me, many attempts at poetry, narratives of journeys from which I have never returned, essays of the absurd and of the mysterious imagination, of dancing my ‘performances’ improvising the language, I have sung the songs I have seemed to compose, I have painted hundreds of pictures, and I have, and have, and have, and have, like a rock sung in chorus with all the personalities, multiple and daring, that I have been able to gather inside me.

‘And now, if you come, now that it will be tomorrow and also a yesterday as always, you'll know the three reals of how I've done it, more or less.

‘Well, that's it, in case you wanted three cups of broth, this is half a cup.

‘Thank you for your smile, I know it doesn't prove anything’.

In this session we will watch a video with a selection of his performances between 2001 and 2024.

Interesting links:
http://www.summa-hvt.org/
https://www.fluxfestival.org/

By Flux festival / Habitual Video Team

Joan Vinuesa.
Painter, poet and singer-songwriter born in Barcelona. Creator and cultural agitator who has participated in and organised numerous poetry recitals and exhibitions in many Barcelona venues.
His work includes nine books, three CDs of poetry set to music, numerous live recordings of sound performances with the group ‘Els Polissons’ (previously also with ‘Hadramawts’ and ‘Els Camps del Cinabri’) and an extensive production of paintings and drawings.