• About 1

Loreto Blanco Salgueiro

the vision further than the ordinary

The author

I was a day dreamer child with a great capacity for dreaming up my own worlds. Maybe because I did not quite like what I could find in the outside world, I learned to look inward and to live connected to a sensibility that I felt quite natural to have. This childish escape from such a hostile world —which was difficult to comprehend and complicated to live in— led me to connect with nature, which I felt was always available, open, loving, welcoming, entertaining and lucid.

My childhood home, close to the sea and the beach, was surrounded by fields, vineyards and stones, so I could constantly experiment with a great variety of colours, smells, tastes, insects and textures.

My tendency to see and feel the magic and mystery of all things that surround me, has been with me ever since I can remember, as if I knew that there is a lot more hidden beyond the things that can be seen. This is how the inner view —connected to the feeling and perceiving, rather than to the mere visual organ— was my loyal travel companion from my early childhood until now. I remember that I loved picking up stones which I carefully selected. After observing them, I painted them according to what they suggested to me. Painting became the creative means that allowed me to express those inner worlds that were starting to grow inside me. Creating images connected to this inner sensibility was something that I started doing since 1982, when I started my studies of Fine Arts and it has continued up until today.

Nature and the sublime

Nature was the source of inspiration to create a series of images from a selection of Japanese haikus that I presented in my doctoral thesis. This brief poetry condenses in three apparently plain and simple verses the intensity of a moment, of a perceived instant. It reflects with words the intensity that hides behind a look that is not focused in the obvious and superfluous. A look that goes beyond the apparent and can witness, feel and perceive.

I am motivated by the sublime insight that goes beyond everyday life, which guides me also into something else. Into a space of knowledge where presence awareness is not possible without letting ourselves being surprised by our own amazement, offering us the gift of a new world that opens before our eyes, deepens into our hearts through our whole being. Even to our restrictive and devouring mind, always in control, pretending to know what we are doing. Sometimes, there is just no answer because we do not know what is being done, we only know for certain that it has to be done.

Curriculum

Permanent Professor at the Department of Painting (Faculty of Fine Arts), Vigo University, since 1993.

  • Individual exhibitions

    1994 
    • Cultural Centre of Vigo. 
    1986
    • Cultural Centre of Vitoria.
    1988
    • Kaska & Windsor Art Gallery. Bilbao.
    • Culture Hall of Sestao: “Metáforas sobre la casa y el Mar” (House and Sea metaphors). (*)
    1989
    • Culture Hall of Caja de Ahorros Municipal de Bilbao. (*)
    1991
    • Bacelos Art Gallery. Vigo Vanguardia Gallery: “Pinemas”. Bilbao. (*)
    1994
    • Bacelos Art Gallery: “Acechos” (Threats). Vigo. (*)
    1998
    • Bacelos Art Gallery: “Gente Menuda” (Little People). Vigo. (*)
    2000
    • La Fábrica Museum: “Cosmos” (Painting Exhibition).Abarca de Campos, Palencia.
    • La Fábrica Museum: Creating a permanent sculpture at the outside gardens.
    • Bacelos Art Gallery: “Luces" (Lights). Vigo.
    2005
    • Bacelos Art Gallery: “Peticionarias” (Petitioners). Vigo.
    • Windsor Art Gallery: “Peticionarias” (Petitioners). Bilbao.
    2010
    • "Lo pesado es la raíz de lo leve" (The heavy is the root of the light. Art Next Gallery. Vigo.
    2013
    • "Natural Mente" (Natural Mind). O Manancial Centre, Cangas del Morrazo- Pontevedra.
    • "Seres de la Naturaleza" (Beings of Nature). Almeida Health Resort (Zamora).

    (*) catalogue

  • Group exhibitions

    1986 
    • Novísimos 86/87.Itinerant Galicia.(*)
    • Vitoria/Gasteiz Biennial.(*)
    		  
    1987
    • “Vilbao-Bigo", Vigo City Centre.
    • Pontevedra Biennial. New values.
    		  
    1988
    • “Gaur Art - Art Today”. Itinerant Basque Country organised by Caja de Ahorros Municipal de Bilbao.(*)
    • “New Proposals". Kaska & Windsor Gallery. Bilbao.
    • “Contrasts”. Eibar Exhibition Hall (Guipúzcoa)(*)
    		  
    1989
    • Native Art Gallery (with Sonia Rueda). Installation: “The sea graveyard” from Paul Valery. Bilbao.
    • Getxoarte Plastic Arts Hall. Algorta (Vizcaya).(*) Bizkaiko Artea 89.(*)
    • I Union Fenosa Exhibition. La Coruña.(*)
    • Gure Artea 89.(*)“Jugueteart”. Galería Vanguardia. Bilbao.
    • “Jugueteart”. Vanguardia Gallery. Bilbao.
    		  
    1990
    • I Biennial for Galician artists. Casa das artes. Vigo.(*) Bizkaiko Artea 90.(*)
    • II Rioja´s Biennial of Cultural Plastic Arts. Amós Salvador Hall. Logroño.(*)
    • Euskadi Young Art Exhibition Euskadi.(*)
    		  
    1991
    • II Union Fenosa Exhibition. La Coruña.(*)
    • 2nd Biennale du Livre d’artiste. Uzerche. France.(*)
    • Gure Artea 91. San Sebastian.(*)
    		  
    1992
    • VI Vitoria-Gasteiz painting workshop. Olaguibel Hall.
    • Fine Arts pre-approved scholarships in Roma. Spanish Museum of Contemporary Art. Madrid.
    		  
    1994
    • II  Biennial for Gallician artists. Casa das Artes. Vigo.(*)
    • “The stars of paintings 1994-95”,Accor. Itinerant Paris in France.(*)
    		  
    1995
    • Contemporary Plastic Event “Vitoria-Arte-Gasteiz”.(*)
    • IV Union Fenosa Exhibition. La Coruña.(*)
    		  
    1997
    • Participated in the project "Galicia, an Unique Land” with three works: “Galicia Abroad”, Vigo Maritime Station, Galicia Today, Barrié de la Maza Foundation, La Coruña, and a sculpture in the outside gardens at the Pontevedra park avenue.
    • Kulturgintza 1971-1996.25 Windsor Kulturgintza anniversary. Bizkaia Regional Council, Bilbao.(*)
    • V Union Fenosa Exhibition, La Coruña Maritime Station.(*)
    		  
    1999
    • IV Lalin Biennial “Pintor Laxeiro”, Ramón Mª Aller Ulloa Municipal Museum.(*)
    • “Finisterrae. Present proposals of Galician art”. Casa de Galicia in León”.
    • 16th Painting Exhibition at Cambre town Council.(*)
    		  
    2000
    • “Art and solidarity”. Itinerant Galicia.(*)
    		  
    2001
    • “Meanings of looking”. Bacelos Art Gallery.Vigo.(*)
    • VII Mostra Unión Fenosa.(*)
    		  
    2002
    • “Provisions de Anxiety and Wakefullness”.Pazo de la Cultura in Pontevedra.(*)
    		  
    2003
    • XII International Art Biennial. Vila Nova de Cerveira. (Portugal).(*)
    • “Under Construction. Exhibit/Expose yourself”, Vitoria Town Council, Palacio de Montehermoso.
    		  
    2005/06
    • MARCO anex space: “Open for Works”, Oct 05/Jan 06. Vigo.(*)
    • 2006 VIII Unión Fenosa Exhibition. La Coruña.(*)
    		  
    2010
    • Vicus for Haití. Casa das Artes. Vigo.
    		  
    2011
    • Ex Profeso2. Quiescencias Exhibition. Exhibition Room X, Vigo University.(*)
    • Atlantic space at Vigo Contemporary Art Fair. Art GalleryNext.(*)
    		  
    2013
    • 2nd marathon of Video MAV at La Casa Encendida, Madrid.
    • Creamos (Nós). Cangas Auditorium.
    • Network Artists. Dosmilvacas Art Gallery . Ponferrada.
    • Network Artists. Cacabelos Archaeological Museum.
    • Creamos(Nós) II. CENIMA Foz (Lugo).
    		  
    2014
    • "Now We Women", Cacabelos Archaeological Museum, León.
    • 3rd Marathon of Video MAV. La Casa Encendida. Madrid.
    • Showing of 3 video-animation projections on the facade of the Ferreruela Sanfeliú Foundation building, at Lleida, organised by Elmur.net: Open Call.
    • Participated in the VII Video Bang Festival with the animated film "The message of water" in the category Nature, see video.
    • Eidos da imaxe. Graphical symbols of facts and thoughts. MARCO Vigo.
    • EspacioEnter . International Festival of Creativity, Innovation and Digital Culture. TEA,Tenerife Espacio de las Artes.
    • Dosmilvacas en Metro. Metro en Dosmilvacas.
    		  
    2015
    • Artpeace. Itinerant Galicia. Included in the 30th Galician seminar of education for peace.
    • Bridges. Dosmilvacas Gallery. Ponferrada.(*)
    • Presence, Absence: Being. Café del teatro Excorxador, LLeida. Video-animation: Magdana.
    • Selective Affinities 8. Casa Galega da Cultura. Vigo
    • EspacioEnter. International Festival of Creativity, Innovation and Digital Culture. TEA Tenerife Espacio de las Artes.
    		  
    2016
    • Spherical Language. Dosmilvacas Art. Ponferrada
    • Women in Circle, A Red Cottage. Work in Progress. Santiago de Compostela University Church.
    • Dulcinea Video creation International contest. Organised by International Festival Foundation Teatro Clásico Almagro.Ciudad Real
    • ArtPeace. The artist´s voice II. Afundación Pontevedra.
    • The Peace Muse. Orense Municipal Auditorium.
    		  
    2017
    • Lenguaje esférico. Comisariada por Pilar Bonet en Galería Iskoo. Lugo
    • International Festival of Creativity, Innovation and Digital Culture. Espacio Enter, TEA Tenerife Espacio de las Artes.
    • Festival Internacional Creatividad, Innovación y Cultura Digital, Espacio Enter, TEA Canarias. Animation: Sainma la dulce
    		  

    (*) catalogue

  • Books & publications

    • Pinemas, 1991. Self edit catalogue that reflects the work of interlinking painting with poems (haikus).
    • Acechos, 1994. Edited by Bacelos Art Gallery in Vigo.
    • Emanaciones. 1997. Own edition, I.S.B.N.:84-8498-806-6, D.P.:PO-233/97.
    • Gente Menuda. Own edition, I.S.B.N.:84-8497-911-3,D.L.:VG-535-1998.
    • Ofrendas y Moradas. Modos mágicos de percepción y comportamiento. 2000. I.S.B.N.:84-699-4512-2,D.l.:PO-334/00.
    • El ladrón de voces (illustrator co-author) 1988. I.S.B.N.: 84-923553-8-7,D.P.:PO-78/98, ed. Kalandraka.
    • Peticionarias, 2005.  Edited by Bacelos Art Gallery, Vigo.

    Articles in Books and Magazines

    • Article: "A creación artística como laboratorio de vida". Sermos Galiza no. 148, In-Depth Analysis Notebook, 2015.
    • Article: “El arte como redención”. Book: Neste universo: Un rumor simultáneo. Exhibition catalogue at Vila Do Conde Memory Centre (Portugal).
    • Article: “La quiescencia de la materia, todo un arte”. Book: Arte: Diccionario ilustrado. Edited by the publishing service at the University of Vigo. 2012. ISBN: 978-84-8158-570-4.
    • Article: “Poner en luz”. Book: Aberto por obras. Edited by the University of Vigo and the Vigo Museum of Contemporary Art (MARCO). 2005.
    • “Art of the consciousness of knowledge”, in the book Arts Therapy: Recognized discipline or soul graffiti?. 2004.
    • Article: “Educación artística para el desarrollo de la conciencia”, Visual images June/July. Magazine Mestrado em Cultura Visual. 2004, Goiania, Brasil. ISSN 1679-6748.
    • Article: “La mirada interior como forma de conocimiento”. Book: Sentidos del mirar. Edited by the University of Vigo´s PI1 Research group, 2001. pp.13 a 37, ISBN: 84-699-4512-2,D.L.:VG 224/2001.

  • Curator

    2014 
    • Collective exhibition: CapacitArte, Galería Sargadelos, Pontevedra.
    • Collective exhibition: Do you know who I am?, Centro Social Fundación Novacaixa Galicia, Vigo.
    2015
    • Collective exhibition: autobiography of feelings. A story based on true events. Itinerant:  Afundación Vigo, Afundacion Ferrol and Afundación A Coruña Exhibition Halls.

     

  • Works in collections

    • Caja de Ahorros Municipal of Bilbao and Vizcaya
    • Vitoria City Council
    • Sestao Town Council
    • Gallarta Town Council
    • Basque Government
    • Basque Health Service
    • Rodríguez Iglesias Foundation
    • Unión FENOSA
    • Moaña Town Council