JOAN BENNÀSSAR. THE WINE I DRINK TASTES OF THE SEA

“The wine I drink tastes of the sea” is the title of the exhibition that refers us to the translation into images of a long journey on which “art is the origin of knowledge; wine, the stimulus and source of inspiration”, through the personal vision of artist Joan Bennàssar (Pollença, Mallorca, 1950). A painter and sculptor of recognised prestige since the 1980s, Joan Bennàssar developed his artistic career on the basis of experimentation with the figurative and abstract languages, dealing with subjects and concepts of a universal nature (the portrait, the still life, eroticism, music …). His work, which is steeped in autobiographical and also poetical and literary references, was complemented by the publication of the books Mallorca eròtica (2007) and Joan Bennàssar (2008).
 
The exhibition, organized by the Regional Ministry for Education, Culture and Universities of the Government of the Balearic Islands through the General Direction of Culture and Youth and the Institut d'Estudis Baleàrics with the collaboration of Es Baluard Museu d’Art Modern i Contemporani de Palma, is derived from the publication of the book released under the same title, in which the artist presents a selection of recently-created work on paper and paintings dedicated to the history of wine in the Mediterranean, paying particular attention to the Balearic Islands. Joan Bennàssar is a multidisciplinary artist, an artist in the Renaissance sense of the word, filled with a permanent interest in experimentation, a creator who has within his power innate skills and extraordinary technique. He lit up candles in a temple so that magic and poetical intuition could intertwine their forces with the will of a creative imagination, with the weapons that belong to him as an artist – eyes, hands and heart. “I am a Mediterranean painter, irrational, and I experiment with my feelings”. “I need to know what I feel, understand… believe that painting has the power to change”.
 
For years his work has followed a parallel course to the languages of his time. The great ease with which he passes from one style to another has led his work to change, sometimes radically, depending on personal circumstances, the social environment and the general artistic moment. “Risk is inherent in the condition of the artist. An artist without risk is less of an artist”. “We have to recover the art that speaks to us of the mysteries of tomorrow, made of work, effort and love”.
 
The works displayed are part of this journey in pursuit of an idealized Ithaca, a route on which wine and its gods are the theme and the Mediterranean – cradle, crossroads and mixture of many, noble and rich cultures – the showcase. “I live in a world in which I owe and am owed. And I gradually pay off this debt with the weapon I know best and in the space I develop myself in the best”. Joan Bennàssar, an artist who is powerful in original ideas, not clichés, does not seek to imitate the world, but rather to invent a new one revealing the huge quantity of nuances the one we live in has, nuances we are often incapable of seeing. “Not allowing myself to be beaten, that is my struggle”.