Santillana del Mar (EFE).- The National Museum and Research Center of Altamira hosts from this Wednesday the temporary exhibition “Rockstar” by Miguel Ángel Tornero, a collage in which layer upon layer the artist wants to pay tribute to the Cantabrian cavity turning her into what she already is: a “rockstar or diva” of the caves.
Tornero presents a personal photographic vision through collages created for the occasion, in which Altamira is not only shown as a historical treasure or a static symbol of creativity, but also a living icon.
“I was very interested in the idea of Altamira’s tattooed skin, taking her as a character almost exaggerating and simplifying, but a bit like doing a photo session with a rockstar or a legendary or mythical being that has a lot of influence on contemporary culture. , and from that skin, from those remains, those icons, some of which are still unknown, generate a new scenario”, the artist assured in statements to EFE before opening the exhibition.
The exhibition, organized by the Altamira Museum and the Juan Silió Gallery with the collaboration of the Spanish Academy in Rome, can be visited until August 27.
It was inaugurated this Wednesday by the Deputy Director General of State Museums, Mercedes Roldán; the director of the Royal Academy of Spain in Rome, María Ángeles Albert de León; and the director of the Altamira Museum, Pilar Fatás, together with Tornero.
“Being in Altamira means meeting the first artist”
The artist has explained that the exhibition arises from an invitation from the museum and the Juan Silió gallery and that, although at the beginning he had many different ideas, he has followed the “most natural or predictable” path, which has to do with what is doing lately: collage.
Focused on the privilege of contemplating the intimacy of the earth through the caves, Tornero believes that Altamira is overwhelming because it allows us to know the origin of something, in a starting point par excellence.
“From an artistic point of view, we could say that being there means meeting the first artist. And it is that Altamira is not just a place, it is a universal icon”, added the artist, who believes that the influence of the Cantabrian cavity endures over time not only as a historical treasure but as a paradigm of creativity and inspiration.
Although he also considers that Altamira is a good place to question the idea of beauty because in reality, in his opinion, the caves are “dark, grotesque, sinister and monstrous” places.
Tornero wanted to show the legend of the cave as a living icon, generating new forms and relationships through its surface, its volumes and its “long-lived tattooed skin”.
The deputy director general of State Museums has highlighted the need to continue supporting the contemporary creation of artists from this era because it allows discovering other facets of culture and generating a new audience.
Like the director of the Royal Academy of Spain in Rome, who believes that the Spanish heritage of the future is in the artists of today because “without them we would not have the Altamiras of the future.”