SPAIN

A mysterious country.

     The bridge between the African continent and Europe some say. Historic home to many mingling cultures. For centuries home to Muslims and Christians living co-existently.  Now, have you heard, its in a bit of a crisis. More than just economic, it appears to have spirolled into existential. Well, everywhere in Europe save France and Germany seem to be. But Spain has been particularly hard hit with astronomical unemployment numbers particularly among the youth. So what is a talented young spaniard to do but art.

   The Spanish Embassy in DC hosted an exhibition of several modern artists from the region known as
Cantabria called "Meaning Making."  People are indeed trying to make MEANING of their lives. Art forms a great dignifying medium by which to do so. This region apparently has towns that form vibrant creative communities and the visual arts is vigorously encouraged there.

The modern art exhibit ran the gamit of expression in non-representational glory. Color spreads evoke brooding moods and others more elated. There was on an LED Large screen TV projection  a moving canvas of men pretending to be Marilyn Monroe holding their white skirts in space. Yes, that was rather odd and got attention.
The walled tableaux looked distinctively more inviting if not pleading.

The crowd was an eclectic mix of the usual Embassy workers (an extremely handsome young Spanish attache) and the crowd of what they affectionately call themselves -"the schleppers": e.g. the single dentist from Silver Spring who eats out at Embassy receptions every night to avoid recalling no one cooks for him at home, the "crypt keeper" ancient tall thinner than skeletal lanky  attorney who survives off Embassy food because he is too dignified to do doc privilege reviews like the rest of us and doesn't acknowledge his poverty, the immigrant Bolivian former Embassy attache to something serious who ran out his visa and overstayed for fun and games, and the retired government worker who never left living in the downtown schmotel with no kitchen because she eats Embassy wine and cheese every night anyway and I am missing a few.  There is a bad B movie subtext here.

     If you appreciate non-representational modern art, from a part of the world now struggling and searching for "Meaning" in the midst of an economic melt-down go to the Spanish Embassy to see "Imaginarious Fragmentados De Doce Artistas De Catabria."  Ignacio Diego, President of Cantabria will thank you. See also, www.GaleriaEspiral.com

The Schleppers thank the Spanish Embassy for the Spanish Wine.