Horizon
Nov. 2, 2023 - Feb. 25, 2024
Nave Sotoliva, Santander, Spain
Curated by Carmen Quijano
The mysterious beauty of the blank horizon, [...] which extends around us in all directions, does not depend on its aesthetics, or even on its power, but on the innumerable stories that could take place within.
—Franco Michieli, The calling to get lost
The word ‘horizon’ comes from the Latin horĭzon and refers to the visual boundary of the earth’s surface, a place or landscape, and to the set of possibilities offered in a scenario. The word ‘horizon’ has a universal resonance and can evoke the idea of looking ahead and exploring the unknown. The horizon appears in most of Bubi Canal’s images as a physical space in which stories unfold, but also as a symbolic space of individual freedom through which to generate a personal worldview.
His scenes, in the manner of portraits or still lifes, are often inhabited by dreamlike beings or objects that belong to realities where playfulness and spontaneity are very much present. The solemn protagonists of his images, in most cases, are close to Bubi’s daily life and become participants in a shared universe. David Le Breton noted in his book Sociology of the body that “Existence is, in the first place, bodily” and that “Through their corporeality, each person makes the world the measure of their experience, transforming it into a familiar and coherent structure…” The characters, objects, and costumes that appear in Bubi’s photographs transport us to an apparently “childlike” world, as it is in childhood that we shape a large part of the identity that will accompany us into adulthood. Therefore, it is not strange that Bubi’s images make us relive the moment when we were children and, in some way, vindicate the dynamics of play as necessary in all moments of existence.
Bubi’s universe is influenced by the imaginarium of Walt Disney, the design and use of Bauhaus colors, Japanese culture, fashion, and the combination of the contemporary and the traditional. All this gives his images a timeless and mysterious character capable of activating our imagination and inventing stories and worlds.
Let us choose one or several horizons, let us be carried away, let us move through space, let us play, let us create our meanings, let us contribute our experiences, let us be free.
— Text by Carmen Quijano
Into the Gloaming
Jul. 12 - - Sept. 15, 2019
Contemporary Arts Center, Cincinnati, Ohio
Curated by Maria Seda-Reeder
Into the Gloaming is a photographic series by interdisciplinary artist, Bubi Canal (b. 1980, Spain). Canal’s lens-based work combines elements of pop culture with intuition, to manifest dreamlike characters from alternate realities. Using bright colorful subjects set against otherworldly landscapes at dusk, Canal imbues his work with optimism and innocence—but most importantly, to transmit hope and possibilities for the future.
This series of photographs, were shot in New York and Santander, Spain, during the transitional time between day and night—the gloaming. In it, the artist presents a personal universe of characters that reflect his expansive imagination and influences as diverse as Cantabrian mythologies and vintage Japanese television shows—creating his own distinctive folklore for a contemporary audience.
Shooting portraits of those he knows intimately, (including himself) the artist scripts fantastical scenarios—allowing his subjects to communicate viscerally via natural posture and spontaneous gesture.
In the accompanying video, Cosmovision, Canal follows signs through the landscape, taking a semiotic journey of discovery. In Spanish, “cosmovisión” means a particular take on the world and its values. Thus, Canal explores his own internal landscape by going beyond any limits of reason and entering into the unknown.
At the core of Canal’s work is the idea that we have the power to manipulate and change the world that surrounds us in order to realize our dreams.
— Text by Maria Seda-Reeder
Human Stories: The Satirists
13 Oct - 13 Nov 2022
Now Gallery, London
Curated by Naia Noni Charles
This Autumn NOW Gallery is proud to present a new photographic commission Human Stories: The Satirists, a group show of emerging photographic talent exploring the concept of satire through photography, and particularly how it is used to develop and nurture interconnected, diverse identities, gender, race and class.
Taking place at London’s NOW Gallery in Greenwich Peninsula from 13 October-13 November 2022, The Satirists brings together six rising stars in the field of photography and film, including Bubi Canal, Leonard Suryajaya, Nyugen Smith, Thandiwe Muriu, Stephen Tayo and Thy Tran.
The show brings together a diverse body of work that challenges historical and culturally biased tropes and stereotypes by presenting an alternative world view. Using satire as a tool to wield a bold irreverence and flair that transcends archetypal social constructs, the artists are using the medium of photography to develop new dialogues within the society.
Athens Photo Festival
Jun. 13 - Jul. 28, 2019
Benaki Museum, Athens
The Athens Photo Festival 2019 exhibition program brings together 75 emerging and established visual artists and photographers from 32 countries visual artists and photographers, with the aim to reflect the diversity of photography and visual culture, and to create to create a dialogue between a diverse range of perspectives, approaches and practices.
Through its expanded programming and the year-round activities, Athens Photo Festival is committed to offering a dynamic platform for exchange of ideas, artistic expression and engagement with photography in all its forms.
At the core of the Festival, is an extensive and multi-layered program of events and initiatives, including learning and public programs, talent development initiatives, social practice, and community outreach. In addition to the main venue-based program, the Festival encourages community involvement through satellite exhibitions in various locations in the city.
Foam Talent | New York
Mar. 30 - Apr. 17, 2017
Red Hook Labs, Brooklyn, New York
Photo-objects, installations, beamers, lightboxes and wallpapers: Foam Talent goes beyond your classic photography exhibition. From the conceptual approach to the both mythical and violent favelas of Rio de Janeiro by Stefanie Moshammer, the colourful photographic constructions of Nico Krijno, to the chemical experiments on film by Daisuke Yokota in which the camera becomes irrelevant, the exhibition displays great diversity in artistic approaches. With each portfolio the selected artists prove to have very distinct and unique visions within a variety of genres. With this exhibition Foam presents its views on the current state of photography and creates a platform that introduces emerging talents in the international world of photography.
With work by: Sofia Ayarzagoitia (MX), Juno Calypso (UK), Bubi Canal (ES/US), Paolo Ciregia (IT), Sam Contis (US), Jack Davison (UK), Nicolo Degiorgis (IT), Katinka Goldberg (SE/NO), Andrea Grützner (DE), Samuel Gratacap (FR), Maxime Guyon (FR), Felicity Hammond (UK), Alexandra Hunts (UA/NL), Taejoong Kim (KR), Nico Krijno (ZA), Leo Maguire (UK), Stefanie Moshammer (AT), Andrés Felipe Orjuela (CO), Antonio Ottomanelli (IT), Daan Paans (NL), Louise Parker (US), Andrejs Strokins (LV), Ilona Szwarc (PL/US) and Daisuke Yokota (JP).
Magic Garden
Mar. 14 - Apr. 19, 2015
Munch Gallery, New York
Munch Gallery is proud to present Bubi Canal’s second solo show in New York, Magic Garden. Since his first show with the gallery in 2013, Canal’s work has been featured in esteemed publications such as RV PAPERS, The Wall Street Journal, a cover feature of The British Journal of Photography, and his first monograph book, Dreamtime. He was invited to participate at the UNSEEN photography fair 2014 in Amsterdam and the P2P PHotoEspaña 2014 in Madrid. The new body of work was created in New York and Rochester over the past two years.
Magic Garden presents new photography, video, and sculpture. The exhibition’s eponymous sculptures, assembled from colorful pieces of found plastic, radiates totemic energy. One photographic series, Beautiful Mystery, features a typical American suburban den — replete with faux wood paneling, baseboard radiator, and gold rug — metamorphosed into a surreal backdrop for tactile anthropomorphic figures who are all the more beguiling for their context.
“I began to work on Beautiful Mystery with the intention of producing a series of still lifes, but what emerged instead were portraits. So, the project took an entirely different path. For me, it is important to let the work speak and tell me what it wants to be, without imposing any preconceived notions.” In doing so, Canal reveals the world that lies beneath the surface of immediate sensation, a subliminal cosmos of awe and magic.
The artist’s video, Hologram, depicts characters who embark on a journey from darkness and fear to light and love. According to Canal, “the external world of Hologram is a manifestation of the characters’ subconscious. They communicate with each other through a choreography that transforms them.” He believes that optimism and illusion are contagious, and hopes that his work will have a similarly transformative effect on the viewer.
Like a hologram, the coherent totality of Canal’s universe can be accessed through each of the works on view. Every piece activates a dimension where memory, imagination, and reality are mutable and inextricably linked. Magic Garden is imbued with wondrous intent.
— Text by Sara Rubinow
Special Moment
Feb. 8 - Mar. 10, 2013
Munch Gallery, New York
New York, New York, January 14, 2013 – ‘Munch Gallery is pleased to announce Bubi Canal’s solo exhibition ’Special Moment’.
It is the artist’s first solo exhibition in New York City. A recent transplant but already a native, Canal has exhibited widely in Europe and has since brought his unique vision stateside.
Munch Gallery presents several of Canal’s most recent photographs, as well as select objects and video work, highlighting the single-minded focus of his aesthetic over a range of media. His photographs are exercises in saturated color and geometric form, a glimpse of a fantastical reality populated by benevolent monsters, playful mashups of human, animal and muppet. His creations are simultaneously plastic pre-fab and meticulously handmade, eerie and familiar, a fever dream from childhood.
‘Chrystelle’, Canal’s video is set against the striking natural landscape of his native Santander, his main character’s slick, vivid costuming surprisingly resonant with the vibrant elemental surroundings. At once alien and native, much like the artist himself, his work mimics life and his life is his work. He puts it best himself: “I like to create a new reality that remains connected with my life. I like opening doors onto the unknown and building something new.”
Born in Santander, Spain, Canal studied in Bilbao and worked in Madrid for several years before coming to New York in 2011. Canal is the physical embodiment of his work – magic in its purest form. His visual references range from the angular patterned sweaters and nostalgic toys of the 1980s to his icon, Michael Jackson. Canal mines his own experience, dreams, and pop culture for content and works primarily with those closest to him, not models or actors; an interior playland within an insular world.
— Text by Stina Puotinen
Supercolor
Jan. 14 - Feb. 19, 2011
Del Sol St.Art Gallery, Santander, Spain
Mientras se iniciaba el proyecto de La Fresh Gallery, hace tres años, buscábamos un equipo de artistas que nos transmitieran emociones y sentimientos que encajasen con el espíritu de una nueva generación. Siguiendo estas pistas de investigación, me encontré con el trabajo de Bubi Canal, más concretamente, con su proyecto "Supercolor", con el cual me sentí plenamente identificada. Este trabajo desarrolla y agrupa el video, la fotografía y la objetualidad, de una forma descarada, intensa, fantasiosa, brillante, donde la realidad y la ficción confluyen en el universo creativo y colorista del adulto, el adolescente y el niño.
Un video de coreografía fantástica nos transporta a unas fotografías de soldados de un ejército imaginario en una montaña rusa emocional, o a imágenes de adorables monstruos en penumbras, que nos invitan a descifrar enigmas, a veces ocultos en juguetes de una infancia feliz aunque abrumadora.
Su obra, de gran fuerza cromática con colores primarios, alimentada en una gran proporción por la cultura pop, tiene muy presente su infancia, sus sueños, sus pesadillas, la amistad y el amor, muchas veces contando con la presencia animal.
"Trust in me" o "Our dreams are our real life", más que títulos para sus obras, son declaraciones de principios de este artista, que consciente o inconscientemente parecen referencias al ancestral arte del "haiku" japonés.
De este modo nos invita a compartir una experiencia expositiva que abarca todos nuestros sentidos.
Propongo que se atrevan a entrar en ella.
— Texto Topacio Fresh
Horizon
Nov. 2, 2023 - Feb. 25, 2024
Nave Sotoliva, Santander, Spain
Curated by Carmen Quijano
The mysterious beauty of the blank horizon, [...] which extends around us in all directions, does not depend on its aesthetics, or even on its power, but on the innumerable stories that could take place within.
—Franco Michieli, The calling to get lost
The word ‘horizon’ comes from the Latin horĭzon and refers to the visual boundary of the earth’s surface, a place or landscape, and to the set of possibilities offered in a scenario. The word ‘horizon’ has a universal resonance and can evoke the idea of looking ahead and exploring the unknown. The horizon appears in most of Bubi Canal’s images as a physical space in which stories unfold, but also as a symbolic space of individual freedom through which to generate a personal worldview.
His scenes, in the manner of portraits or still lifes, are often inhabited by dreamlike beings or objects that belong to realities where playfulness and spontaneity are very much present. The solemn protagonists of his images, in most cases, are close to Bubi’s daily life and become participants in a shared universe. David Le Breton noted in his book Sociology of the body that “Existence is, in the first place, bodily” and that “Through their corporeality, each person makes the world the measure of their experience, transforming it into a familiar and coherent structure…” The characters, objects, and costumes that appear in Bubi’s photographs transport us to an apparently “childlike” world, as it is in childhood that we shape a large part of the identity that will accompany us into adulthood. Therefore, it is not strange that Bubi’s images make us relive the moment when we were children and, in some way, vindicate the dynamics of play as necessary in all moments of existence.
Bubi’s universe is influenced by the imaginarium of Walt Disney, the design and use of Bauhaus colors, Japanese culture, fashion, and the combination of the contemporary and the traditional. All this gives his images a timeless and mysterious character capable of activating our imagination and inventing stories and worlds.
Let us choose one or several horizons, let us be carried away, let us move through space, let us play, let us create our meanings, let us contribute our experiences, let us be free.
— Text by Carmen Quijano
Into the Gloaming
Jul. 12 - - Sept. 15, 2019
Contemporary Arts Center, Cincinnati, Ohio
Curated by Maria Seda-Reeder
Into the Gloaming is a photographic series by interdisciplinary artist, Bubi Canal (b. 1980, Spain). Canal’s lens-based work combines elements of pop culture with intuition, to manifest dreamlike characters from alternate realities. Using bright colorful subjects set against otherworldly landscapes at dusk, Canal imbues his work with optimism and innocence—but most importantly, to transmit hope and possibilities for the future.
This series of photographs, were shot in New York and Santander, Spain, during the transitional time between day and night—the gloaming. In it, the artist presents a personal universe of characters that reflect his expansive imagination and influences as diverse as Cantabrian mythologies and vintage Japanese television shows—creating his own distinctive folklore for a contemporary audience.
Shooting portraits of those he knows intimately, (including himself) the artist scripts fantastical scenarios—allowing his subjects to communicate viscerally via natural posture and spontaneous gesture.
In the accompanying video, Cosmovision, Canal follows signs through the landscape, taking a semiotic journey of discovery. In Spanish, “cosmovisión” means a particular take on the world and its values. Thus, Canal explores his own internal landscape by going beyond any limits of reason and entering into the unknown.
At the core of Canal’s work is the idea that we have the power to manipulate and change the world that surrounds us in order to realize our dreams.
— Text by Maria Seda-Reeder
Human Stories: The Satirists
13 Oct - 13 Nov 2022
Now Gallery, London
Curated by Naia Noni Charles
This Autumn NOW Gallery is proud to present a new photographic commission Human Stories: The Satirists, a group show of emerging photographic talent exploring the concept of satire through photography, and particularly how it is used to develop and nurture interconnected, diverse identities, gender, race and class.
Taking place at London’s NOW Gallery in Greenwich Peninsula from 13 October-13 November 2022, The Satirists brings together six rising stars in the field of photography and film, including Bubi Canal, Leonard Suryajaya, Nyugen Smith, Thandiwe Muriu, Stephen Tayo and Thy Tran.
The show brings together a diverse body of work that challenges historical and culturally biased tropes and stereotypes by presenting an alternative world view. Using satire as a tool to wield a bold irreverence and flair that transcends archetypal social constructs, the artists are using the medium of photography to develop new dialogues within the society.
Athens Photo Festival
Jun. 13 - Jul. 28, 2019
Benaki Museum, Athens
The Athens Photo Festival 2019 exhibition program brings together 75 emerging and established visual artists and photographers from 32 countries visual artists and photographers, with the aim to reflect the diversity of photography and visual culture, and to create to create a dialogue between a diverse range of perspectives, approaches and practices.
Through its expanded programming and the year-round activities, Athens Photo Festival is committed to offering a dynamic platform for exchange of ideas, artistic expression and engagement with photography in all its forms.
At the core of the Festival, is an extensive and multi-layered program of events and initiatives, including learning and public programs, talent development initiatives, social practice, and community outreach. In addition to the main venue-based program, the Festival encourages community involvement through satellite exhibitions in various locations in the city.
Foam Talent | New York
Mar. 30 - Apr. 17, 2017
Red Hook Labs, Brooklyn, New York
Photo-objects, installations, beamers, lightboxes and wallpapers: Foam Talent goes beyond your classic photography exhibition. From the conceptual approach to the both mythical and violent favelas of Rio de Janeiro by Stefanie Moshammer, the colourful photographic constructions of Nico Krijno, to the chemical experiments on film by Daisuke Yokota in which the camera becomes irrelevant, the exhibition displays great diversity in artistic approaches. With each portfolio the selected artists prove to have very distinct and unique visions within a variety of genres. With this exhibition Foam presents its views on the current state of photography and creates a platform that introduces emerging talents in the international world of photography.
With work by: Sofia Ayarzagoitia (MX), Juno Calypso (UK), Bubi Canal (ES/US), Paolo Ciregia (IT), Sam Contis (US), Jack Davison (UK), Nicolo Degiorgis (IT), Katinka Goldberg (SE/NO), Andrea Grützner (DE), Samuel Gratacap (FR), Maxime Guyon (FR), Felicity Hammond (UK), Alexandra Hunts (UA/NL), Taejoong Kim (KR), Nico Krijno (ZA), Leo Maguire (UK), Stefanie Moshammer (AT), Andrés Felipe Orjuela (CO), Antonio Ottomanelli (IT), Daan Paans (NL), Louise Parker (US), Andrejs Strokins (LV), Ilona Szwarc (PL/US) and Daisuke Yokota (JP).
Magic Garden
Mar. 14 - Apr. 19, 2015
Munch Gallery, New York
Munch Gallery is proud to present Bubi Canal’s second solo show in New York, Magic Garden. Since his first show with the gallery in 2013, Canal’s work has been featured in esteemed publications such as RV PAPERS, The Wall Street Journal, a cover feature of The British Journal of Photography, and his first monograph book, Dreamtime. He was invited to participate at the UNSEEN photography fair 2014 in Amsterdam and the P2P PHotoEspaña 2014 in Madrid. The new body of work was created in New York and Rochester over the past two years.
Magic Garden presents new photography, video, and sculpture. The exhibition’s eponymous sculptures, assembled from colorful pieces of found plastic, radiates totemic energy. One photographic series, Beautiful Mystery, features a typical American suburban den — replete with faux wood paneling, baseboard radiator, and gold rug — metamorphosed into a surreal backdrop for tactile anthropomorphic figures who are all the more beguiling for their context.
“I began to work on Beautiful Mystery with the intention of producing a series of still lifes, but what emerged instead were portraits. So, the project took an entirely different path. For me, it is important to let the work speak and tell me what it wants to be, without imposing any preconceived notions.” In doing so, Canal reveals the world that lies beneath the surface of immediate sensation, a subliminal cosmos of awe and magic.
The artist’s video, Hologram, depicts characters who embark on a journey from darkness and fear to light and love. According to Canal, “the external world of Hologram is a manifestation of the characters’ subconscious. They communicate with each other through a choreography that transforms them.” He believes that optimism and illusion are contagious, and hopes that his work will have a similarly transformative effect on the viewer.
Like a hologram, the coherent totality of Canal’s universe can be accessed through each of the works on view. Every piece activates a dimension where memory, imagination, and reality are mutable and inextricably linked. Magic Garden is imbued with wondrous intent.
— Text by Sara Rubinow
Special Moment
Feb. 8 - Mar. 10, 2013
Munch Gallery, New York
New York, New York, January 14, 2013 – ‘Munch Gallery is pleased to announce Bubi Canal’s solo exhibition ’Special Moment’.
It is the artist’s first solo exhibition in New York City. A recent transplant but already a native, Canal has exhibited widely in Europe and has since brought his unique vision stateside.
Munch Gallery presents several of Canal’s most recent photographs, as well as select objects and video work, highlighting the single-minded focus of his aesthetic over a range of media. His photographs are exercises in saturated color and geometric form, a glimpse of a fantastical reality populated by benevolent monsters, playful mashups of human, animal and muppet. His creations are simultaneously plastic pre-fab and meticulously handmade, eerie and familiar, a fever dream from childhood.
‘Chrystelle’, Canal’s video is set against the striking natural landscape of his native Santander, his main character’s slick, vivid costuming surprisingly resonant with the vibrant elemental surroundings. At once alien and native, much like the artist himself, his work mimics life and his life is his work. He puts it best himself: “I like to create a new reality that remains connected with my life. I like opening doors onto the unknown and building something new.”
Born in Santander, Spain, Canal studied in Bilbao and worked in Madrid for several years before coming to New York in 2011. Canal is the physical embodiment of his work – magic in its purest form. His visual references range from the angular patterned sweaters and nostalgic toys of the 1980s to his icon, Michael Jackson. Canal mines his own experience, dreams, and pop culture for content and works primarily with those closest to him, not models or actors; an interior playland within an insular world.
— Text by Stina Puotinen
Supercolor
Jan. 14 - Feb. 19, 2011
Del Sol St.Art Gallery, Santander, Spain
Mientras se iniciaba el proyecto de La Fresh Gallery, hace tres años, buscábamos un equipo de artistas que nos transmitieran emociones y sentimientos que encajasen con el espíritu de una nueva generación. Siguiendo estas pistas de investigación, me encontré con el trabajo de Bubi Canal, más concretamente, con su proyecto "Supercolor", con el cual me sentí plenamente identificada. Este trabajo desarrolla y agrupa el video, la fotografía y la objetualidad, de una forma descarada, intensa, fantasiosa, brillante, donde la realidad y la ficción confluyen en el universo creativo y colorista del adulto, el adolescente y el niño.
Un video de coreografía fantástica nos transporta a unas fotografías de soldados de un ejército imaginario en una montaña rusa emocional, o a imágenes de adorables monstruos en penumbras, que nos invitan a descifrar enigmas, a veces ocultos en juguetes de una infancia feliz aunque abrumadora.
Su obra, de gran fuerza cromática con colores primarios, alimentada en una gran proporción por la cultura pop, tiene muy presente su infancia, sus sueños, sus pesadillas, la amistad y el amor, muchas veces contando con la presencia animal.
"Trust in me" o "Our dreams are our real life", más que títulos para sus obras, son declaraciones de principios de este artista, que consciente o inconscientemente parecen referencias al ancestral arte del "haiku" japonés.
De este modo nos invita a compartir una experiencia expositiva que abarca todos nuestros sentidos.
Propongo que se atrevan a entrar en ella.
— Texto Topacio Fresh