>> The event, accompanied by a cocktail reception, brought together institutional representatives, ADEMA team members, teachers, Fine Arts students, critics, and artists who didn’t want to miss this event with contemporary art.
This afternoon, the Xavier Fiol Gallery hosted the presentation of issue 2 of Segno.es, the Spanish-language version of Segno, one of the most influential Italian research and criticism magazines on the international contemporary art scene. The event, accompanied by a cocktail party, brought together institutional representatives, teachers, critics, and Fine Arts students who all wanted to attend this new event dedicated to contemporary art.
The cover of this second issue is by artist Avelino Sala, whose work “When Albers Meets Dystopias” serves as the starting point for a dossier that delves into his work, which is intertwined with social, political, and cultural concerns. This is complemented by texts by leading figures in the critical scene, such as Fernando Castro Flórez, Julio C. Vázquez Ortiz, Mónica Maneiro, and Juan-Ramón Barbancho, who reflect on exhibitions, discourses, and the urgent needs of the present.
The magazine kicks off with the “Advances” section, which takes a look at current art, and an editorial by Roberto Sala defending printed paper as a space of resistance against digital transience: a place to read slowly, think deeply, and preserve critical memory.
The issue explores projects such as “Habitar la Montaña” by Adonay Bermúdez, “En Perfecto Equilibrium” by Claudia Tittel, and Diving Clouds by Carmen Quijano. Mónica Galván presents the “University Art Biennial” as a space to make new voices visible; Rodrigo Carreño Rio offers a poetic reading in “Entre Cuerpos, un Alfabeto” (Between Bodies, an Alphabet); and Jaume Reus reflects on contemporary ecological duels. Julio C. Vázquez Ortiz delves into the tensions between art, territory, and power from an ecosocial perspective.
One of the issues’ main focuses is the Venice Biennale, with a special section that includes an article by Sandra Pedraja on the Spanish pavilion, a chronicle by Andrea Mammarella on the Architecture Biennale, and an interview by Roberto Sala with Marina Otero, curator of the Vatican pavilion. Efthalia Rentetzi expands the focus with a reflection on international pavilions as spaces for shared thought.
The publication is completed with Segnolibri, a selection of essential readings coordinated by Miguel Gallego, and a final piece by Iván de la Nuez, which portrays the present as “a banquet of consequences.”
During the event, ADEMA officials and members emphasized the value of having a Spanish-language scientific journal that combines art and research as a tool to contextualize and give visibility to generations of contemporary art.
With nearly five decades of history, Segno has been a benchmark at fairs such as ARCO and the Venice Biennale. This new phase, promoted by the Fine Arts Degree at the ADEMA University School, consolidates its presence in the Spanish-speaking world as a critical, international, and academic platform.