Festigual is celebrating its tenth anniversary with the opening of a commemorative exhibition titled '10 years of Festigual', which opened its doors this afternoon at the Fórum Metropolitano. The exhibition, which will be open until 20 November, offers a journey through the ten editions of the festival, featuring new creations developed under the 'Arte con Impacto' initiative, as well as materials, images, and testimonies that reflect the evolution of this cultural project, which has become a benchmark for accessibility and inclusion.
The inauguration was attended by Nereida Canosa, the councillor for Social Welfare, Participation and Equality, and vice-president of the Emalcsa Foundation; María Arantzazu Escalada Sarabia, director of Sustainability, Institutional Relations and Reale Foundation Spain; along with representatives from social entities, participating artists, and officials from the Emalcsa Foundation. During the opening, Canosa emphasised the importance of culture as a fundamental right: "It includes access to cultural proposals and the ability to participate in their creation, with the support that each person needs." She also advocated for the responsibility of public institutions to create conditions that allow for the exercise of this right and highlighted the importance of incorporating accessibility from the very design of cultural activities.
The exhibition originates from the Accessible and Inclusive Culture initiative of the Emalcsa Foundation, from which Festigual was born as a meeting space between the artistic talent of the city and the experience of social entities. Through the various pieces and materials on display, the public can engage not only with the final results but also with the shared creative processes that characterise the festival.
One of the central areas of the exhibition is dedicated to 'Arte con Impacto', an initiative developed with the support of the Reale Foundation, which brought together five artists and five social entities from A Coruña over recent months. The works presented are the result of collaborative efforts between Yolanda Dorda and Bolboretas, Lara Pintos and ADCOR, Manuel Suárez and GRUMICO, Jano Muñoz and Ecos do Sur, and Héctor Francesch and APEM. Participants from various entities worked directly with the artists to create the pieces now on display.
The exhibition also includes a sculpture shaped like the number ten, covered with 10,000 stamps contributed by participants from the Accessible and Inclusive Culture initiative, recovers the photographic exhibition 'A look at diversity' by photojournalist Óscar Corral, presented at Festigual 2020, and showcases posters and images from the different editions of the festival. The journey offers a comprehensive view of the impact Festigual has achieved since 2017, with a record of over 160 activities and performances, around 1,000 artists, 126 entities and professionals involved, and more than 14,000 participants.
Additionally, this Saturday, an intervention by the AÏS Association will be added to the exhibition with the project 'Aquamatrix'. Canosa also highlighted the importance of extending the Festigual experience to the broader municipal activities, citing the Noroeste Estrella Galicia Festival, which this year received the Music for All quality seal after incorporating various accessibility measures with the participation of the Emalcsa Foundation, including sign language interpretation at concerts, the loan of vibrating backpacks, and the installation of hearing loops.
Following the exhibition's inauguration, Festigual will continue its programming this weekend with performances by comedians Marc Buxaderas and Oswaldo Digón, who will present the show 'Spasticity and More' this Friday at the Teatro Colón. On Saturday, the urban culture initiative Poten100mos will take place at the Mercado de Montealto, alongside a collaboration between the Galician Symphony Orchestra and Clownssics at the Palacio de la Ópera. The weekend's programming will conclude on Sunday at the Teatro Rosalía de Castro with the performance of 'ON TIME' by the Fritsch Company.
Festigual is organised by the Concello de A Coruña and the Emalcsa Foundation, in collaboration with the María José Jove Foundation, Vegalsa-Eroski, Reale Foundation and the Provincial Council of A Coruña, and is managed by Culturactiva. The programming for this edition will run until 19 November.
