The Mostra de València has unveiled an exhibition titled 'Concha Piquer. Art and Modernity. 120 years since her birth', honouring the renowned Valencian artist through the contributions of four contemporary female artists. The exhibition was inaugurated today at 18:00 in the Galería del Tossal and will remain open until 6 December 2026.
During the presentation, Sara Mansanet, the deputy director of Cinematography and Audiovisuals and director of the Mostra, was joined by artists Rebeca Plana, Lucía Peiró, Dafne Baldoví, and Cari Roig, along with the exhibition's coordinator, Ana Andriani. Mansanet remarked that the exhibition offers a profound tribute to Piquer, describing her as a woman ahead of her time, as seen through the personal interpretations of the four recognised contemporary artists.
Mansanet highlighted Piquer's close ties to the film industry from a young age, noting that the exhibition features the short film From Far Seville, which she starred in at just 17 years old. This film is considered the first sound film in Spanish. The exhibition showcases a variety of artistic mediums, including abstract painting, photo-action, wax sculpture, ceramics, and installations, all reflecting Piquer's musical legacy and influence.
Among the featured works, Dafne Baldoví presents Espectro, which transforms a musical fragment from the piece Ojos verdes into a three-dimensional composition using stoneware, glazes, and brass, employing high-temperature turning techniques. Lucía Peiró's installation, titled In a single second, explores how visual and sensory stimuli aid in processing and linking information, thereby activating memory formation. Rebeca Plana's work, The voice as matter / matter as voice, uses mixed media on linen to convey themes of voice, silence, and loss. Lastly, Cari Roig's piece Women moved listened and sang is divided into mixed media segments, including Women of design, I am not the other, and And the green, lime green.
Notably, From Far Seville (1923) marks a significant moment in the history of sound cinema in Spanish. Four years before the release of the American film The Jazz Singer (1927), Concha Piquer starred in this pioneering 11-minute short directed by Lee DeForest, who employed a new technology called Phonofilm. This innovative technique allowed for the direct recording and synchronisation of audio onto the same film strip. Throughout the film, Piquer showcases her talent by singing, dancing, and reciting various pieces from the Iberian traditional repertoire, including an Andalusian cuplé, an Aragonese jota, and even a Portuguese fado. The original film is preserved at the Library of Congress in the United States.
