Bio

AIXA PORTERO

Málaga, 1975

Aixa Portero was born in Málaga, Spain and is a recognized artist trained in the Plastic Arts (painting and sculpture) at the Faculty of Fine Arts, Granada. She completed her undergraduate studies at the Brussels Sint-Lukas Floger Instituut (Belgium) and developed an interest in new artistic trends and new media, comprehensively rounding off her training abroad.

She undertook advanced professional training in Visual Arts Research at the L’Ecole Supérieure d’Art Visuel de Genève (now HEAD-ESGE) in Geneva (Switzerland). Her postgraduate studies continued with the Piet Zwart Institute, a Fine Art Program at Willem de Kooning Academy, Rotterdam (Netherlands).

She then participated as a research artist at the University of California, San Diego, in the Department of Visual Arts (USA), where she performed the majority of the research that led to a European Doctorate in 2006 at the University of Granada, including an intense body of plastic work, where more than a dozen individual exhibitions and more than thirty collective exhibitions stand out, both at a national and international level. She has exhibited in locations such as Brussels, Geneva, Rotterdam, San Diego, Havana, Los Angeles, Paris, Minsk, Vilna, Bogotá.

Her work draws on philosophy, the essay, narrative and poetry. They are often forthright and risky forms, materialized through the use of new exhibition and technological forms; where Portero tends to combine paint, sculpture, photography, installation and new technologies. A member of Granada University’s Institute of Peace and Conflicts Investigation since 2003, all her work revolves around a Culture of Peace.

Her work turned to the concept of Trans-Appearance, where she investigated what lies beyond fragmentation and appearance, from a poetics of introspection, subsequently to the characterization of violence as a concept and emotion, manifested and exercised amidst social relationships and as personal experience; focused, also in fragmented form, through the prism of sublimation and emotion.

Her current work researches the POIESIS concept, from which the word ‘poetry’ derives. Poiesis is a term defined by Plato as “the cause which converts something we consider as non-being to being”. Heidegger referred to Poiesis as illumination, using the term in its widest sense. And from there to the discovery of “poetic reason” shown by the philosopher, thinker and essayist Maria Zambrano (Málaga), that supposes a luck of method of self-discovery of the being through the own actions. Aixa Portero permeates her work with autobiographical nuances, however, when addressing her proposals, she does via the simplicity in the materialization and visualization of the different pieces.

ACADEMIC TRAINING

2006. PhD in Fine Arts (European Mention). University of Granada, (Spain).

2003 – Present. Member of the Peace and Conflict Institute. University of Granada, (Spain).

2002-2003. University of California, San Diego, Department of Visual Arts, PhD Visiting researcher UCSD, (USA).

2001-2002. Postgraduate Piet Zwart Institute Fine Arts Program of the Willem de Kooning Academy, Rotterdam, (The Netherlands).

1999-2000. Postgraduate in Art Plastic Research at École Supérieure d’Art Visuel de Genève, Geneva, (Switzerland).

1998. Fine Arts Graduate, Sculpture and Painting. (Sculpture specialty in 1998 and painting specialty in 2003), University of Granada, (Spain).

1997-1998. Completion of studies (Honourable Mention) in Sint-Lukas Hoger Institut. Brussels, (Belgium).

INDIVIDUAL EXHIBITIONS (SELECTION)

2022. Alice through the root. Museum of the women of Costa Rica.
2022. Radices Pacis, The Empírica, Granada.
2021. Pax Natura. CAC Malaga. La Coracha, Museum and Center of Contemporary Art of Malaga (Spain).
2019. The voice of the three. Isolina Arbulu Gallery, Marbella, (Spain).
2019. PATH, ArtVilnius T9, International Contemporary Art Fair, Vilnius, (Lithuania).
2018. The Root (Project NEFT_B / The Root), Museum of Contemporary Art, Vitebsk, (Belarus).
2018. The Root (Project NEFT_B / The Root), National Museum of Contemporary Art, Minsk, (Belarus).
2015. Hypsipyle’s verse, Sala Zaida, Caja Rural de Granada Foundation, (Spain).
2013. Minimum Death, Debía Art Gallery, Bubión, Granada, (Spain).
2004. Innocence of Dis-Counts. Euskalduna Palace of Arts and Music. Bilbao, (Spain).
2003. Sales on Innocence, Carmen de los Mártires Palace Museum, City Hall of Granada, (Spain).
2003. Innocent. Herbert Marcuse Art Gallery. San Diego, (USA).
2002. Multiplicity-Individualcity: Installation. Bisel Art Gallery, Cartagena, Murcia, (Spain).
2001. Multiplicity-Individualcity: Photography. Laberinto Art Gallery. Granada, (Spain).
1999. Trans-Appearances. Palacio de los Condes de Gabia. Room B. Provincial Council of Granada, (Spain).

COLLECTIVE EXHIBITIONS (SELECTION)

2022. The stare untied. Manuel Mateo Pérez Collection. Museum of Jaen
2022. A slap back. The Yellow House, Malaga.
2021. ESTAMPA Art fair. Isolina Arbulu Gallery, IFEMA, Madrid (Spain).
2020. Lockdown’s Postcards. Yolanda Ochando Gallery, Málaga (Spain).
2019. Matria. Carmen Jiménez Building. La Zubia, Granada (Spain).
2019. Encountres. Foundations and Art & Culture Without Borders. Katara Cultural Village, Doha (Qatar).
2019. Bauhaus. 100 years after the total revolution of a language. ARTSevilla´19. House of the Province, Seville (Spain).
2019. Untitled. DDS Gallery, Madrid (Spain)
2019. Dracula x Dracula. Juan Miguel Quiñones Project. Valentín de Madariaga Foundation, Sevilla, (Spain).
2019. ArtMarbella. Internacional modern and contemporary Art Fair. USC Gallery Miami (USA). Marbella, (Spain).
2019. Black Heart, White Heart. Showroom. Town hall of Alhaurín el Grande, Málaga, (Spain).
2019. A violet door. Carmen Jiménez Building. La Zubia, Granada, (Spain).
2018. Natural Selection. Exhibition Hall, Royal Hospital Building, (Spain).
2018. Some places of the painting. Approaching María Zambrano. Showroom. Moroccan Hispanic Center. Malaga, Spain).

2016. Beauty, Exhibition Centre, City Council of Benalmádena, Málaga, (Spain).
2016. Time for Light, Municipal Heritage Museum, Málaga, (Spain).
2016. Art is the Model, Museo de Arte de la Diputación (MAD), Antequera, (Spain).
2015. Downloading, poetry and new artistic practices. Ateneo Cultural Centre, Málaga, (Spain).
2015. Beauty, Museo de Arte de la Diputación (MAD), Antequera, (Spain).
2015. Beauty. La Térmica, Centre for Contemporary Culture, Málaga Deputation, (Spain).
2014. Ill Festival of Women’s Looks. MAV, Granada, (Spain).
2013. Of Stories. Interactive installation. BITAMINIC Collective. White Night in Avilés. Asturias, (Spain).
2012. A-time, Interuniversity artistic show (international) : “Invisibles” Jaén, (Spain).
2012. Des-tiempos. Interactive installation. Black Night, Avilés. Asturias, (Spain).
2012. The Others. Interactive installation. BITAMINIC Collective. CMAE Municipal Art and Exhibition Centre, Black Night, Avilés. Asturias, (Spain).
2011. The Piano of the Poor. BITAMINIC Collective. White Night, Málaga, Málaga City Hall, (Spain).
2011. Performance ODEPS, Casa Invisible, Málaga, (Spain).

2007. Ultramar, Embassy of Spain, Havana, (Cuba).
2005. Max Matógrafo. Department of Culture of the Santa Fe City Council. Granada, (Spain).
2005. The Colours of the Earth. Art against the fence of death. Official College of Architects of Granada, (Spain).
2004. Granada Art Today. Municipal Showroom of the Gran Capitán Cultural Centre. Granada City Hall, (Spain).
2004. Granada Art Today. Municipal Showroom of the Gran Capitán Cultural Centre. Granada City Hall, (Spain).
2003. 9th Floor. 8601 Wilshire. Los Angeles, California, (USA).
2003. Hotel IARTE. Seville, (Spain).
2002. 24 Hours. Roem Gallery. Rotterdam, (The Netherlands).
2002. 24 hours_HortusLudi. Marres Centre for Contemporary Culture, Maastricht, (The Netherlands).
2002. 30 x 30. Laberinto Gallery. Granada, (Spain).
2002. Hotel IARTE. Sevilla, (Spain).
2002. Alonso Cano Awards. Crucero del Hospital Real. University of Granada, (Spain).
2002. Arterofilia, Sandunga Art Gallery. Granada, (Spain).
2001. Artexpo. Firad’Art of Barcelona. Art Emergent, Laberinto Gallery. Barcelona, (Spain).
2000. Project Ailleurs, Mire art Contemporain. Uni Mail, Université de Genève, Geneva, (Switzerland).
2000. Outiding Outsiders Outside Story Inside City. Sous-Soul Gallery. Geneva, (Switzerland).