Spotlight: Badr El Jundi Gallery Inaugurates New Madrid Space With Exhibition of Iván Forcadell’s Colorful Works

What You Need to Know: Badr El Jundi gallery has recently opened the doors of its new space in Madrid. The gallery’s primary location was formerly in the city of Marbella, in the south of Spain, and this new location in the capital presents exciting opportunities for the gallery and its roster of artists to tap into both a more international audience and the city’s thriving art scene. “10542: Iván Forcadell” is the inaugural exhibition in the new space, presenting the work of Spanish multidisciplinary artist Iván Forcadell. The show is open through December 5 and offers visitors the chance not only to experience the new gallery space fully installed, but also acquaint themselves with Forcadell’s dynamic recent works.

Why We Like It: Forcadell (b. 1993) lives and works in Tarragona, Spain, and his artistic practice is incredibly diverse, ranging across painting, sculpture, installation, video, and ceramics. Forcadell’s signature style is playful, colorful, and frequently engages with themes of Spanish folklore, satire, and personal narrative, specifically memories of his childhood. In the exhibition at Badr El Jundi, which features both paintings and ceramics set against the backdrop of the new gallery space, Forcadell employs a bold, drawing-like style in his canvas works to portray brightly colored shapes and figures exemplary of the levitous style he has become known for. The clay pots and urns, too, incorporate this hallmark style of drawing/painting, and their whimsical, sometimes irreverent compositions highlight the contrast between this ancient art form and his own contemporary design inclinations—and they in many ways recall the work of fellow Spanish artist Pablo Picasso.

According to the Gallery: “Opening the gallery during the pandemic has not been easy, but it has not only been a challenge but a lesson. The fact that the artists were able to spend more time in their studios has given us the opportunity to have more direct contact with them, as well as with collectors. There has been rapid but constant growth, and that is also the reason for us to open a gallery in Madrid…Madrid has always been a point of reference for us, it’s where we held specific events and had a presence. We saw that Madrid was a good place to locate our permanent space and turn Marbella into a seasonal venue. Madrid is also a different situation for our artists—more international and visible.” —María Gracia de Pedro, director

See inside the new space and exhibition below.