Andalusian International Artists (AIA) Group brings yet another art exhibition at the NIXS galeria in Fuengirola. After the inaugural exhibition at this small gallery, this one in February will showcase works of Elaine Carlton and Roger Cummiskey.

In this exhibition Elaine will be displaying a range of her recent work, much of which is inspired by and reflects her love of Andalucía. Her work uses a range of textile techniques and media and an excess of fibres and threads.

Irish artist Rogers shows images in Oil and Watercolour based on local and sea scenes reflecting the everyday imagery of the area and as Saint Valentine´s Day is just around the corner you might like to surprise a loved one with a special gift. There are some perfect and exclusive artworks to suit the occasion. Original Art makes a unique gift!

Location: NIXS Galería Avda Condes de San Isidro 50

(between Zara and Policía Local). Fuengirola

Open: Monday to Saturday from 11:00-14:00 and 17:00-22:00.

Free entry

Dates: 01/02-22/02

Andalusian International Artists Group (aia-group.net) was formed over 5 years ago (in November 2004) by artists from all over Europe and the USA, who are all living and working in southern Spain. And the NIXS gallery is owned by Mats & Minna Engstrom from Sweden.

In the long history of Spanish cinema, Spain has produced a wealth of exciting and distinctive filmmakers and films. Though the road was been laden with obstacles historically, filmmaking has continued to thrive in Spain. Yet, only 10% to 20% of box office receipts in Spain are generated by domestic films.

The great filmmaker Luis Buñuel been one of the few who has achieved universal recognition, but Spanish cinema has seen some sporadic international success over the years with other film directors like Segundo de Chomón, Florián Rey, Pedro Almodóvar and Alejandro Amenábar.

The first Spanish film exhibition took place in Barcelona in 1895 and became the center of the nation’s film industry and continued to maintain its stronghold on movie production until gradually Madrid took over in leading the Spanish movie production. Today budding actors and actresses move to Barcelona and Madrid in hopes of making their lifelong dream of being in movies come true.

With the end of the Franco era, censorship was greatly loosened. Filmmakers were once again free to make a film in the language of their choice and topic of choice. Thus, a whole new genre of directors began creating films of a controversial nature, attempting to revise the country’s blemished history and challenge traditional ideas of filmmaking.

American and foreign movies also influenced Spanish movies and themes of gender and sexuality began to appear on screen. For cinema-goers outside of Spain, it has often been the sexually-charged and colorful nature of many contemporary Spanish films, which has made them popular world-wide and led directors and stars such as Almodóvar, Banderas and Penélope Cruz to be welcomed by Hollywood.

The Festival de Cine de Sitges, now known as the Festival Internacional de Cinema de Cataluña (International Film Festival of Catalonia), was started in 1967. It is considered one of the best cinematographic contests in Europe and is attended by famous international directors and actors.

Spaniards love to go to the movies and it is still the number one “date night” activity. Most small towns have movie theaters, but many do not. However, with the boom of large shopping malls cropping up, multi-cinemas with hi-fi sound and picture are usually close by. Most American films are dubbed into Spanish and only in major cities or highly tourisy areas will you find theaters with English language movies.

Though Spain may not have a worldwide reputation for making great films, don’t let this fool you. There are numerous fantastic Spanish films currently and from the past that have contributed and changed movie-making history such as “Le charme discret de la bourgeoisie” by Luis Buñuel and “Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down” by Pedro Almodóvar.

The Spanish film industry has always been one of the world’s most successful despite the Franco years when individualism and creativity was somewhat stifled. At the moment it is on a real roll producing box office acclaimed films that have broken into the English language market as well as the huge Spanish speaking market. However having said that it is estimated that only 10-20% of box office receipts in Spain are from domestic films; the public seem to prefer Hollywood block busters!

The cinema in Spain is much cheaper than in the UK and for young people or families it is still a reasonable option for an evening’s entertainment. There is even a weekly “dia de espectadores” at most cinemas when the price is reduced, often down to 4 euros a ticket. Money left over for a meal after! Another wonderful Spanish summer custom is the cines de verano. These are outdoor evening cinemas often held quite late at night so you can relax in the slightly cooler evening air whilst enjoying a film. They often have bars too!

Spanish cinema started in Barcelona which remained the centre of the film industry for decades. Some of the earliest films you may have seen on the television date from the Franco years and are classic tales of children in difficult circumstances such as “Marcelino, Pan y Vino” and all the Joselito and Marisol films.

By the sixties thing were a little less cutesy and directors like Carlos Saura produced some great films. In the eighties film really took off in the more liberal environment and today comedies , melodramas and black humour abound ,with directors such as Pedro Almodóvar, Bigas Luna and Alejandro Amenabar´s works accounting for most of the industries revenue.

Bigas Luna´s classic “Jamon Jamon” was released in 1991 and starred Penelope Cruz then aged 16. The film features whorehouses, violence and is really rather “dark”. One of Amenabar´s films “Mar Adentro” or The Sea Inside won the Golden Globe for best foreign film in 2004 and the Oscar for best foreign-language film in 2005. It’s a bit of a dark film too, based on the right to take your own life but a very good introduction to modern Spanish film.

Pedro Almodovar is a favourite Spanish character always popping up in Sunday supplements and his output has been spectacular. Try Todo Sobre mi Madre from 1999 which won an Oscar for Best Foreign Film or Hable Con Ella from 2001 which won an Oscar for Best Director. His latest film Volver came out last year and was nominated for a golden Globe.

Now for the actors! Penelope Cruz, who has made herself popular all over the world with her perfect Spanish beauty and talent, and who started her film career at a very tender age of 16, has matured into a fine actress. Commencing in 1991 in “El Laberinto Griego” she soon gained a following in Spain. By 1999 her talent hit a wider audience with “Todo Sobre Mi Madre” directed by Pedro Almodovar and by 2001 she was starring in blockbusters such as Captain Correlli´s Mandolin. Recent films include Volver and Bandidos in 2006. Ms Cruz is only just in her thirties so watch this space!

Antonio Banderas has also made a name for himself outside of Spain with films such as the House of Spirits (1993), Interview with Vampires (1994), Evita (1996), Shrek 2(2004), and The Legend of Zorro (2004). Banderas is a local lad and also dabbles in business-one of his successful ventures being a vineyard in the Casares area.

Javier Bardem started out in 1991 in Jamon Jamon and has won a string of awards since then. “Dias Contado” in 94 and Before Night Falls in 2000 were particularly memorable. Also watch out for Jordi Molla and Eduardo Noriega, both of whom have been called the new Banderas!

The province and town of Malaga, located deep in the heart of Southern Spain, has been home to many legendary historical figures. One such legend is Pablo Picasso, born in Malaga in 1881. World famous artist, Pablo Picasso contributed more than one can say to the history and development of the groundbreaking concept of modern art. He died in 1973 at the ripe old age of 91 years in Mougins, France.

Best known as one of the founders of Cubism which broke all boundaries of traditional art, Picasso is one of the most recognized figures in 20th century art. It has been estimated that Picasso produced about 200,000 works of art in his lifetime, making Picasso one of the most prolific artists to date.

A man once criticized Picasso for creating unrealistic art. Picasso asked him: “Can you show me some realistic art?” The man showed him a photograph of his wife. Picasso observed: “So your wife is two inches tall, two-dimensional, with no arms and no legs, and no colour but only shades of gray?”

Picasso’s training began under his father who was also an artist before 1890 and continued in Madrid at the Academia de San Fernando (Academy of Arts), however he did not complete his formal studies. From Madrid, he began to divide his time between Barcelona and Paris, painting, socializing, and discussing art with likeminded artists, dancers, poets, intellects and actors who also pushed and pulled the limits and came up with what we call the “Avant Garde”.

Picasso created his own road through his art….. there was no stopping him. Using materials, perspectives and energy that had not previously been seen in fine art, he continued to produce ground breaking (and also extremely controversial) art. His journey took him through many styles or “periods”; the Blue Period (1901–1904), the Rose Period (1905–1907), the African-influenced Period (1908–1909), Analytic Cubism (1909–1912), and Synthetic Cubism (1912–1919). In the period following World War I Picasso produced work that expressed a “return to order”. In the 1950s Picasso’s style changed once again, and in the end his final works were a mixture of styles, his means of expression in constant flux until the end of his life.

In 1973 Picasso passed away having lived his life to the fullest in art and love. Pablo Picasso was more than an artist; he was a celebrity, one who lived his life without boundaries of country, of artistic movements or love. Picasso definitely had bohemian tendencies; he maintained a number of mistresses in addition to his wife or primary partner. Picasso was married twice and had four children by three women. There was often as much interest in his personal life as his art. He kept company with the most noted creative minds of the time, a distinguished group of friends including André Breton, Guillaume Apollinaire, and writer Gertrude Stein.

At the time of his death many of his paintings were in his possession, as he had kept off the art market what he didn’t need to sell. In addition, Picasso had a considerable collection of the work of other famous artists, some his contemporaries, with whom he had exchanged works. Since Picasso left no will, his death duties (estate tax) to the French state were paid in the form of artwork. These works form the core of the immense collection of Picasso’s work at the Musée Picasso in Paris.

Picasso’s early development and progress can be traced in the collection of early works which were created in Spain under the tutelage of his father which are now held by the Museu Picasso in Barcelona. It provides one of the most comprehensive representations of any major artist’s beginnings which include many rarely seen works which reveal Picasso’s firm grounding in classical techniques.

In1992, the King Juan Carlos of Spain and Queen Sofía inaugurated the Reina Sofía National Museum Art Centre with a permanent collection which came to substitute the Spanish Museum of Contemporary Art. It is here that now permanently lives the famed mural by Picasso, “Guernica (1937)”, standing at 11.5 feet tall and almost 26 feet wide.

Picasso remained neutral during the Spanish Civil War, World War I and World War II, refusing to fight for any side or country because he was a pacifist. While Picasso expressed anger and condemnation of Franco and the Fascists through his art he did not take up arms against them. For this reason, many consider this expressive and gut-wrenching depiction of the German bombing of Gernika, Spain during the Spanish Civil War which killed as many as 1,600 Spaniards to be his most famous work. This massive painting embodies for many the inhumanity, brutality and hopelessness of war.

The people of Malaga are proud of the fact that Picasso was born here and it was a big day when the King and Queen of Spain inaugurated the long awaited Museo Picasso Malaga in 2003 which houses an impressive and extensive collection of his work. The new museum is just a few minutes away from the Casa Natal (Birthplace of Picasso), in the Plaza de la Merced, which has been open to the public since 1988 where there are also exhibitions of his work as well as photos of how life was for the artist in his early years in Malaga.

Picasso stands alone as a pioneer in terms of Spanish modern artists. Spain has many significant works by Picasso that should not be missed. His daring, colorful paintings, his whimsical sculptures and impressive prints (and more) are all presented here in Spain. Take the time to see for yourself the artwork of a person who almost single-handedly changed the “idea” of art itself.