Jordi Colomer

Parade City

An imaginary city that grows, inspired by Pablo Picasso's theatre sets for Parade

An imaginary city which grows, inspired by the scenery and costumes that Pablo Picasso produced for the ballet «Parade» (1917).

Parade is a ballet with music by Erik Satie and choreography by Léonide Massine for the Russian ballets, based on a poem by Jean Cocteau. It premiered in the Théatre du Châtelet in Paris, in 1917 and caused a major scandal. A "parade" is a march in front of the public. The "great parade", is the final parade of the artists in a circus, during which loud applause is produced. "Parade" originates from the Castilian word "parada", referring to the moment in which the horses come to a stop during the parade. In the figurative sense, it signifies showing off something, with a certain vanity.

We invite to turn this room of the Museu Picasso, into scenery which will grow as more participants arrive. It will take the form of drawing, in a simple way, only with black paint on cardboard, the façade of your house. With all the drawings, we will make up a major city, with a large collage in 3 dimensions, within which we will be able to stroll, becoming all the characters, and being at the same time actors and public, tourists and inhabitants.

Jordi Colomer

Jordi Colomer

From the beginning Jordi Colomer's work has been incorporating scenic device elements to a singular sculpture's point of view. Since 1997 he has highlighted the use of photography and video-installation. His first videos are shaped from Beckettian micro-narratives, where the inhabitants discuss objects, decoration and artificial spaces amongst themselves. During a second period, these characters wander the streets or the desert with gestures and drifts that - with a certain sense of the absurd- are entrusted with a noticeable critical spirit, in order to finally look into the possibilities of poetical survival in the contemporary city.

Jordi Colomer (1962) was born in the city of Barcelona where he studied Art at the Escola EINA, Art History at the Autonomous University of Barcelona, and Architecture at the ETSAB. He lives and works between Barcelona and Paris.

Recent exhibitions: Manifesta 12, Palermo (Sicily) , Join Us! Spanish Pavilion 57th Venice Biennale 2017, 2011: "l'Avenir", Palais de Beaux Arts (Brussels), "What will come", Argos Centre for Art and media (Brussels), "Crier sur les toits", Galerie Art & Essai (Rennes). 2010: "Co Op City", Bronx Museum of the Arts (New York). 2009: "Fuegogratis", Laboratorio Arte Alameda (Mexico City), Avenida Ixtapaluca", Galería Juana de Aizpuru (Madrid), Galerie Meessen De Clerq (Brussels), "anarchitekton" MOCA (Hiroshima) 2008: "Fuegogratis" Galerie du Jeu de Paume (Paris), Manifesta X (Hermitage, St. Petersburg, Russia, cur. Kasper König), He has also worked as a theatre set designer for works by Joan Brossa, Samuel Beckett, Valère Novarina as well as for an opera by Robert Ashley.

He has given numerous seminars and workshops, (selection): Sandberg Instituut (Amsterdam), ENSA Architecture Paris-Malaquais (Paris), ECAL(, (Lausanne), ENSBA (Lyon), Matucana 100 (Santiago de Chile), CCE (Montevideo).

© Big Draw. Barcelona dibuixa. 2018