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Albarrán Cabrera

October 18 – November 20, 2018

Press Release

Nailya Alexander Gallery is delighted to announce the inaugural exhibition of Barcelona-based photographers Albarrán Cabrera. The exhibition is on view from October 18 through November 20. Gallery hours are 11 am - 6 pm, Tuesday through Saturday and by appointment.

A rich inner philosophy about memory and wonder guide Albarrán Cabrera’s aesthetic practice. Their photographs, collected from their travels through Western Europe and Japan, linger on the grace and quietude in architecture and nature: deserted plazas, a swan’s craning neck, dark branches enveloped in cherry blossoms. Particularly inspired by Japanese aesthetics, Albarrán Cabrera’s artworks bring to mind the concept of yūgen, or ineffable grace, as defined by the 19th century Japanese writer Daisetsu Suzuki:

It is something we feel within ourselves, and yet it is an object about which we can talk, it is an object of mutual communication only among those who have the feeling of it. It is hidden behind the clouds, but not entirely out of sight, for we feel its presence, its secret message being transmitted through the darkness however impenetrable to the intellect. The feeling is all in all.

The artists tirelessly experiment with a diverse range of printing processes, creating photographs that evoke the distinctive patina of a beloved family heirloom. Handcrafted from gold leaf and Japanese gampi paper, each of their pigments prints suffuses a ethereal glow. In addition to selenium and sepia, the artists have developed their own darkroom toners to add depth and richness to their artworks.

Albarrán Cabrera have produced prints for institutions such as Fundació La Pedrera, Barcelona; Fundació Toni Catany, Mallorca; and Reina Sofía Museum, Madrid. Private collections and institutions housing their photographs include Hermès, Goetz Collection, Banco de Santander, Fundación de Ferrocarriles Españoles. Albarrán Cabrera’s first monograph Remembering the Future (Editorial RM), was released this month and will be available for purchase in the gallery.