Xavier Puigmartí (b. Barcelona 1952) returns to  Mashrabia Gallery  of Contemporary Art to display his new collection of artworks.This time the major theme of the exhibition is landscapes, especially those of Lake Qarun in Fayoum, where the artist has been working in his own atelier for decades.

Since his “Memories are not for sale” exhibition, held at Mashrabia in February last year, his figures have emerged from the paintings to settle in the desert. In this vast space men collect fossils, girls play with the stars, and the lake looks like a great cosmic mirror where everything can be seen distinctly. An academic style defines the background of the landscape, but its characters take us aback and invite us to think.

“The landscapes of the desert are full of life.
Men collect fossils because they think they’re are very old and because they can be dead and alive at the same time.
The girls play with stars that are infinitely much older, because they give them light and life.
The fox confuses the meteorites with bunch of grapes and has the impudence to say they’re still green.
The lake in the middle of the desert is a big cosmic mirror where everything looks more clear.
If we finally are able to change, we will walk in the soft sand because the fossils, the meteorites and stars will have pulverized”.  Xavier Puigmartí. (Mashrabia press-release)