‘Gatra’ breaks into Lanzarote to highlight its urban scene

The alternative artistic scene of Lanzarote has been growing exponentially in recent years. Associations such as ‘Parto Cerebral’ or ‘Ars Magna’ have been established thanks to a work that has been fixing the idea that urban art also deserves its place in the exhibition spaces of the island.

‘Gatra’ is not an association, but a collective that wants to bring together different artists and creators of Lanzarote who seek to express their ideas by raising the values ​​of the island. Alejando Luzardo, artistically known as Chiconeura, explains that the project arose as a result of a documentary made about the urban scene given in Lanzarote.

“We thought that this sector had not been treated as it deserved, from respect and personal treatment.” The development of the documentary lasted for a year and the result was exposed in several sites of the Canary Islands and the Peninsula. At that point, explains Chiconeura, “we saw the need to create a collective because we met many people during the development of the documentary.”

For 6 months, the work of the artistic direction of the collective is done by Darío Machín. A complex work since ‘Gatra’ brings together interdisciplinary artists. “The objective of the collective is to try to make art that has to do with the roots of Lanzarote”, says Darío.

The development of an idea has a process. First think. Then they express a concept. Finally, they make proposals together. “The fundamental thing is respect for the ideas of all people,” says Darío. In spite of everything, both emphasize that the work comes out in a very organic way since the structure of the collective is not at all rigid. “As an artistic director, I dedicate myself to direct all those ideas from the proposals made by the members of the collective and see how to fit all those elements,” he adds.

No strings attached

“We do not want to depend on anyone but ourselves.” So blunt explains Chiconeura why they have not opted to be an association. “We are trained by people graduated in Fine Arts, graphic designers, who are professions and also with amateur people with whom, thanks to their work, we want to do something worthy,” he explains. And he adds that “everything developed naturally, of informal meetings, and we want it to continue along the same lines”.

When they presented the documentary that gave rise to the project, the group received no support from any institution. “The institutions on this island work with you once you are someone.” After winning in a contest organized by the Government of the Canary Islands “the same person who had rejected us before, told us that the project was magnificent and that they gave us a room to exhibit”.

The current urban art of Lanzarote

For Darío Machín, the art that is being done in Lanzarote “has a plus of value because there are fewer opportunities to develop and develop things on the island. It seems to me that it is very important because indirectly everything we have created has the influence of this place”.

From the collective they understand that the institutions should begin to understand that on the island there are very well-educated people thanks to the Pancho Lasso School of Art and also to those who return after being away “to connect with their land”.

Chiconeura does not understand the expression of art in Lanzarote without going through the Pancho Lasso. He believes that “institutions should start giving opportunities because it seems that the only thing that interests them is how much a project comes out of them and how many people will take them”. For that reason, he expresses a criticism: “in Lanzarote it seems, that if you are not César Manrique or a copy of César Manrique you do not work”. He also understands that the island’s artists also have a significant dose of guilt for this to happen. “It has to end the established dogmatism of believing that they will always catch the outsider,” says Chiconeura.

Between the end of February and the beginning of March, ‘Gatra’ will present its next project, a Fashion Film, where the project will be officially released and where they will show all the work done so far.