Cosmos exhibition re-opens in GEMA Gallery

Victor Quintanilla’s exhibition Cosmos has reopened at the GEMA Gallery in Montagu Bastion and it promises to intrigue and inspire patrons who visit.

The Spanish artist opened his exhibition earlier this year in before the Covid-19 lockdown Gibraltar but was shut along with many other exhibitions and galleries.

Mr Quintanilla is delighted to open the doors to his pieces of art and invites everyone on the Rock to come and see it for themselves.

His creations are made from scrap metals including sinks, forks, pipes all items that he has found abandoned in bins or similar places. He has been working with metal since he was young and sees the world differently as a result.

Pieces in his latest exhibition include William Shakespeare who is located directly opposite Don Quixote on a horse, an installation on coronavirus and the panic buying of toilet paper, a cage where a doll figure is trapped inside representing how trapped inside our worlds people can be, an installation on parent and child made out of iron and painted and a number of large exquisite pieces including a skeleton dressing in regal clothing, holding a globe, surrounded by crosses and candles.

A person could spend ages taken in each piece and deciphering what it is comprised of, especially hard to tell items like the rear of a horse made from a metal sink that has been beaten into shape.

He states that his work is for the people with an intelligent spirit.

“I call to all Gibraltar please come in here, because it is necessary that the people eat up [this work],” he said. Describing it as something you ‘drink’ in with your eyes and mind awakening your spirit.

“If you think about it, your mind will change,” he said.

“It is necessary, very necessary, because people drink alcohol, smoke, eat and becoming big. No you eat with spirit and everything will become better.”

“Please child of Gibraltar please come in, five minutes, ten minutes and go and I am sure you change when you go.”

During lockdown Mr Quintanilla spent his time in his studio creating.

He enjoyed the peace and quiet of the roads outside and embraced his time.

Although he was unable to leave the studio to go find scrap metal, this was not a concern for him.

“I have enough to work for one hundred years.”

This is not the first time the artist has exhibited in Gibraltar, he previously held an exhibition in what was then known as the Caleta Palace hotel, 20 years ago.

He was invited by the Gibraltar Cultural Services to hold an exhibition at GEMA where he said he was originally offered the large room at the end of the Gallery.

“I said I would like all,” he said.

He was told no one had ever had that before, so he told them to think about it and after one week they rang agreeing.

The exhibition is open to the public, with visitor numbers restricted, on Monday, Wednesday and Friday 11am to 3pm and on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 11am to 6pm.