Kitchen Studios celebrates 10th anniversary with programme of events

Kitchen Studios will be celebrating their 10th anniversary with a programme of events, from print making to photography walks, throughout this month.

Over the past decade Kitchen Studios, born from a collective of local artists, has held workshops, exhibitions, open studios and pop-up events.

This month to mark 10 years a series of workshops will be held starting with tomorrow’s ‘Drink N Draw’ event, which is open to artists of all skill levels.

President of Kitchen Studios, Stefano Blanca Sciacaluga, said he is proud of how far the collective has come.

“It feels good to have made this milestone, we have worked hard to get to where we are and it feels good to finally feel like we have some recognition for our efforts,” Mr Blanca Sciacaluga said.

“It hasn’t been easy but now we feel like we have a voice in the local art scene, and it feels good to be able to provide a platform for many people of all artistic disciplines and skill sets locally.”

“We’re very proud of how far we’ve come and we’re very proud of the work we do, we always try push the envelope in terms of contemporary art in Gibraltar.”

For Mr Blanca Sciacaluga, one of his highlights over the past decade has been their ‘Instagram takeovers’ during the Covid-19 pandemic when events were cancelled.

This saw artists takeover the Kitchen Studios Instagram page and share their work.

“We managed to collaborate with about 100 local or locally-based artists of all artistic disciplines, from musicians to sculptors, and of all ages, and it really helped to put into perspective the fact that Gibraltar has a high concentration of creative talent, that is - I believe - mostly untapped,” Mr Blanca Sciacaluga said.

Another highlight for Kitchen is also when launched their studio space in unit 6, 7, South Barrack Road last year, which had become a hub for artists of brainstorm their ideas.

Their programme this month will cater for people of all ages and skill sets, with attendees advised to register in advance.

“We have a comprehensive programme of events for people of all ages and skill sets,” Mr Blanca Sciacaluga said.

“Our ethos at Kitchen Studios is to promote art, creativity, collaboration and make art accessible for all, so we have put together a programme that allows people to come and participate in events that might help them find their creative side, or try an artistic discipline different to theirs, at either a small cost or completely free, dependent on the resources used.”

“Our programme includes drawing sessions, artistic walks, and a selection of events to promote more alternative art forms such as printing or animation.”

“We have worked hard to put together this programme for the benefit of everybody, in the interest in inclusivity.”

Events include a ‘Drink N Draw’ on Friday, May 3 at 8.30pm in their South Barrack studio, a ‘Town Texture Walk’ on Monday, May 6 at 5pm with a meeting point at Cathedral Square, and an ‘Animation Made Simple’ event on Thursday, May 9 at the GEMA Gallery.

On Sunday, May 12 Kitchen has teamed up with USK Gibraltar with a sketching event at Parsons Lodge at 9.30am, followed by an event on Tuesday, May 14 called ‘A sense of GEMA’ where artists can join Ermelinda Duarte in her latest collaborative project at 5pm in the GEMA Gallery.

‘The Triple Date’ featuring cocktails and activities will be held on Friday, May 17 at Kitchen Studios in South Barrack Road.

On Sunday, May 19, the collective will be hosting a photo walk of South District at 9.30am with the meeting point at Alameda Gardens entrance, another photographic event, ‘The Photography Club’ will be held on Tuesday, May 21 at 5pm in the GEMA Gallery.

The final workshop in the programme will be a Lego printing workshop on Tuesday, May 28 at 5pm in the GEMA Gallery.

Kitchen Studios has collaborated with various groups through the past decade and even as part of this month-long programme.

“We find there’s really no better way to understand other artists than to work with them,” Mr Blanca Sciacaluga said.

“Sometimes as artists we stick to our own work, our own disciplines and our own studios, and it is through collaboration that we are able to not only expand the reach of our work but find new avenues to explore.”

“In the past ten years we have collaborated with artists from our local network, with our friends at the Fine Arts Association and with associations in La Linea, Algeciras and even in Morocco.”

“In a small art scene, within a small geographic location without the benefits offered to artists by big urban centres such as London, Madrid, etc. it is important to form ties with people of similar and even opposing views.”

“After all artistic expression knows no ages, nationalities or borders, so it’s always a good idea to take a look at what’s around you and see how you can take your art further with simple actions.”

The full programme of events can be found on: www.gibkitchen.com