Car Races, Montjuic 69, 2022

Alex Balaguer  

BALAGUER, Alex ( Barcelona 1968 )

During early childhood, Àlex Balaguer began to sketch motorcars symbolic of Maranello's trademark vehicle.

Self-taught in the art world, Balaguer decided to unite his big love of motoring and painting. Ferrari is symbolic of motor racing and Formula 1 and the protagonist in most of his work.

His technical print training shows great faithfulness to the models reproduced. Balaguer works with oil and the Ferrari red is considered a rewarding colour full of potential. He has completed many works for all vehicles types, which he may commission for a day and then cherish as a fond memory.

The director of the Barcelona gallery association wrote the following in honour of Balaguer: “Balaguer – Imagination is just a pretext…the art world is fascinating, full of colour, passion and contradictions. Art is a document of critique and hope. Art pushes to explore and think outside of the box. On his journey Balaguer finds a way to communicate thorough his car themes. The talent of this young painter is impressive for his constant search for fresh, temperate and testimonial work. His brushstroke through fabric is rigorous and elegant worthy of a great teacher.

I am a follower of his work and deliberation. The surprise from his proposals leads me to suggest that you are constantly looking behind his artistic declarations, because I believe that this is a formula to keep the world alive and the object trapped in view. The space for memories and dreams always keeps us on tenterhooks and initiate wishful thinking.

His works are carried out with great courage reflecting the richness of textures and nuances that can be achieved through boldness and directness. Power is the obvious expressive component.

The central theme of imagination is the subject, the car as a pretext. It is subjected to stress without falling into sensationalism bestowed with strongly charged emotion whilst approaching the world. In some cases, the imagination shows its formality as it enters into a phenomenon closing in on the dramatic movement and expressive voice that suggests a physiological space in which hope dominates this particular"…