The exhibition of the contest marks the inauguration of the new exhibition space after completing its first phase of renovations.
Pepa Sauté Ripoll, with her work “Métrica,” has won the prize, which this year has amounted to 8,000 euros.
Pepa Sauté Ripoll has been awarded 8,000 euros in the XXXVII Sant Marçal Painting Contest, held yesterday, Friday, June 28th, at Sa Refinadora, an exhibition space located in Es Pont d’Inca inaugurated for the occasion.
The work, called “Métrica,” was the best among the 15 selected, according to the jury, composed of artists Teresa Matas and Ela Fidalgo and gallery owner Xavier Fiol. The jury members also made two special mentions: “Los circuitos lo imaginaron III” by Joan Cabrer Pizà from Palma and “Venus en blau” by the only selected artist from Marratxí, Fátima de Juan Lliteras. The selected artists, fifteen out of 96 presented, come from Palma, Sencelles, Binissalem, Algaida, Ciutadella, Maó, Madrid, and Barcelona.
The winning artist, who came specifically for the occasion from El Ejido, Almería, received the prize with excitement and astonishment. “I am extremely grateful to the City Council, delighted to have received this recognition, and amazed that this is the thirty-seventh edition. It seems incredible to me that, given the hardships that the world of arts is going through, a prize like this can be maintained. There was a lot of quality in the works presented, and it is an honor that my work is in such a magnificent space.
The mayor, Jaume Llompart, thanked the government team, civil servants, and politicians who participated to ensure everything was ready to inaugurate the historic space of Sa Refinadora. “The venue where we are is a new exhibition hall for the municipality in an emblematic place for all the residents of Marratxí. It is a place with great patrimonial wealth, the ‘antiga garrovera de Marratxí,’ which had to close at the beginning of the 21st century.
The government team led by the PP was aware of the importance of this building as early as 2015, when they acquired it, and finally, the exhibition hall project was developed by the previous government team (PSOE) in its first phase of construction, to whom the mayor gave thanks: “It is deserved to thank the previous government team for the project. Residents of Marratxí and art lovers will have here an alternative to enjoy artistic creations in a multidisciplinary cultural space.”
As the mayor highlighted in his speech, an scenic space “to represent all the arts” and a municipal library will be added to the exhibition hall inaugurated yesterday, in two other buildings within the Sa Refinadora complex. Llompart recalled that “the Es Pont d’Inca library is currently one of the most consulted in the network of island libraries and currently has a reduced space, and we hope to give it a space that suits its needs. This architectural complex aims to be a unifying link with which we develop a sense of pride and belonging.”
The Councilor for Culture, Carmen Cañellas, added that the Painting Contest prize has increased by 2,000 euros compared to last year, which has led to nearly a hundred artists participating in this edition. “We have increased the prize from 6,000 to 8,000 euros to put Marratxí back on the artistic and cultural map. We had the participation of 96 people, and finally, 15 works were selected that we can see here, adorning this new location.” Cañellas also thanked the jury, composed this year of artists Teresa Matas and Ela Fidalgo and gallery owner Xavier Fiol, and highlighted the artistic level of the works presented.
A hundred people attended the event, which featured an acoustic performance by musician Pablo Alegría.
The presented works can be seen until July 27, on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 11:30 to 13:30 and on Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays from 18:00 to 20:00.
Inauguration of Sa Refinadora
The XXXVII Sant Marçal Painting Contest has been the perfect setting to inaugurate the Sa Refinadora exhibition hall. The conversion of the Es Pont d’Inca architectural complex into a cultural space is the first phase of renovations, which include, in addition to the exhibition hall, the adaptation of the interior courtyard, restrooms, and an emergency exit.
The old factory has more than 5,000 square meters and up to 10 rooms. After a second phase of rehabilitation, one of the largest buildings will house a large municipal library and another a multipurpose hall for theater and projections.
A Historic Building
Formerly the headquarters of Industrias Agrícolas de Mallorca, the complex known today as Sa Refinadora began its activities in 1930, transforming carob into flour and alcohol. The scale of its activity was such that the Ferrocarrils de Mallorca established a loader that connected the train station to the facilities. The company closed in the early 1990s, and its facilities were acquired in 2015 by the Marratxí City Council to be converted into a sociocultural center that now inaugurates the exhibition building.