Irene Gil López
irenegillopez@gmail.com
Bio
Irene Gil López, born on November 26, 1981 in Santiago de Compostela, Spain.
She graduated from the School of Architecture at the University of A Coruña in Spain, 2007 and is currently working as a crossed disciplines artist. Her work explores the idea of the urban environment progression and relations with the past and the future in terms of emptiness and construction.
Her work has been exhibited in Santiago de Compostela (Espacio 48), Barcelona (Galeria Aquins, Pati Limona, Forum Balaguer), Geneva (Red-zone arts, Usine Kugler), London (PulseFilms) and Shanghai (BigSpace).
In 2011 she received "peintures rupestres du SXXI" sponsored by Fnac urban art Award, she also nominated for the “Biennial Young Painter” award sponsored by Caixa Penedés in 2009 and “International “Terras de Iria” Contest” Award in 2010.
In 2015 she was invited to stay at the Swatch Art Peace Hotel Residency in Shanghai during a six months period.
In 2016 she received a prix « Hack Geneva, le futur de la ville,, »sponsored by La Ville de Genève, Startup Weekend Suisse.
Currently living and working in Geneva, Switzerland.
Manifest
“ I’m interested in the relationship between past and future in terms of desolation and construction. A desire to understand the new realities, the different contrasts and to express them in the shape of fragments.
I usually start to work in the public space taking extractions of the city (forgotten factories in Spain, old walls in Barcelona, urban hole in Geneva, demolition area in Shanghai) Playing with this fragments, through sculpture, installation, painting, I recover and reinterpret them into new objects hoping to create new situations and thoughts.
I am interested in giving new meanings to the places and to provoke reactions where the spectator should be active, where the memory is in charge to communicate a unique moment. Confronting the past with the aim to understand the future. “
Exhibitions
2016 / “Remembering the future” with a concrete performance, solo exhibition, Usine Kugler, Geneva
2015 / “Remembering the future” urban event, Dongtai Road, Shanghai
“A Big mess”, installation, group exhibition, Big Space, Shanghai
2014 / “Textures and flaveurs”, exhibition-opening ceremony at Background Architecture, Lausanne, Switzerland
2013 / “Combien coût 1m2”, group exhibition, Red Zone Arts, Geneva, Switzerland
“A Forsaken future”, exhibition, Pulse Films, London, United Kingdom
2012 /
“Antes e despois”, group exhibition, Espacio 48 Gallery, Santiago de Compostela, Spain
“Passeurs de memoires”, exhibition with the artist Christian de Laubadère, Red Zone Arts, Geneva, Switzerland
2011 / “Biennial Young Painter”, group exhibition at the Fòrum Berger Balaguer, Vilafranca del Penedès, Catalonia, Spain “The Best Final Project Competition”, group exhibition, architecture, COAC Barcelona, Spain
2010 / “Biennial Young Painter”, group exhibition at Anquin’s Gallery, Reus, Spain
2009 / “Perdidos en el circuito”, group exhibition, Espacio 48 Gallery, Santiago de Compostela, Spain Group exhibition, photography, Pati Llimona, Barcelona, Spain
Grants, prices and residencies
Art
2016 Special Prize in the Hack Geneva contest (Le fantôme de la rade project), award sponsored by Ville de Genève 2016
2015 Artist in Residence, Swatch Art Peace Hotel, Shanghai
2011 First Prize in the Grafitti Contest “Cave Paintings of the XXI Century” sponsored by Fnac, Barcelona
2010 Artwork selected for the International “Terras de Iria” Contest
2009 Finalist for the “Biennial Young Painter” award sponsored by Caixa Penedés
Architecture
2009 4th Prize in “The Best Final Project Competition” organized by Biarch (Barcelona Institute of Architecture), Spain
Featured in the media
Art
2013 Pechakucha Night Cadiz vol.1. Colegio de Arquitectos Cadiz, DVD, Spain
2012 Red-Zone Arts, galerie asiatique à Genève. Tribune de Genève, Switzerland
2010 XIII Concours Biennal de pintura Jove. Caixa Penedes Obra Social + Anquin’s Gallery, catalogue, Spain
2009 Entre lo contemporáneo y lo antiguo. La voz de Galicia, newspaper, Spain
2009 Cuatro Jóvenes exhiben su rebeldía. El Correo Gallego, newspaper, Spain
Architecture
2014 Genève, projet pour une metropole transfrontalière. L’age d’home, book, Switzerland
2011 Made in China. AV monografias 150, magazine, Spain
2011 La escuela global. AV Monografías 152, magazine, Spain
2010 PFC Vol.3 Museos. University of A Coruna, Book, Spain
2008 Architectural Practices. El Croquis 41, magazine, Spain
Employment
Architecture
2013-2016 Architech s.a. Switzerland (www.architech.ch)
2011-2012 Atelier B29, Genève, Switzerland (www.b29.ch)
2008-2011 Coll-Leclerc Architects (winners of “Ciudad de Barcelona” prize), Barcelona, Spain (www.coll-leclerc.com)
2008 Atelier Gautier+ Conquet, architectes urbanistes, Lyon. Global Training grant
program (www.gautierconquet.fr)
2007 Architect Xosé Manuel Casabella, (former director of the School of Architecture at University of A Coruña) A Coruña, Spain (www.xmcasabella.com)
