Charlotte Pyatt – May, 2023

Confronting the stigma of lonely later life, Marina hosts a celebration of later life in the forum of her favorite Spanish tradition; Lunch. In Mediterranean culture, la comida is a time for family, social connection and relaxation, in relatable scenes of frivolous abandon; we meet her iconic empowered grandmothers

Confronting gender and age-related biases which impact perceptions of desirability, her silver vixens arrive independently, in style and without expectation. Among typical garden chairs, they drink wine, smoke cigars; while some are sultry and aloof, others revel in a playful bacchanalian nakedness. Kicking back in their nikes they rebel against superficial idealization, we recognize their quirks in our sisters, aunty’s, mothers and grandmothers. They are authentic heroines of the mundane, they are us… Should we be so lucky.

“When I first came to Barcelona I was shocked to see how lonely old people were. In the same town where I grew up, everyone was old but they were healthy and energetic, living their best lives” - Marina Capdevila

While playful and jubilant in her subject and tone, Marina’s vision emerges from a darker existential dread. beyond the stigma of old age, we exist in a precarious ecosystem of social instability and environmental degradation which threatens the arrival of our twilight years. This enquiry is compounded by lived experience of personal tragedy following the sudden loss of her mother from a mysterious illness

Through 12 new original works and custom made piñata installation, Marina encourages audiences to challenge conventions of beauty and to celebrate the mundane as an extraordinary for joy and connection.

“From being young and energetic, my mother suddenly became so old, while my grandmother was young and full of life; I’m painting like I’m literally scared to death” - Marina Capdevila