Intro

Hello, and welcome to our exhibition "ESCRIBIR TODOS SUS NOMBRES" – "Write all their Names". The title is borrowed from an artwork by the Spanish artist Dora García. It consists of a list in which she enumerates a hundred impossible schemes that could never be carried out, for example: "Live the lives of others" or "Be in one place with all the people in the world just once, if only for a second".

The sentence, "Write all their Names" tells us nothing about the names concerned. But it might refer to all those women artists who, over recent decades, have forged a career and created their art while working at a disadvantage compared to most of their male counterparts. The works on display here are all part of Helga de Alvear's collection. For decades, Helga de Alvear has not only been Spain's leading gallery owner; she's also one of the country’s foremost collectors and promoters of contemporary Spanish art. It would be impossible for a single exhibition to do justice to all the female artists in her collection. That's why Lola Hinojosa, who curated our exhibition here, at the PalaisPopulaire, has selected works from across three generations. Something they all share is a connection to poetry and linguistics, and the desire to develop a narrative. Writing – in a wide range of different forms – is a common thread running through the art and through our exhibition. Perhaps you’ll find the odd work or the odd name memorable. In any case, we hope your visit proves to be an inspirational experience!