On March 17th, the Artenmala Gallery celebrated its 10th anniversary with a lively gathering of artists and friends who have been a part of its journey over the year
Artenmala Gallery is the brainchild and passion project of Luz Gloria López Ramírez, a Lanzarotean who spent many years abroad. After studying Philosophy, she pursued her artistic interests, earning a degree in Fine Arts.
‘As I approached retirement in my early fifties, my dream was to find an old house, renovate it, and establish an art gallery that would also be my home,’ she explains. ‘I envisioned a place where people could linger, not just come in, look around, and leave. I searched all over the island, and this was the place that resonated most with me.’
‘I set it up by myself, but the first person to step into Artenmala was Óscar. I already knew him from Facebook, where he called himself Oskar Krieger.
Although we had chatted online, I had no idea what he looked like. I thought he was a young man, but he turned out to be a 60-year-old gentleman who smoked a pipe!’
‘The opening was packed with people,’ she continues, ‘and I was busy being a hostess. During a moment alone, a gentleman approached me and introduced himself as Oscar Krieger. I was taken aback, but we hit it off immediately and became inseparable. Óscar was the gallery’s greatest supporter. He loved art and artists, and he helped with preparing the parties, wrote press releases, statements and stories, accompanied me to visit artists, took photographs at events and was even the DJ when needed. Meeting Óscar truly was a stroke of luck. The gallery started and grew with that love, and this 10th anniversary is dedicated to him. Cheers to you, Óscar!’ Óscar García Guerrero, his real name, passed away in 2018.
‘I’ve always wanted to maintain the gallery’s original spirit. We only open at weekends because I want it to be a pleasure, not a job that burns you out. That’s why, in recent years, I’ve only worked with artists resident in Lanzarote.’
‘We’ve hosted exhibitions of sculpture, photography, drama productions, installations, talks… but our speciality lies in small-scale painting and sculpture – affordable art – that anyone can fall in love with and purchase, even if they pay in instalments. ‘We’ve had some hugely significant exhibitions, such as ‘Incierto’ and ‘Con el viento’, which showcased various Chicago artists. Also, ‘Cotidiano inusual’ by Santos Iñurrieta; ‘A la deriva,’ ‘Silencio,’ ‘Fabula narrare’… An endless list of artists, new and established, from Lanzarote and abroad, and all of them very dear friends.’
