Manresa born artist Maria Picassó designs image of 22nd Fira Mediterrània

The internationally renowned artist Maria Picassó has designed a poster that reflects the cornerstones of Fira Mediterrània while also depicting a festival underneath the sea

The Manresa born illustrator Maria Picassó has designed the poster for the 22nd Fira Mediterrània, from 10 to 13 October. This time, Picassó has laid her customary caricatures aside, although she remains faithful to her constructivist style. The outcome: a plural colourful poster depicting the three cornerstones of Fira Mediterrània: world music, performing arts, and traditional and contemporary folk culture. The shapes and colours imbue the composition with the idea of movement and festivity. At the same time, the geographical concept of the Mediterranean is included with a visual twist based on sea symbols.

Energy, movement and celebration

Picassó’s poster plays on the idea of celebration underneath the sea. In this respect, the sound of the tenora (an instrument similar to the tenor oboe) is depicted with waves; the arms and skirt of the dancer resemble a boat on the sea; and the tenora player’s hair looks like the tentacles of a sea creature. The artist has also produced an individual image of each character, and these images are used in a range of design materials. Each one represents a cornerstone of Fira Mediterrània: world music, represented by a girl playing the tenora; performing arts, represented by a dancer; and traditional and contemporary folk culture, represented by the folkloric festival figure of the capgros (bighead).

The designer aims to make a strong visual impression on first glance. To achieve this, she uses bold colours, emphatic typography and simple well-defined forms, which also accentuate the idea of energy, movement and celebration. This idea is enhanced by the characters’ modern everyday clothing, like the tracksuit, earrings, hair in a bun and ponytail. These elements focus on another significant area of Fira Mediterrània: modernity and contemporaneity.

International acclaim

Born in Manresa, Picassó is currently based in Barcelona, although she still has many connections with her home town. Even though she works as an illustrator, she is a qualified architect. This has perhaps influenced her distinctive style of constructivist caricature, which combines classical caricature with geometric composition, a style that can be seen throughout the artist’s work. Picassó’s artwork has received international recognition, and she has been a guest participant at a range of congresses in Europe and the United States. Her illustrations can be seen worldwide in various formats, including video games, books and prints on clothing. She currently illustrates for the El País magazine ICON and the Swiss publication Zwöelf. She has also collaborated with the Ara newspaper and a range of Spanish newspapers, including eldiario.es. Since 1999, she has been working in Manresa with the magazine El Pou de la Gallina; she gives art classes at Blau Estudi d’Art; and last year, she released a portrait collection, “Twenty Architects of the Twentieth Century”, organised by the Association of Architects of Catalonia, wich was on display at Casa Lluvia en Manresa.

The illustrator Maria Picassó; the Councilor of Culture, Anna Crespo, and the Artistic Director of Fira, Jordi Fosas