When art stops being inaccessible and creates new collectors

In December 2024, Artelier21, the creative space led by Marta Bernad at the Estepona Marina, celebrated the first edition of CIEN, a pop-up of contemporary art that has marked a before and after in the relationship between the local public and original art.

The concept is as simple as it is powerful: 40 artists exhibiting over 100 artworks at a unique price of 100 euros, an initiative that breaks economic and symbolic barriers and returns this weekend to this space for the second consecutive year, reinforcing an idea that has already proven its strength: contemporary art can be accessible without losing value, discourse, or quality.

Painting, sculptures, printmaking, illustration, and mixed techniques by active artists, many of whom have careers in national galleries, fairs, and solo exhibitions. "What we find here is a collective exhibition with artistic criteria and a social calling, which brings art closer to a large number of pockets that otherwise wouldn't have the option," explains Marta Bernad to Diario Sur. "And in this holiday season, it's a great opportunity to invest in art or give it as a very special gift."

A Diverse Artistic Ecosystem

One of the most significant aspects of CIEN, which already occurred in its first edition and is repeating in this second one, is its impact on the local public. "Many people from Estepona and the area have bought their first piece of art ever thanks to this event, turning that gesture into something emotional and memorable," confesses Bernad.

There are 40 artists who live or were born in the province of Málaga making up this pop-up, each contributing at least four works. "Bringing art closer to people is very beautiful. The elites of the galleries and fairs are something else," says Marta. "I firmly believe that through CIEN we create new collectors, making art more approachable without sacrificing artistic quality."

Thus, this idea brings together artists of different ages, trajectories, styles, and formats. Among the participants present yesterday, at the time of the inauguration, was José de Pazos (Cádiz, 1976), a pop artist who usually exhibits in Madrid and whose price range is usually much higher. "It's a unique opportunity to find my works at this price," he states. Trained in Arts and Crafts in Cádiz, Jerez, and Algeciras, specialized in photography, and residing in Mijas, he came to CIEN after learning about the proposal as a visitor in the previous edition.

José Carlos Capella (Antequera, 1970), an interior designer and painter with a very defined language: colorful painting, checkerboard floors inspired by his studio, old materials, and extreme attention to detail. "The little checkered floor is what I step on every day in my studio, it's a defining point that I've found," he explains. His works, some made on paper from novels of the 1920s, combine tradition, intimacy, and a very recognizable identity.

María José Montañés (Granada, 1969), a printmaker residing in Marbella says that her exhibited work "starts from concepts such as guilt, forgiveness, or mercy, inspired by a poem by Ángela Aymerich, but with colors totally opposite to those very negative feelings," using neons and old wooden typography whose energy catches the eye as soon as one steps into the gallery.

Or Paco Gutiérrez (Vélez Rubio, Almería, 1956), an artist based in Marbella, who works with screen printing, woodcut, and etching, and his works are "the emotional reflection of a world that overwhelms me. I prefer to surround myself with creativity rather than solitude," he confesses, an idea that permeates both his work and the collective spirit of CIEN.

Support from Collectors

The initiative has also been backed by collectors like Álvaro Funes, an Argentine-Madrilenian who recently moved to live in Gaucín driven by the artistic movement of that municipality and who considers CIEN "nourishment for Estepona in terms of culture and art" and an added value for the city.

Funes also highlights Marta Bernad's capacity as a cultural connector. "She unites artists of different ranks, ages, styles, and formats and her greatest artwork is herself, as she is pure light."

CIEN does not only sell works: it creates community, generates cultural conversation, and breaks symbolic barriers around contemporary art, a project that shows, for the second consecutive year, that art can be accessible without losing depth or rigor.