Art that really stands out

Jimena Aragones Talavera's outstanding art exhibition

A friend invited me to at art exhibition on Friday 4th of October near Atocha in Calle de Martín Soler but I hadn't planned to go as there was a discussion about Concentration Camps on at the same time in a different part of Madrid that I really wanted to attend.

Knowing I was going to be very late I opted for the art exhibition over the charla on Spanish Concentration Camps but didn't know anything about the artist before arriving.

The artist's name is Jimena Aragones Talavera and I was impressed with both her body of work and the event organised by VeraContent.

There was music and poetry provided by friends and family and the event must have been well promoted as it was so well attended. I met many English teaching Auxilliars, some who had just arrived in Madrid a few days ago and one girl from London, was actually on holiday but came with a friend who works with VeraContent that was hosting the event.

There were a few familiar faces, at least on the wall including a beautiful portrait of Britney Spears and large portrait of Robert de Niro.

The painting spoke to me but priced at €4,500 and apparently already sold, it was a little too much dinero for me.

I didn't have a bob to spend on all the beautiful pictures and had to let the Taxi Driver, Bob de Niro pass me by.

Another painting was of Jimmy Hendrix and music was played by the artist's cousin Gabby.

There was a 70's theme for the night that I hadn't realised and Jimena Aragones Talavera's cousin Gabriella Smith sang some classic 70's song for everyone to sing along to. She was joined by Juan Cid playing the guitar.

Gabby has a fantastic voice and sang such classic songs such as Killing me Softly and Staying Alive.

TAKING A PICTURE: Juan Cid taking a group selfie on the night.

Hidden in the corner but clearly very visible and standing out in its own right, A picture of actor Malcolm McDowell from A Clockwork Orange was actually a collage of machinery pictures that the artist had painted over.

Sir Malcom wasn't the only one wearing a very fashionable hat and a model called Sylvia from Sevilla introduced herself to me as I awkwardly sipped wine wondering if the friend who had invited me along in the first place was going to show up.

My friend Zoe Hatton had spotted the event on an Auxilliars Facebook page and clearly she wasn't the only one interested in enjoying the open-house style exhibit.

There is always so much to randomly see in Madrid and even with an event situated so close to Museo Thyssen, Reina Sofia and the world renowned Prado Museum, you can still enjoy some outstanding art.

The event was hosted by VeraArt which is a branch of VeraContent, a multilingual content agency.

The group offers translation, content creation, editing, social media and more.

The artist's own website is https://www.jimenavisualartist.com