Carla Cañellas
Director-Producer-Art
Visual and plastic artist. Her work focuses on the construction of identity in different social contexts, reflecting on the cultural codes that define the individual.
Her work is interested in the identity portrait created through a dialogue with the spectator, understanding the final construction of the story by the viewer.
Her work is mainly developed through drawing and expanded drawing, taking it to interactive spaces with the spectator, with a strong Japanese influence thanks to the use of ink and her interest in the in Shodō. Likewise, although to a lesser extent, she also relies on other media such as video, photography and painting to complement her projects.
She develops her work with the realization of projects through collective collaboration and its complementation with educational workshops. She is a member since 2006 of Fotoeduterapia, a collective that integrates photography in the classroom to offer content, strategies and ways of seeing contemporary photographic creation and apply them in education, art therapy, psychotherapy and social intervention, and is also part of the editorial board of La mirada Creadora, a publishing house specializing in photography and educational content.
She has done different artistic and educational projects in Japan in different artistic residencies in 2016 and 2019, as well as different solo and group exhibitions in Europe and Asia. She lives and works in Madrid.
Eugenio Tardón AEC
Director-Producer-Cinematography
Director of photography, member of the AEC (Spanish Association of Cinematographers). In 2016 he worked as a cameraman and editor for TVE in the Asia Pacific correspondent, where he portrayed countries such as North Korea, Mongolia and China.
His true passion and specialty is telling stories with light, translating scripts at twenty-five images per second. Documentaries, feature films, videoclips, video art and TV programs, have been observed by his particular gaze. Another of his facets is teaching, having been a professor of future camera operators at the Escuela Superior de Imagen CES. He is also Sony’s ICE, teaching courses on the latest cinematographic equipment of this company to professionals from different media.
Among his latest works to highlight are the direction of photography of two feature documentaries, Geometría del Esplendor, and Hijas de Cynisca. In fiction, he was the photogra- phy director for the feature film Maquis y el Silencio (Coda), 2021.
His latest projects are: As DOP the documentary Science of Life: Longevity, for National Ge- ographic, taking charge of the Japan part.
Inari Kūko
Leading-Artist
Visual artist, daughter of a Japanese father and a Spanish mother, she was born in Madrid in 1992. Graduated in Fine at Complutense University of Madrid, her work mixes the disciplines of video, and drawing using different digital supports.
She is interested in the small gestures of everyday life, the protection of the environment, language and the recovery of old traditions and crafts to use them as examples of circular economy.
In her first exhibition, considered a hymn to nature, she was awarded in different public and private institutions.
Nowadays, the themes of her work are linked to the Shodō, as a personal process of encounter with her paternal roots.
It should be noted that she wishes to remain physically anonymous for this project.
Mario Malo
Japan Academic Advisor
Mario Malo has a long cycle bachelor degree in History from the University of Zaragoza and a PhD in East Asian Thought, Culture and Society with a specialization in Japan, from the Autonomous University of Barcelona. Also, he has a Master’s degree in Japanese Language and Culture from Takushoku University (Tōkyo); Double Master’s degree in East Asia specializing in Japan and also in Korea from the University of Salamanca.
He has carried out research stays at SOAS (London), Ritsumeikan University (Kyōto) and has received grants from the Japanese Ministry of Culture (Takushoku University) and the Japan Foundation (Kansai Centre, Ōsaka). He is also a member of the GREGAL research group at the Autonomous University of Barcelona and a collaborator with the Japan Group at the University of Zaragoza.
He is currently Assistant Professor in the Master’s Degree in Global Studies of East Asia at the UAB, Co-Professor in the Master’s Degree in Japanese Studies at University of Zaragoza and Assistant Professor Professor in the Sociocultural Anthropology at the Open University of Catalunya. He combines this activity with that of curator of art exhibitions and intercultural mediator in museums (Caixaforum Zaragoza).
José Ramón Da Cruz
Editing-Realisation
In 1978, at the age of 17, he created the experimental film team Grupo TAU, one of the representatives of the new wave / no wave avant-garde cinema.
At the age of 22, and with his first creative video, Of-Tal, he was awarded a prize at the Madrid Video Festival and cited as one of the mainstays of the “new European fiction” (El País). In 1986 the MNRSCARS acquires several of his videos for its inauguration and in 1987 he is highlighted as one of the “87 creators of ’87” by the magazine La Luna de Madrid.
Founder of production companies such as La Turkía del Vídeo, La Confusión Española, Assamblea or Mínimo, he has won numerous awards such as the FV of Madrid ( 1984 and 1986), the Biennal of Barcelona, FITV of Montecarlo (96 and 99), FIPA of Biarritz (96 and 98), FITV of New York, Japan Prize, In-Edit Barcelona, Dock Of The Bay of San Sebastián, Memorimag …
His work has been seen in more than thirty countries.
Luigi Gatti
Advisor-Expert Shikoku Henro
Luigi Gatti was born in Bergamo, Italy.
After a working career between Italy, Spain and Japan, he teaches Japanese and Japanese culture, both in his home town and online. He gives lectures on various aspects of ancient and modern Japan collaborating with cultural associations all over Italy.
In 2017 he published Il Cammino del Giappone, Mursia editore, translated and published in Spanish in July 2021 under the title: The Way of Japan, from Santiago to the 88 temples of Shikoku, Folia books editore.
Throughout his book, Luigi Gatti describes his passionate journey journey that began on the El Camino de Santiago and, after a series of coincidences and unforeseen events, concluded on the sacred itinerary of the 88 temples of Shikoku. A journey within a pilgrim’s journey, from the West to the Far East.
Luigi organises personalised journeys along the Japanese Way: he draws routes and experiences for cultural and artistic associations in Italy and Spain.
Alejandra Rodríguez Cunchillos
Communication-Press
Graduate in History of Art and Master’s Degree in Advanced Studies in History of Art, specialising in “Artistic and cultural relations between East and West” from the University of Zaragoza.
She is currently completing her doctoral thesis on Private collecting and collectors of contemporary Japanese art in Spain.
She has participated in several R&D Projects granted by the Spanish Government. Her main lines of research are collecting and the Asian contemporary art market, as well as the role of women in Asian contemporary art.
She has carried out research stays at the UCM with the Asia Research Group at The School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) University of London and at The Art Research Center, Kinugasa Research Organization, Ritsumeikan University in Kyoto.
Lecturer at the UOC (Bachelor of Fine Arts). She has taught on the Degree in History of Art, Master in Advanced Studies in History of Art and in institutions such as Casa Asia. In addition, she combines these tasks with curating exhibitions and as an educator in museums and exhibition centres (CaixaForum and ETOPIA Art and Technology Centre).
Kikotoa The Green Man
Soundtrack design
Multidisciplinary artist and creator. In the year 2000 he began his journey with the project “Bereberia”, producing several world music festivals in the Sahara and Senegal.
As a graphic designer, art director and music set designer, he has produced audiovisual projects for: Tve, Canal +, Lola Films, Future Films, Agencia Contrapunto.
He has also worked directly for brands such as: Huawei, Bbva, Adobe, Porche,Nissan, LG.
In the field of interactive sound-visual installations, he has carried out digital art projects for: Paris Photo 2019, Arco 2019, Photoespaña 2021 and 2022, Thyssen Bornemisza, Museo Reina Sofía, Guggenheim Bilbao, La Casa Encendida, TEDx Retiro, Fundación Santa María La Real, Fundación Mapfre.
Since 2012 he has focused his attention on music creation and production.
Designing soundtracks for installations and shows: Isabel Muñoz, National Photography Award several video mappings within the project Teresa Ilumina Ávila, several intercommunity collaboration projects Interreg EU, sound design of installations for Patrimonio Nacional installations for Patrimonio Nacional.
In 2014 he co-founded the Valdelamor collective and co-created HAVISY (Harmonic Visual System): a new musical language as rigorous as the traditional language with which you can see the you can see musical harmony through colour. The basis of this project is to bring musical creation closer to people. Project beneficiary of grants from the Spanish Ministry of Culture and the Madrid City Council.
