The free exhibition organised by Valenciaport will be open to the public until 30 January next from 11.00 to 18.00 hours, weekends and public holidays included.
The Port of València strengthens its cultural commitment to the citizens through a tribute to Quino, creator of Mafalda, a vindictive character who seeks to denounce and combat injustice.
Mafalda’s cartoons will continue the circle of graphic humorists that the PAV has been committed to close and begin in recent years, and through which artists such as Forges, Ortifus or Peridis have paraded.
The inauguration held today was attended by two grand-nieces of Quino, Carolina Lavado and Maria Lavado, the president of the Port Authority of Valencia (PAV), Aurelio Martínez, the secretary of the Quevedo Institute of the Arts of Humour, Juan García and the curator of the exhibition, Ester Medán.
Mafalda is a girl with a great critical spirit and committed to social equality, she seeks answers to injustices, talks about the position of women in society and becomes a reference in the world of feminism. She also ironically criticises political leadership, she takes care of the world, and all of this through easy and understandable language, making it easy for everyone to reflect. A biting social critique that is still relevant today despite the passing years. Mafalda is an icon created by the cartoonist Joaquín Salvador Lavado Tejón, known under the pseudonym of Quino, which Valenciaport wanted to recognise in the exhibition “Quino. Mafalda and much more”, which opened today in the Clock Building of the Port of Valencia, in its now traditional exhibition dedicated to graphic humour that serves to end the year and start 2022 with a smile. An exhibition that looks at the artistic and human trajectory of the creator of Mafalda.
The inauguration held today was attended by two of Quino’s great-nieces, Carolina Lavado and Maria Lavado, the president of the Port Authority of Valencia (PAV), Aurelio Martínez, the secretary of the Quevedo Institute of the Arts of Humour, Juan García, and the exhibition curator Ester Medán. The president of the APV pointed out that “we have experienced a lot of Quino’s production and his character Mafalda, his philosophy, how he approached social problems, inequalities, the environment. Many issues that Quino raised more than 50 years ago and that today, looking back on our times, it seems that we have not made much progress. This exhibition is a tribute to Quino for all that he has contributed to us socially and philosophically, which is still very relevant today. In this exhibition we wanted to recognise the entire trajectory of the Argentinean artist and his extensive work”.
Carolina Lavado, representing the family, thanked the PAV for this exhibition of a person who was “observant, critical, detailed, with a great social commitment and an admirable power of synthesis in his works. Quino achieved one of the greatest challenges, to transcend time and be universal, ensuring that the cultural differences of each country where his works were published were not an impediment to admiring and understanding his work. Drawing was the way of expressing his critical vision of reality, of a world where he did not feel satisfied with few expectations of change, but always with a minimum hope of transformation, where the problem was not the world but man”.
For his part, Juan García emphasised that “this exhibition is very special, it is the first to be held in Spain after Quino’s death. A good way of opening the doors to humour and the heart, which is what the Argentinian cartoonist did”. The exhibition organised by the PAV, in collaboration with the Instituto Quevedo de las Artes del Humor of the University of Alcalá de Henares, offers an insight into the personality and extensive work of Mafalda’s father. The Quino exhibition can be visited free of charge from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., weekends and public holidays included. In this way, the Port of Valencia is getting closer to the problems of society and strengthening the relationship between the port and the city and becoming a reference point for Valencian cultural activity.
Quino through more than 200 cartoons, advertising posters, audiovisuals and publications in several languages that show the international projection of the Argentinean artist’s work. Together with Mafalda and her family, and the company of her friends Felipe, Manolito, Susanita, Miguelito and Libertad, visitors will enjoy one of the world icons of graphic humour and his non-conformist and restless vision of society. The exhibition, made with ecological, non-contaminable and recyclable materials, is divided into different sections, such as Quino’s Humour, which explains his technique and the meaning of his works. The section dedicated to Mafalda, whose comic strips were published between 1964 and 1973, shows the universe surrounding this world comic icon. In the Homage to Quino section, the awards received by the Argentinian cartoonist are on display. Visitors who come to the Clock Building of the Port of Valencia to see the exhibition “Quino. Mafalda and much more” can download explanatory audios onto their mobile phones via a QR code. There is also a Braille corner for the blind and visually impaired, and a section for children to carry out various activities.
The Clock Building, patron of culture in Valencia
Over the last few years, this emblematic place has held various exhibitions related to port activity, but also to social and artistic themes, which have attracted many visitors. Among them, the exhibitions on graphic humour revolved around three Spanish references in this field, Forges, Ortifus and Peridis, now joined by the creator of Mafalda. All three were well attended, with 7,000, 12,000 and 10,500 visitors respectively. All the exhibitions have been transferred to Gandía and Sagunto after passing through Valencia, a fact which shows the port’s commitment to culture.