Nearly 300 labels of Valencian products will be exhibited this autumn in the Clock Building of the Port of Valencia in the exhibition “València, Porta al Disseny. Exportació dels nostres productes als segles XIX i XX”.
The exhibition, which can be visited from 3 October to 6 November in the Clock Building, highlights the importance of the Port in the generation of designs for Valencian products which were exported.
Valenciaport once again reinforces its commitment to culture and art at the service of the city’s residents and visitors, within the framework of the celebration of València as design capital.
València, August 27th, 2022.- The Clock Building of the Port of Valencia will host the exhibition “Valencia, Porta del Disseny. Exportació dels nostres productes als segles XIX i XX” from 3 October to 6 November. The central theme of the exhibition, curated by Ester Medán and Inma Liñana, is to display the labelling and posters of Valencian food products from the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It will feature 300 labels and posters of oranges, wines, liqueurs and other Valencian products, as well as packaging, bottles and objects from the period.
With this exhibition, the Port Authority of Valencia (APV) is joining in with the celebration of the city of Valencia as World Design Capital 2022, making known the importance that the Port had and has in the export of Valencian products and the designs that accompany them. “With this exhibition we wanted to show the creativity and quality of Valencian artists and lithographers to create the brand images of Valencian products for export. There came to be more than 3,000 labels for oranges and other products from the market garden and this was possible thanks to transport, with the extensive railway network that connected the production areas directly with the Port of Valencia, which is what made their maritime distribution throughout Europe possible”, explains Ester Medán, one of the curators.
The massive export of Valencian agri-food products throughout Europe between the end of the 19th century and the 1960s forced hundreds of producers to create a brand image with which to identify their products. The designs for these labels and posters were an experimental field of design for Valencian artists and lithographers. An exhibition that reflects the creativity of the period and at the same time highlights the entrepreneurial work of Valencian society and businessmen in taking their products through the Port of Valencia to all corners of the world.
The thousands of brand images are testimony to the Valencian creativity that, thanks to the improvements in the means of transport and especially to the Port of Valencia, travelled and spread our art and the Valencian land all over the world. The originality of the brand image in products of excellent quality could make the difference to the customer, ranging from the traditional and picturesque image to the exotic or modern.
The target languages, even the traditional types and landscapes of those countries, were used to convince buyers in an effort to strengthen trade relations. Maritime exports were evident in the use of motifs such as sailing ships and steamships or maps alluding to the connections between Valencian territory and other countries.
“Always committed to Valencia”
“The Port of Valencia has been committed to its city and its area of influence since its beginnings and not only to trade, but also to culture. Historians have documented that the Port was the gateway to the Renaissance in Spain, made the silk trade possible as the basis of the Valencian Golden Age and opened up Valencia to the world with the export of oranges. Behind these historical milestones there has always been a Valencian vision of the world, a style, a design. Today the Port connects trade, innovation and cultures and behind it there is always design. A vision of the world. That is why it is essential for us to be at València’s side by doing our bit, this time in the celebration of the World Design Capital”, explains Aurelio Martínez, president of the Port Authority of Valencia.
In recent years, the Port of Valencia has hosted numerous exhibitions such as “Quino. Mafalda y mucho más”, “Imágenes imborrables”, “Plànols, Maquetes i Mestres d’Aixà del Port de València” or “La Dàrsena Històrica del Port de València: Progrés i Modernitat” or “Això és TEU – 5.000.000”, bringing culture closer to the citizens of Valencia. The emblematic Clock Building has become a cultural meeting point for residents and visitors to the city of Valencia, in a commitment by the APV to bring port activity closer and promote art and culture among the citizens.