The Influential LXII International Festival of Cante de las Minas Flamenco Event Reveals 2023 Poster

The LXII International Festival of Cante de las Minas has a new poster featuring the flamenco quejío (lament or pain), created by sculptor Lidó Rico using contemporary art to capture the depth of flamenco. The festival will take place August 3-12, 2023. Rico used the photoluminescence technique to capture the essence of the lament and worked to ensure the poster conveyed an authentic and powerful expression of emotion. The event featured a performance by singer Esther Merino and was attended by political and cultural figures. The festival program will be presented on April 28 at the iconic Corral de la Morería flamenco nightclub in Madrid.

A poster in which all are protagonists

Although the 62nd edition poster highlights Lidó Rico as the main feature, this year, each individual attending the event may find themselves taking center stage in the artistic work. During the Festival, an area will be designated with a photoluminescent surface similar to the one used by the creator. Those who desire to retain a memento of their experience at the Festival may position themselves before the light loop and capture the moment. Lidó Rico expounds that “there will be as many posters as there are individuals,” emphasizing a philosophical stance that underscores his artistic vision: “one man is all men.”

He adds that this “will be a living poster that showcases its membership in the most cutting-edge contemporary art scene. It will transition from a self-contained image to continuously expanding with the people who come to visit.“

Lidó Rico was born in Yecla and commenced his art education at the Polytechnic University of Valencia. He subsequently graduated from the Superior School of Fine Arts in Paris in 1991. In 1989, Lidó Rico secured the first prize in Murcia’s Young Painting competition, while in 1992, he was chosen to create the exterior sculpture of the Murcia Pavilion at the Universal Exhibition in Seville. He obtained an Honorable Mention in the VI Biennial of Drawing held in Györ, Hungary, in 2001, and was selected to represent Spain in the XXIII Biennial of Alexandria in Egypt in 2006, where he was awarded the Grand Prix. In addition, Lidó Rico was awarded the brush of the year at the Fuente Álamo Biennial and the Doctorate Honoris Causa from the Mexican Institute of Victimology in Mexico City this year.

From the inception of his career to date, he has showcased his works in close to a hundred exhibitions worldwide, displaying his art in museums, institutions, and public and private collections. Furthermore, the artist’s work, “Horados, Zona Cero,” which evokes the “souls” that mining continues to conceal in galleries and tunnels, has been included in the new Mining Museum of La Unión.