Puerta Elvira

Iglesia de Santa Ana

Esta iglesia forma parte del conjunto de iglesias mudéjares de la ciudad de Granada. Por si alguien desconoce el arte mudéjar, se trata de un estilo artístico que se desarrolla en Los reinos cristianos de la Península ibérica, pero que incorpora influencias, elementos o materiales de estilo hispano-musulmán. Se trata de un estilo exclusivamente hispánico, que tiene lugar entre los s.XII y XVI, como mezcla de las corrientes artísticas cristianas y musulmanas de la época y que sirven de eslabón entre las culturas cristianas y el Islam. Santa Ana fue construida en el ano 1537 según proyecto de Diego de Siloé, el artista de más renombre de la época en su zona. La iglesia se erige en el solar donde anteriormente se encontraba un oratorio islámico, la mezquita de Aljama Almanzora. De aquella anterior mezquita se conserva hoy su alminar, una bella torre de ladrillo de gran esbeltez, donde se superponen hasta cuatro tramos de menor a mayor en su orden de altura, todos con sutiles elementos decorativos a modo de alfil que los enmarcan superiormente. Como datos anecdóticos dentro de la historia de esta iglesia cabe decir que en ella contrajo matrimonio Mariana de Pineda, la popular heroína ejecutada bajo el reinado de Fernando VII, conservando además los restos del escultor y pintor local José Risueño, sucesor de la línea artística de Alonso Cano.

Japanese Macudonarudo

Spain is probably one of the few countries on the planet where Macdonalds didn't put their greedy tentacles, they tried several times to spread their fast and addictive food, but they always fail. In a country with a strong bar culture and where everybody eats bocadillos (Spanish word for sandwiches, this american franchise didn't have any future. On the opposite, Japan and specially Tokyo area, with a huge influence of American culture, was the perfect nest to place macdonalds shops everywhere. I have to say that It was when I came to Japan when I became addicted to this shitty, plastic food, In Kanto area Its difficult to avoid this kind of places, they are in everywhere, and some of the locations are on the best parts of Tokyo, where you can have a synthetic meal for a small amount of money. Ok, Ok, I know, I know, the location doesnt justified the fact that you are eating shit. I don't know, maybe was a combination of loneliness, huge publicity, and stupidity the reason I started to go there once week, or maybe because is crap, but taste delicious, bastards!!. One day, I was there eating my chicken burguer menu, when I look around I saw a lot of young guys, maybe around 22 or 27, with japanese you never guess, probably young salarymen, I realized that absolutely nobody was communicating to each other, but all of them where playing games or using the movil, absolutely nobody spoke, their smiles came from the latest game or just the new tool in the mobil phone, the worst thing was that in the middle of the scene, was a Spanish guy in almost in the middle of his thirties, in the middle of Tokyo, sketching this weird scene, somehow I had the feeling that I was watching the future of other places, where people communicate every year less, and loneliness start to became a relevant issue. I have to say that Japanese Macdonalds have some positive aspects, on the contrary that here in Europe, some of them, specially in the big cities they are opened 24 hours, and the coffee that doesn't taste good, is hot and cheap, just 100 yen, less than a euro. Japanese winter is really harsh, and those Macdonalds are warmed places for beggars where they can stay the whole night and drink hot coffee for a cheap prize, otherwise they would be freezing in the streets. The staff there, mostly young japanese students working part-time, they leave alone the costumers, no matter if they dress armani or wear just rags. I remember a couple of times, one in London and another in Belgium where I had to leave my acommodation very early in the night to take a plane that took off several hours later and I had to wait in the streets because there werent any place open, at those moments It would have been nice to have one of those warmed macdonalds that abound in Tokyo.

Cafetería estación de Granada

Homeless

I have heard many stories about Japanese homeless, there is an urban legend that says that not very long time ago, Japan was a prospered nation where everybody belonged to a wealthy middle class. During the eighties, It was common to throw washing machines, computers, televisions and other brand new things, because japanese always wanted to have the newest model of every electronic devise. Apparently the nineties came and Japan suffered a big economical crisis, at that time, many wealthy employees,like bank officers or salarymen lost their jobs, and in a country like Japan, highly capitalist, and with little social protection, many of those people became homeless, some of those people still living in the street without a roof, making their homes using sheets of blue plastic and other materials found in the streets. legends apart, homeless here, are totally different from others that I have seen in other zones of the planet, probably because they belong to an unique economic and social reality which is Japan, they share common models of conducts, they never beg for example, and they are very tidy, neat and clean, trying to keep their staff organized and occupying the minimum space. I draw those two men in the middle of Tokyo, very near Shibuya station, they were sitting down on the entrance of a metro station, in front of them was a huge crowd of japanese people walking in lines like ants in both directions to take the subways or to go to the citycenter, It was december, and It was really cold at that time, I did the sketch in five minutes and I wanted to invite them for a warm can coffee, but they were kind of sleeping and never look at me, protecting from the coldness. Japan, Shibuya 15th of December, 2010

Sierra Lújar

Pasé mi infancia y adolescencia rodeado de libros, lecturas de antaño que hoy día quedaron relegadas por capas de polvo en mis estanterías. Estas incipientes lecturas actuaron como pasadizos de papel que me llevaron a otras lecturas y a otros mundos literarios, que irían marcando mi vida, mis viajes, quedando vida y ficción entrelazadas para siempre, gestando al idealista radical que soy hoy en dia. Entre aquellos primigenios mejunjes de realidad y ficción literaria, recuerdo aquellas peladas montañas que se avistaban desde la ventana de mi casa, por esos tiempos devoraba yo la trilogía del Señor de los anillos, y no importaba cuantas sensatas gentes me dijeron que lo que lo que yo llamaba Las montanas negras de Sauron era sencillamente Sierra Lújar, aquel domingo contaba yo trece años, agarré un par de galletas maría que yo llamaba “lembas”, y eché andar por los campos hacia aquellas siniestras lomas, mientras andaba fantaseaba con ver algún orco o pequeño trasgo, después de cinco horas caminando y temiendo ser engullido por la noche, decidí regresar a casa con los pies doloridos, jamás llegué a alcanzar aquellas montañas negras, pero en aquel viaje ví campos y bosquecillos de gran belleza, olí la tierra húmeda, como solo aquí huele, y descubrí otros pequeños pueblos tan parecidos pero tan distintos al mío, esta fue una de las primeras aventuras en solitario que ya de adulto haría por tierras mucho más lejanas y exóticas. La mañana que hice el boceto, el día se hizo gris y aparecieron estas nubes preñadas de agua. ese mismo día los truenos iniciaron un aguacero que duró siete dias.