Joël Mestre Explores the Flag's Fragments in 'Asta, paño y driza' at Yusto/Giner, Marbella
The Marbella venue Yusto/Giner will host 'Asta, paño y driza,' a solo showcase by Joël Mestre starting on 25 September 2026. This exhibition revisits a painting from 2017, focusing on the elements of a flag—pole, fabric, and halyard—without any political implications. Mestre's notes introduce characters A, P, and D, who grapple with a discounted awning near a reservoir, which serves as the narrative's focal point. Featured are smaller works alongside three large canvases (250 x 180 cm) crafted in vinyl tempera, all framed by Mestre. A prominent figure in Spanish postconceptual figuration, Mestre has shown his work globally and has received support from Fundación Davalos-Fletcher, among others. His pieces are part of collections such as IVAM and Banco de España, and he teaches as a Senior Lecturer at UPV.
Key facts
- 'Asta, paño y driza' is a solo exhibition by Joël Mestre at Yusto/Giner, Marbella, opening 25 September 2026.
- The project began with a 2017 painting Mestre returned to this year, dissatisfied with his original solution.
- The title divides a flag into pole, cloth and halyard, stripping it of political and identity associations.
- Accompanying notes tell of characters A, P and D and a discounted awning that ends up covering the landscape.
- The show includes small-format works and three large canvases of 250 x 180 cm in vinyl tempera on canvas.
- Mestre designed and built six ebonized-wood frame models with lobed, tabernacle-like Baroque forms.
- Cited references include Vischer's 'Auch Einer,' Manganelli's 'La ciénaga definitiva,' Antonioni's last short film and Ingres's 'The Dream of Ossian.'
- Mestre participated in the 1994 touring exhibition 'Muelle de Levante,' curated by Juan Manuel Bonet.
Entities
Artists
- Joël Mestre
- Friedrich Theodor Vischer
- Giorgio Manganelli
- Michelangelo Antonioni
- Michelangelo
- Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres
- John Ruskin
- Joan Didion
- Norman Mailer
- Pascal Quignard
- Juan Mayorga
- Juan Manuel Bonet
Institutions
- Yusto/Giner
- Plataforma de Arte Contemporáneo
- Universitat Politècnica de València
- Centro de Investigación Arte y Entorno
- CIAE_UPV
- Fundación Davalos-Fletcher
- Diputación de Valencia
- Ministerio de Asuntos Exteriores
- Academia de España en Roma
- Endesa
- IVAM
- ARTIUM
- Fundación Endesa
- Banco de España
- Colección BBVA
- Colección de Arte DKV
- Caja Madrid
- ARCO
- Pulse_NewYork
- La Lonja del Pescado
- Museo de Arte Contemporáneo de Alicante
Locations
- Marbella
- Málaga
- Spain
- Miami
- Brussels
- Belgium
- Santander
- Lisbon
- Portugal
- New York
- United States
- Rome
- Italy
- Valencia
- Alicante