Now that I’m living in London, such a gigantic and spectacular city in terms of its cultural power and influence, I also seek to be part of its scene and work and mingle with artists and people who are making and dealing with striking and interesting art.
Irene Solà
Irene Solà is a poet and visual artist. Born in Malla (Osona) in 1990, she studied Fine Arts at the University of Barcelona (2008-13) and at Listaháskóli Íslands, Reykjavik (2013). Later she coursed a Masters in Literature, Film and Visual Culture at the University of Sussex, Brighton (2013-15). She currently lives and works in London. In 2012 Solà won the 48th Amadeu Oller Poetry Prize for young unpublished poets, one of the most relevant and old poetry prizes in Catalan literature. She published Bèstia, Ed. Galerada.
Solà had already received among others the XXVI Antoni de Bofarull Prose Prize 2004 –which published her story with Cossetània Editions under the title Aprenents i altres contes- the Antoni Pous Poetry Prize 2007 and an honorable mention at the 21st Miquel Martí i Pol Poetry Pize. Solà is also part of the anthology 33 Catalan Poets Younger than 35 edited by Josep Pedrals. Irene Solà has been part of numerous poetry festivals and readings. Among them, the Sant Cugat International Poetry Festival, Tocats de Lletra Literary Festival (Manresa), el Dia Mundial de la Poesia (Sant Vicenç de Montalt), The Shakespeare Festival (Barcelona), The Poetry Cicle at la Poeteca (Barcelona), o The Poetry Cicle Nostrats (Vic). Ricard Mirabete highlighted that Solà’s poetic voice is “heart-breaking, concise, sharp and lucid in its emotional and reflexive introspection which enables the construction of one’s own thoughts into poems”. Lluís Calvo wrote for Poetari Magazine that “Solà’s poetry carries us into an unexplored terrain, full of surprising and contrasted images, into a mixture that is half ironic half naïve, half violent half playful, making her poetry one of the most original proposals out of the new crop of poets”. As a video artist Solà has received the Ciutat de Vic Grant 2013 and Art Jove Grant 2015. She has participated in the JCE European Art Biennale, the Contemporary Catalan Art Biennale and Sequences Real Time Art Festival, Reykjavik and she has exhibited, among others, in ACVIC, Can Felipa, Sala d’Art Jove, Cinemes Zumzeig and Museu de l’Empordà. Solà is co-editor of the Artzine VOLS RUSSOS (Barcelona-Leipzig), member of the artist run nomad exhibition project La Ghetto (Barcelona-Rotterdam) and member of the theatre company Teatre la Palangana.
Solà is also part of the anthology 33 Catalan Poets Younger than 35 edited by Josep Pedrals. Irene Solà has been part of numerous poetry festivals and readings. Among them, the Sant Cugat International Poetry Festival, Tocats de Lletra Literary Festival (Manresa), el Dia Mundial de la Poesia (Sant Vicenç de Montalt), The Shakespeare Festival (Barcelona), The Poetry Cicle at la Poeteca (Barcelona), o The Poetry Cicle Nostrats (Vic). Ricard Mirabete highlighted that Solà’s poetic voice is “heart-breaking, concise, sharp and lucid in its emotional and reflexive introspection which enables the construction of one’s own thoughts into poems”. Lluís Calvo wrote for Poetari Magazine that “Solà’s poetry carries us into an unexplored terrain, full of surprising and contrasted images, into a mixture that is half ironic half naïve, half violent half playful, making her poetry one of the most original proposals out of the new crop of poets”. As a video artist Solà has received the Ciutat de Vic Grant 2013 and Art Jove Grant 2015. She has participated in the JCE European Art Biennale, the Contemporary Catalan Art Biennale and Sequences Real Time Art Festival, Reykjavik and she has exhibited, among others, in ACVIC, Can Felipa, Sala d’Art Jove, Cinemes Zumzeig and Museu de l’Empordà. Solà is co-editor of the Artzine VOLS RUSSOS (Barcelona-Leipzig), member of the artist run nomad exhibition project La Ghetto (Barcelona-Rotterdam) and member of the theatre company Teatre la Palangana.
As a video artist Solà has received the Ciutat de Vic Grant 2013 and Art Jove Grant 2015. She has participated in the JCE European Art Biennale, the Contemporary Catalan Art Biennale and Sequences Real Time Art Festival, Reykjavik and she has exhibited, among others, in ACVIC, Can Felipa, Sala d’Art Jove, Cinemes Zumzeig and Museu de l’Empordà. Solà is co-editor of the Artzine VOLS RUSSOS (Barcelona-Leipzig), member of the artist run nomad exhibition project La Ghetto (Barcelona-Rotterdam) and member of the theatre company Teatre la Palangana.
Irene is about to finish her second poetry book, while she is also writing her first novel and working on several video projects.