Playing with the dunes

Spanish painter Borja Gonzalez will make his debut in China at the ongoing 17th Meet in Beijing Arts Festival with a rare show. Chen Nan reports.

One day about 12 years ago, Spanish painter Borja Gonzalez found a video of an artist doing drawings with sand. It was love at first sight.

"I discovered that drawing with sand is magical. Seeing how drawings are created, then transformed into stories hypnotizes you," says Gonzalez, 39.

It took him a while to learn the art since nobody in Spain knew the technique back then.

About 10 years ago, he had his first show combining sand art, live music, big-sized puppets and "speed painting". Since then, he has been dedicated to sand art.

One of his shows, Dreams of Sand, will make its debut in China on Saturday at the ongoing 17th Meet in Beijing Arts Festival, a major annual cultural event, which brings together artists from 22 countries.

"I have not been to China before. I am very excited because it is a dream come true for me," says Gonzalez.

In his 80-minute show, Gonzalez, with only a little bit of sand and his hands, tells the story of two people, from their childhood to adulthood.

Since 2014 when the show was created, Dreams of Sand has been performed at festivals and venues in Spain, France, Greece and the United States.

"I am inspired by people, beautiful stories, a starry night and love. All these things that seem so simple but are difficult to attain, are my inspiration," says Gonzalez. "The show is a spectacle that lets you travel through a sea of feelings. The message is clear. No matter your race, your culture, we are all born naked and have similar dreams."

The music in the show is as important as the sand drawings.

In 2012, Gonzalez founded Ytuquepintas in Barcelona along with pianist Roc Sala and producer Joaquim Arago. Later, cellist Quico Puges, percussionist Alex Guitart and light and sound technician David Cozar joined the band.

The musicians work as a live band in Gonzalez's performance, which complements each drawing, reinforces it and gives meaning to each scene.

"The music gives the public an extra character and the information they need to keep dreaming," says Gonzalez.

The story told in Dreams of Sand also reflects the artist's life.

Born in La Rioja, which is probably Spain's finest wine region, Gonzalez has loved painting since he was a child.

"My father loved painting, though he was not an artist. I remember that when I was 3, I was sitting on my father's knee and we were drawing.

"He took my hand and I thought it was me who was drawing.

"My father reminds me of that day. He told me that my eyes expressed my passion for drawing," he says.

Gonzalez, who has a degree from the Circus Academy Rogelio Rivel in acrobatic balance, used to be a circus artist from 2003. And it was only in 2010 that he became a solo artist.

"To be a good sand artist, you not only have to know how to draw, but you also need a circus artist's skills," he says.

It took Gonzalez a long tine to draw, create puppets and rehearse with the musicians for the show.

"I try to understand sand as if it is my mind," says Gonzalez. "It first seemed difficult to do drawings with sand, but that did not scare me. In fact, my reaction was quite the opposite. I was excited and I worked with passion."

Contact the writer at chennan@chinadaily.com.cn

If you go

3 pm and 7:30 pm, May 20. 3 pm, May 21. Nine Theater, iChaoyang Culture Center, 17 Jintai Xili, Xiaozhuang, Chaoyang district, Beijing. 3 pm, May 22, Bei Hang Sunrise Concert Hall, Beijing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, 37 Xueyuan Road, Haidian district, Beijing.

400-818-3333, 010-8599-1188.

Spanish painter Borja Gonzalez will work with his band to perform Dreams of Sand, a show that combines sand art, live music, big-sized puppets and "speed painting" in Beijing. Photos Provided To China Daily