It may seem crazy. Launching a cultural project in a world where what is most valued are likes on Instagram, TikTok videos and Netflix series is risky, perhaps reckless. Betting on philosophy, art and calm reflection at a time when new businesses are designed to make money, the more the better, is something for dreamers.
Genara Sert and Max Vives-Fierro are very aware of the environment in which they live, but they have gone a little crazy and have created not one, but two high culture initiatives aimed at an audience eager to know, to learn, to think. . Under the umbrella of his new publishing house, Art
The first copy is already on the market. It is titled The Concept of Autonomy of Art by Theodor W. Adorno and is signed by Sert herself. “I wrote the thesis on this German philosopher and the idea of publishing it occurred to me to undertake a new stage after the academic one, then the project grew and became a new imprint that will publish other essays on collecting, art dealers, patronage or taxation,” says this doctor in philosophy and cultural consultant.
But that was not enough and the couple thought about going further with Compass of Waiting, “some notebooks to collect,” says Vives-Fierro. Edited with love and elegance, each Compass of Waiting notebook contains a monographic text on art or matters of general culture in a double version in Catalan and Spanish. The first issue is a spin-off on Adorno's thesis who, among many other things, proposed "democratizing culture so that anyone who is qualified can access it as a result of his efforts."
Art
Montse Úbeda also went a little crazy in 2013 when she decided to “open a bookstore of works in Catalan to promote culture.” Úbeda had more desire than money, but that didn't stop her. She borrowed money from her father, Jordi, and rented a place in Gràcia, but she had to decorate it and her father's loan was not enough. Although she is quite shy, she did not hesitate; she entered the establishment of a neighbor, the architect and designer Joan Comangés, and asked him to design the shelves for her.
The artist agreed and created one-piece wooden shelves for Montse's books that are the envy of the sector and that have been copied around the world. This is how Ona (which had operated on Gran Via between 1962 and 2010) was reborn. Tatxo Benet later invested in the business, which now also has its spin-off in Pau Claris. The one in Gràcia, the one in Montse Úbeda, turned its first ten years on Monday and celebrated it with many friends like Oriol Serrano or Maria Bohigas, a little cava and the desire to defend Catalan culture for a few more decades.
There is not much difference between launching a new business or a new love. It is a matter of will and “knowing yourself.” The psychologist and sexologist Agatha Armstrong knows this very well, who on Thursday presented Why we don't know how to flirt (Kailas) at the Fnac de L'Illa. “We don't know because we are not authentic. To flirt you don't have to be successful, charismatic or successful. You don't have to be James Bond. On the contrary, appearing dishonestly attractive, manipulating or deceiving to seduce can be counterproductive and cause disorders such as erectile dysfunction or premature ejaculation. To flirt you just have to discover what attracts you and then find people you might like.”
