Spanish fine art gets a room at exclusive hotel

Lemons, an artwork by Spanish artist Ouka Leele. Provided to  China Daily

Homey rooms and delectable food are no longer the only prime services expected at the capital's top hotels.

Fine art is now checking in.

A newly launched exhibition area, ART+SPACE, on the fifth floor of the Hilton Beijing Wangfujing, holds its first exhibition, titled Banquet of Colors, presenting 14 artworks from Spanish artist Ouka Leele.

Leele is among Europe's top contemporary photographers. In the 1970s, she decided that in addition to photography she needed to paint.

She gradually merged the two disciplines in a novel way by hand-coloring black and white photographs with watercolors.

The process takes four steps: take the picture, make the positive of the film, paint it and conserve the image.

Presently, her unique works take one of two paths: portraits, in which she interprets reality with simplicity; or nature shots with a sentimental and intimate approach that harnesses the concept of femininity and the creator of life.

By fusing photography and painting, Leele said her works conjure "a visual poetry, a manner of speaking without words, and a blend of drama, imagination, painting and photography".

The 14 works are in bright and vibrant colors.

The gallery, in a soothingly cooled space, offers a respite from the sizzling summer heat outside.

"The one named Lemons is my favorite," said Judith los Banos, the hotel's director of marketing and communications.

"Its color is very vivid. These lemons look very attractive, especially at the height of summer." The work was reproduced on the flier of the exhibition.

The 14 artworks were chosen and provided by Gao Magee Gallery.

"These works look like pictures of illusions, fashionable and modern, even though some were created in the 1980s," said Nicole Chen, the director of the gallery.

"They go well with the contemporary interior designs of the hotel."

Los Banos said the cooperative venture started one year ago when the gallery's staff came to study the hotel.

The exhibition area is in a hallway between two meeting halls to offer a brief escape from a busy workday as they walk to start a long meeting, she said.

A Nestl employee surnamed Lau, who was attending a training session organized by her company, applauded the idea of the exhibition area.

"These artworks convey different concepts. They are very creative and helpful to arouse our imaginations," Lau said.

"It would be better if there were more descriptions of these works, such as what it is about or an introduction of the artist," suggested a foreign hotel guest.

"That would help me understand them better."

Grace June Young, a regular visitor to art museums and galleries including the National Art Museum of China, said she was happy to find a new place to appreciate art.

"The 798 Art Zone is far away and has become more like a tourist attraction than an art center," she said.

"It is great to have another option, right in the heart of the city and quiet for appreciation."