Raül Beteta

1977, Viladecans, Spain

It seems natural, but there have never been flowers that constantly open and close. It seems natural, but there are no butterflies with LED lights. If it all seems natural it is because Raül Beteta explores its movement and harmony, escaping from any robotic syncope, but that does not mean that the hand of man is not the main protagonist. These are works that are alive, like us, in fact they are more like us than like nature as we know it. Beteta has focused not only on the fluidity of botanical and animal movements but also, and above all, on their imperfection. If his works ‘seem natural’ it is because they do not seek the linear neutrality of a car or a vacuum cleaner, but the irregular and unique personality of each object, which turns it into a character.

Installation

Raül Beteta

Flores (Sold)

200 x 125 x 100 cm

Installation

Raül Beteta

Caballito de Mar

60 x 25 x 17 cm

Installation

Raül Beteta

Butterfly

70 x 75 x 30 cm

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Raül Beteta

Tortuga Grande III

20 x 80 x 57 cm

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Raül Beteta

Caracol

30 x 59 x 20 cm

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Raül Beteta

Cangrejo Ermitaño

13 x 35 x 20 cm

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Raül Beteta

Pez Globo

265 x 115 x 186 cm

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Raül Beteta

Medusa I

165 x 128 x 100 cm

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Raül Beteta

Ballena Beluga

265 x 115 x 186 cm

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Raül Beteta

Tortuga Grande I

20 x 85 x 60 cm

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Raül Beteta

Tortuga Grande II

20 x 90 x 57 cm

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Raül Beteta

Tortuga Pequeña

9 x 35 x 40 cm

Installation

Raül Beteta

Estrellas de Mar

185 x 138 x 45 cm

Raül Beteta

Beteta’s creatures are animated, that is, they have souls, ‘anima’, but both the plants and the insects he proposes are as plausible as they are invented. From his workshops and scrap materials, Raül Beteta has managed to make pieces for museums and stages, and his creations have been shown at festivals in Taiwan, France, Poland and Chile.

His work, rather than ‘imitating’ nature, creates new nature and living nature. Beteta is a creator, or rather with a capital letter, a Creator: he invites us to be gods, which in the end only means imagining a beautiful object and giving it life. Welcome to a new Eden, to a new Universe. And let there be light.

See all available Artworks

As with Pinocchio, Frankenstein, the Terminator, Pygmalion, the object comes to life and becomes equal to us (“It’s…it’s alive!”). What is so natural about that? And, on the other hand, what is unnatural about it, if we have been looking for it for centuries?


Exhibitions and Art Fairs
Public Collections and Awards

Exhibitions and Art Fairs

2021

  • “Jardín de las Delícias”, Hotel Mandarín Oriental in collaboration with Villa del Arte Galleries, Spain
  • “Primavera del 20”, Hotel Boutique Cal Roure, Igualada, Spain
  • Port Olímpic, Barcelona, Spain

2020

  • Art Madrid, Spain
  • Itinerant exhibition “Reis Mags”, Barcelona, Spain
  • Quai des Savoirs, Tolosa, France

2019

  • King Gaspar Carriage, Barcelona, Spain
  • SWAP Barcelona Art Fair, Barcelona, Spain
  • Llum BCN. Festival d’Arts Lumíniques, Mercat Encants, Barcelona, Spain
  • FETEN, Gijón, Spain
  • Primavera Sound, Barcelona, Spain
  • Igualada Creativa, Igualada, Spain
  • CosmoCaixa, Barcelona, Spain

2018

  • Drac de Sant Jordi, Montblanc, Spain
  • Mont-Àgora, Santa Margarida de Montbui, Spain
  • Llum BCN. Festival d’Arts Lumíniques, Barcelona, Spain
  • CosmoCaixa, Barcelona, Spain
  • IND+I Viladecans, Spain
  • Illa Diagonal, Barcelona, Spain

2017

  • Plaça Catalunya, Barcelona, Spain
  • Vilanova i la Geltrú, Spain
  • Arenas de Barcelona, Spain
  • Santa Margarida de Montbui, Spain
  • Fira de la Mediterrània, Manresa, Spain
  • Exhibition of automatons, Valdepeñas, Spain
  • “Frágil”, Sala Pradillo, Madrid, Spain

2016

  • Taipei Festival Theatre, Taiwan
  • CosmoCaixa, Barcelona, Spain
  • “Vida Aquàtica”, Arenas de Barcelona, Spain
  • “Vida Aquàtica”, Museu Marítim de Barcelona, Spain

2015

  • “Frágil”, Gira, Mexico
  • Museo Würth La Rioja, Logroño, Spain
  • “Frágil”, Belfast, Northern Ireland
  • Drap-Art. Festival Internacional de Arte y Sostenibilidad, Barcelona, Spain

2014

  • Imaginaria. Festival de Títeres e Imagen en Movimiento, Binéfar, Spain
  • Festival Internacional de Títeres, Redondela, Spain
  • Círculo de Bellas Artes de Madrid, Spain
  • International Festival of Puppetry Art, Bielsko-Biala, Poland
  • International Puppet Festival, Tolosa, France
  • FETEN, Gijón, Spain
  • Santiago a Mil International Theater Festival, Santiago, Chile

2013

  • Tolosa, France
  • Art’Pantin, Vergèze, France
  • La Mercè, Barcelona, Spain
  • MAF. Muestra Internacional de Artes Fantásticas, Santander, Spain
  • Feria Internacional de Muestras de Asturias, Gijón, Spain
  • Sónar Festival, Barcelona, Spain
  • Fira de Titelles de Lleida, Spain
  • Museu de la Pell, Igualada, Spain
  • Kings Parade of Barcelona, Spain

2012

  • – Museu Marítim de Barcelona, Spain
  • – Museu Marítim de Palamós, Spain
  • – Fira del Teatre de Tàrrega, Spain
  • – Centre Cultural Obra Social Sa Nostra, Palma de Mallorca, Spain

2011

  • Festival Mondial des Théâtre de Marionnettes, Charleville-Mézières, France
  • Centro de Interpretación de los Humedales de Salburua, Vitoria, Spain

2010

  • Pendientes de un Hilo. Festival de Títeres y Objetos, Madrid, Spain
  • Sala dels Trinitaris, Vilafranca del Penedès, Spain

2009

  • L’Enrajolada. Casa Museu Santacana, Martorell, Spain
  • Festival Dorkbot, Barcelona, Spain
  • Fira de Teatre de Titelles, Lleida, Spain
  • ATTIC. Feria Internacional de los Inventos y las Ideas, Vilanova i la Geltrú, Spain

2008

  • Sala de Igualada, Spain
  • Cornellà de Llobretat, Spain
  • Escola Municipal d’Art Gaspar Camps, Igualada, Spain

Public Collections and Awards

PUBLIC COLLECTIONS

  • Muséum d’Histoire Naturelle de Marseille, France
  • Museu Marítim de Barcelona, Spain
  • Parque de las Ciencias de Andalucía, Granada, Spain
  • CosmoCaixa Barcelona, Spain
  • Museu de Ciències Naturals de Barcelona, Spain

AWARDS

2014

  • Award Best Innovative Proposal, Fira de Titelles de Lleida, “Frágil”, Theatre Coproduction with Onírica Mecánica, Madrid, Spain

2013

  • Award “Drac d’Or”, Fira de Titelles de Lleida, Spain

2012

  • Selection Award RegióMarioneta, Spain/France
  • Award Best Innovative Proposal, Fira del Teatre de Tàrrega, Spain
  • Participation in the music video clip “Monsieur Costear” by Els Amics de les Arts

2010

  • Best Exhibition Proposal, Palamós, Spain

2009

  • Works selected by the Generalitat of Catalonia for an itinerant exhibition, Spain
  • First Prize for Fine Arts, Piera, Spain
  • Award “Ciutat de Viladecans”, Spain

2008

  • Scholarship Igual’Art for the creation of the exhibition “Vida Aquàtica”