From Berlanga to John Carpenter. From Buñuel to Steven Seagal. The cinematic universe of Paco Alcázar (El Jueves, Mongolia, El Víbora…) is on display from today at La Fábrica del Humor in Alcalá de Henares. In The History of Cinema According to Paco Alcázar, the illustrator and cartoonist brings together, among many other works, the largest gallery of Nicolas Cage portraits ever exhibited, featuring 108 pieces.
“Some of these drawings were created to be exhibited, such as those from Truenos ibéricos or Ojos de Buñuel, but others, especially these Nicolas Cage portraits, were intended for a book. Seeing them here takes the book's already delirious nature to another level, and that is something unexpected and lovely,” Paco Alcázar explained at the presentation of the exhibition, organised by the Quevedo Institute of Humour (IQH), part of the University of Alcalá's General Foundation (FGUA), and ALCINE, the Alcalá de Henares / Community of Madrid Film Festival.
Cinema runs so deeply through Alcázar's work that his film references have become one of its defining features. The exhibition explores the history and myths of cinema through his graphic universe, filtered through his irreverent, personal vision.
The exhibition features comic strips, caricatures and other works brought together for the occasion. It is curated by ALCINE and includes texts by writer Rubén Lardín. The History of Cinema According to Paco Alcázar encompasses everyone from masters such as Berlanga and Buñuel to pop culture figures who have fascinated Alcázar throughout his career, such as Steven Seagal.
The case of Nicolas Cage deserves special mention. The exhibition brings together 108 portraits of the Californian actor by Alcázar. Without detracting from the 100 portraits published by Madelin Woods in 2014 or the fan artworks brought together in the Nicolas Cage Art Show, the exhibition opening today in Alcalá de Henares is the largest to date dedicated to the star of Leaving Las Vegas, Face/Off and Adaptation.
“From the outset, we knew Paco had to be part of Caramba. In fact, we have published quite a few of his books, including Las 100 primeras películas de Nicolas Cage, which was a way of channelling his wild passion for watching every Nicolas Cage film, one by one. It became an almost therapeutic way for Paco to let out everything he had inside,” his publisher, Manuel Bartual, said at the presentation.
The History of Cinema According to Paco Alcázar forms part of the ALCINE 55 programme. Organised by the Department of Culture of Alcalá de Henares City Council and the Community of Madrid, the festival runs in the World Heritage City until 15 November.
“Comedy, as an artistic expression of humour, has been inseparable from cinema since its origins, since the very first frames were filmed. It is something we love at the festival and approach with a real passion for film. The opportunity to develop projects in a setting as special as La Fábrica del Humor, an exhibition space dedicated exclusively to the arts of humour, was something we could not pass up,” said ALCINE's artistic director, Pedro Toro.
Paco Alcázar has published his caricatures and comic strips in magazines including El Víbora, Mongolia, Cinemanía, Rockdelux, El País Semanal, Rolling Stone and the digital publication Orgullo y Satisfacción, among many others. A milestone in that career is the lovable freeloader Silvio José, his signature character, who appeared weekly in El Jueves for a full decade.
More recently, Alcázar has focused on illustration and composing electronic music under the alias Van Delay, creating soundtracks for fiction podcasts such as Titania, Místicas and Biotopía. His musical projects also include España Futurista, created from material found online, and Truenos futuristas, a piece composed especially for ALCINE 55 that he will premiere in the festival's music section, Short Music.
Paco Alcázar has published around twenty books, including Porque te gusta (1999), Moho (2000), Todo está perdido (2001), El manual de mi mente (2008), Huracán de sensatez (2013), Fábrica de problemas (2018) and La vida y usted (2019). On 9 December, he will take part in a book club discussion of his work La industria de los sueños alongside Rubén Lardín (6.00 pm, La Fábrica del Humor).
The secretary of the Quevedo Institute of Humour, Juan García Cerrada, highlighted the value of “bringing together two art forms, cartooning and cinema, both of which have an enormous presence in Alcalá”.
The exhibition is open until 20 December at La Fábrica del Humor (Calle Nueva, 4, Alcalá de Henares), Tuesday to Saturday, 11.00 am–2.00 pm and 5.00–8.00 pm, and Sundays, 11.00 am–2.00 pm. Admission is free.
