Little and Viola find their similarities at Malaga's CAC La Coracha

A walk through the two new exhibitions at CAC La Coracha does not, at first sight, show any common ground between Pablo Little and Viola. But knowing the story told by the artists themselves, it is possible to see some coincidences in art that goes beyond art: the language of their lives.

They have known each other for years and followed each other's artistic steps very closely, until they found out that they would be exhibiting at the Malaga contemporary art centre's second premises in La Coracha at the same time, although in separate rooms. The differences are many. The similarities, well, more and more are being discovered. "Our works are night and day, but we have points in common," said the artists at the opening.

Just the name of the exhibitions is an example of the synergy between them. Keep it Cute, the title of Little's exhibition, refers to Rosalía's song "because it is a motto of life" and One Summer's Day is Viola's exhibition and alludes to the theme of the Japanese film Spirited Away.

Pablo Little fills his room with countless drawings and vignettes in which black and white predominate. His ceramic pieces hold the colour that captures the "innocent" universe of the artist from Cordoba; while Viola occupies the walls of the first floor of La Coracha with his work that is a direct look at anime and then merges with pop influences and Studio Ghibli aesthetics in more than 80 drawings and paintings.

For Viola, this exhibition arose from an impulse to do something new, as he leaves behind the name of Fran Ramírez as an artist. "This exhibition is my mark as Viola. I have a disease which I have now learned to live with. Since 2018 I couldn't hardly raise my head, but in 2021 Javier Calleja and Alicia Gutiérrez were interested in my art and bought two works from me. That was a big boost," recalls Viola, who draws similarities with Mr. Günter in One Summer's Day. But he has also made an exclusive piece for the man who was his "mentor", as he himself calls him.

"Thanks to him I exhibited my first individual show in Antequera and from there I started to grow," reveals the Sevillian artist.

Little is not left behind. "I exhibited here when I was a student in Malaga 15 years ago, then I was a scholarship holder of the CAC and now to return with my works gives me huge satisfaction," he declares.

His universe, which draws attention to the pastel tones of the ceramics and the black and white of his drawings, goes far beyond the figures, colourful stripes, flowers and the phrases that accompany them. There is playfulness and fun in his iconography, but in this imagery are the artist's reflections. "Many themes are universal, such as love and heartbreak, something that everyone goes through in their lives. I am inspired by catharsis, by moments I have gone through and then I capture it in a drawing, that makes me understand the world," Little says.

There is no doubt that at first glance the exhibitions of Little and Viola have nothing to do with each other. But when you look beyond the strokes and styles of these two artists, you see that their works clash, but also converge at more than one point.

Both exhibitions are on in CAC La Coracha, (Subida La Coracha 25) Malaga, until 7 April.