The exhibition Javier Mingueza, Jazz Images, provides us with the opportunity of seeing in the galleries of this museum a synthesis of nearly twenty years of Jazz in Vitoria-Gasteiz. These photographs, which have been selected by the author himself, draw parallels between three interrelated worlds which, on this occasion, are merged into one: music, art and photography. Of value both as documents and artistic works, Mingueza's photographs pay homage to the Vitoria-Gasteiz Jazz Festival on the occasion of its 30th anniversary.

Upper East Gallery
From june 6 to september 3, 2006

Javier Mingueza's (Vitoria-Gasteiz, 1956) first contact with the world of photography came through his family's business in the capital of Alava. In 1985, when he joined the staff of the newspaper El Correo Español, he began to work on what would become one of his major obsessions over the next 20 years: the newspaper's coverage of the Vitoria-Gasteiz Jazz Festival.

In 1988, he put on his first photographic exhibition with Jazz as the only leit motiv. Together with another four photographers, he organised an exhibition called Jazz Quintet, at the galleries of the Montehermoso Culture Centre, in Vitoria-Gasteiz and a year later he received, together with El Correo, the Sustatu award.

He received the international Gold Medal for the best cover page design with a photograph used as the image for this exhibition, taken in 2000. This photograph was taken for the supplement that the newspaper dedicated to the Vitoria-Gasteiz Jazz Festival of that same year.

Today, he collaborates in the annual exhibitions organised by his newspaper of 50 images depicting the most important events that have occurred during the year in Vitoria-Gasteiz and its province. His last show in this city, Cuatro Esquinas, put on last November together with three other graphic reporters, emphasised the more creative side of this artist.

The exhibition, contains 25 record album covers selected from the best moments in international Jazz through the mythical firm Verve Records, in an exercise that demonstrates once more the natural connection between contemporary Art and Jazz.

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