José Díaz awarded with The Cocktail Art Prize - New Rituals

We live in a world in continuous change, where the environment, culture and society itself evolve and transform, giving rise to new rituals.

Under this premise, the first edition of The Cocktail - New Rituals Art Prize took place, an event that celebrates transgressive and committed artistic practices that address fundamental social, cultural and political aspects of our present. The winner of this first edition was the artist José Díaz, for his pictorial work Motorik (psychomotor), which deals with daily rhythms and routine, as well as the rhythm and atmosphere of the city of Madrid.

This recognition stems from The Cocktail's ongoing commitment to actively participate in the society in which it operates. On this occasion, it focuses on contemporary rituals and how they shape and redefine our social reality. From the reimagining of traditional practices to the creation of new forms of interaction and participation, contemporary art invites us to reflect on the intricate web of meaning that is woven through these constantly evolving rituals.

The purpose is to map the emotional, social and cultural connections that contemporary rituals establish in the fabric of modern life. The practice of commemorating important events or expressing solidarity through social networks; social activism movements that seek to change critical issues such as equality, social justice or human rights; as well as meditation and practices related to ethical and responsible consumption are just some examples of these contemporary rituals. 

For this reason, The Cocktail Art Prize - New Rituals becomes a space for exploration and dialogue, aimed at offering a deeper understanding of how contemporary art is a powerful agent of change and reflection. In addition, this prize provides a platform for emerging artists whose work has a significant impact on the contemporary art sphere.

Motorik, the daily rhythms and the routine of Madrid

The award-winning artist in this first edition was José Díaz thanks to his work Motorik. The Madrid creator uses painting as a way of transporting these processes to a practical environment that makes them visible, in a transmission of information where there is a deformation and a construction.

This artist, who paints through improvisation, seeks to generate an environment with a profound symbolic meaning through an act of unrestricted action and reaction. His works, which have a volumetric dimension related to 3D, reveal a smooth and velvety surface when viewed from the profile, with the intention of packaging and presenting them as images.

In this work he makes use of the term Motorik (psychomotricity), a word popularised by music critics to refer to a rhythmic ostinato used by krautrock bands in West Germany in the late 1960s that alludes to the repetitive yet fluid sensation of rhythm, which has been compared to the experience of driving on a motorway.

This painting speaks of daily rhythms and routine, as well as the rhythm and atmosphere of the city of Madrid. A routine saturated with the everyday, both physical and virtual, with a futuristic dynamic, typical of the technological city: the asphalt, the signage, the neon lights, the urban speleology or the stroboscopic repetitions typical of clubs.