About the poster
The poster is based on a limited edition of Carlos Saura’s work ‘Lola Flores, Sevillanas 1992’, hand-finished by the artist himself. This edition was the result of a collaboration between Mármol&Fa, an art publishing and cultural management firm led by Alicia Gutiérrez Mármol, with advisory input from internationally renowned artist Javier Calleja, and the filmmaker’s daughter, Anna Saura. During the most recent edition of the Festival, both women chose to gift this piece to the Festival de Málaga to mark the premiere of the documentary Carlos Saura. Ese niño de la fotografía (Carlos Saura: That Boy in the Photograph), directed by Anna Saura herself.
The work is part of an edition originally released in 2021, consisting of 85 pieces in total - 70 serialised reproductions and 15 “fotosaurios” (photo-artworks) - all based on a portrait Saura took of Lola Flores during the filming of his Sevillanas. With this work, the filmmaker paid tribute to one of the most iconic figures in flamenco, whose personality and artistic freedom left a profound mark on his creative imagination.
The donated piece belongs to the series of 15 “fotosaurios” reworked by Saura. In these works, the artist - who passed away at the age of 91, just two years after the release of this edition - combined photography and painting, a hybrid language that defined much of his visual output in his later years.
Anna Saura highlights the special significance of this work within her father’s career: “This edition featuring Lola Flores brings together everything my father was passionate about: cinema, photography, painting and music. It was the first time he painted in a size larger than A3, marking what was to be a new stage in his artistic creation. Part of this process is captured in Carlos Saura. Ese niño de la fotografía, a documentary that premiered in 2025 at the Festival de Málaga”.
For her part, Alicia Gutiérrez Mármol holds a degree in Art History from the University of Málaga and has a long history of involvement in the city’s cultural scene. After spending eight years balancing the management of Calleja Studio - through which she has promoted Javier Calleja internationally and curated exhibitions such as Mr. Günter, The Cat Show – alongside other artistic projects such as Routart, where this collaboration began, she is currently leading her most personal project, Mármol&Fa, which is dedicated to publishing works by major contemporary artists.
For her, the fact that this piece became part of the Festival’s artistic and cultural heritage - eventually evolving into the official image for the 2027 Festival de Málaga, is a source of great joy. She views it as a testament to the profound respect held for Saura’s persona and legacy, as well as for Anna’s tireless efforts to keep her father’s memory alive. “Both Javier Calleja – who designed the poster for the Festival de Málaga a decade ago - and I are incredibly proud to have facilitated this connection, and to see the figures of Saura and the legendary Lola Flores take such a central role in this landmark 30th edition of the Festival”, she states.
About the typeface
The typeface featured on the poster for the 30th Festival de Málaga reproduces Carlos Saura’s own handwriting, incorporating his personal stroke into the visual identity of this edition. This choice goes beyond mere graphic design; it serves as a gesture of recognition and respect for the filmmaker and artist.
The spontaneous, expressive and organic nature of his handwriting engages in a dialogue with the gestural power of the central illustration, in which a flamenco dancer comes to life through energetic brush strokes and a palette dominated by blues, blacks and whites. The combination of these elements creates an image with a strong, distinct character, where the authenticity of the brushwork and the expressiveness of the movement evoke the very essence of Spanish art and culture.
In this way, Carlos Saura’s handwriting is integrated into the poster - not merely as a typographic element, but as a means of preserving his creative imprint and paying tribute to an artistic vision that explored, through cinema and other disciplines, the visual and emotional richness of flamenco.
The poster also revives the “boquerón accent”, a distinctive graphic feature introduced by the Málaga-born artist Javier Calleja into the word “Málaga” for the festival’s 20th anniversary. Ten editions later, this visual nod is once again incorporated into the festival’s graphic identity, reaffirming its connection to the city and the unique way the city refers to itself. A gesture that links different periods in the Festival’s history and highlights the creative legacy of those who have helped shape its visual identity.
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