Latest news with #Comas
Gulf Today
21-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Gulf Today
Palm before storm: Aldo Comas at COYA Dubai explores life's duality
COYA Dubai has launched a new three-month exhibition titled Jungle and Chaos. It has been created exclusively for the venue by Spanish multidisciplinary artist, Aldo Comas. Unveiled on May 16 and on view till March at COYA Dubai, Four Seasons Resort, Jumeirah, the collection has been crafted to reflect the spirit of the UAE by drawing on desert landscapes, palm trees, and the region's energy. Comas was present on the opening night, where he met guests and shared personal insights into the works on display. A sumptuous dinner followed the inaugural, where Latin American cuisine inspired by Peru, completed the cultural journey for those present and initiated it for those yet to come. In Jungle and Chaos, Comas explores the palm tree as a recurring motif (he describes it as a 'poetic flag of identity'), capturing imagined paradises, visual memory, and the poignant nostalgia of fleeting beauty. Rendered in burnt tones and soft pastels, each work invites serious reflection, even as it enhances COYA's ambience and energy. 'Humbled by the great event in @coyadubai,' said Comas. 'Thanks to everyone that was part of such an incredible art show. Jungle & Chaos was an absolute success and I'm in love with Dubai vibe and its people. Here is some info on my new collection: Jungle & Chaos is a visceral, untamed journey through the rawest corners of the human psyche and the primal beauty of nature. Composition titled Jungle Love. 'In this collection, Aldo Comas abandons any pretension of control and dives headfirst into the fertile collision between instinct and intellect — between the jungle and the chaos that lives within us all. Each piece pulses with wild emotion, layering textures and symbols in a language that is both ancient and intensely personal. You'll find animal totems emerging from tangled brushstrokes, mythological figures bleeding into tropical fever dreams, and the echoes of Schopenhauer's worldview vibrating beneath every gesture. Jungle & Chaos is not a place. It is a state — a space where civilisation collapses and something more truthful rises from the wreckage. These works are not meant to be understood at first glance. They are meant to be felt, fought with, returned to. The chaos is not decoration. It's confession.' As with all of Aldo's work, this series is autobiographical, even in its most symbolic moments. It reflects the inner landscapes of a soul shaped by beauty, violence, memory, and rebellion. From the lush madness of the jungle to the carefully curated disorder of his canvas, Aldo invites us into a world where instinct is sacred, chaos is a form of clarity, and art is the only real map. Comas is a contemporary artist born in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. He is a painter, sculptor and conceptual storyteller, whose work navigates the space between the figurative and the neo-expressionist. Drawing inspiration from pop culture, philosophy, visual memory, advertising aesthetics and reinvented memories, his pieces are rooted in emotional exotica and the symbols of freedom, all expressed in confident, jazzy strokes. A while ago, he decided to focus exclusively on painting - and his work has not ceased to surprise since. His signature is that in each of his paintings, he shows a duality that, according to him, reflects the 'modus operandi of life itself'. His work narrates stories of the contradictions of modernity and the nostalgia that accompanies it. Comas has exhibited internationally and brings a deeply personal, ever-evolving artistic vision – one shaped not only by creative exploration, but also by his unique lifestyle as a professional skydiver, with over 8,000 jumps to his credit. Since the COYA exhibition remains on display for three months, it offers guests an extended opportunity to engage with his works, which are also available for purchase. Aldo Comas surveys the world. For COYA Dubai, Comas presents a selection from his palm tree collection – a recurring motif in his work that evokes dreamlike landscapes, imagined paradises and the delicate nostalgia of fleeting beauty. Each palm is a visual statement: a ruin of paradise, a pop icon, or a poetic flag of identity. COYA Dubai, established in 2014 at the Four Seasons Resort Dubai at Jumeirah Beach, strives to transcend the traditional restaurant experience. It offers an immersive voyage through the rich tapestry of Latin American and Peruvian culture, where culinary innovation meets captivating art, and throbbing music. Known for refreshing its art displays quarterly, COYA Dubai's ambience seamlessly merges contemporary design with Latin American and Peruvian influences. Stimulating artworks and installations adorn every corner, transforming the space into a living canvas that celebrates the fusion of cultures. Refurbished in 2022, the venue includes unique elements such as Peruvian antique mirrors, gilded hand-carved wooden panels, Inca carvings, wrought iron screening details, and plush Italian fabric wallpapers. The heartbeat of COYA Dubai could be said to be its music, where acoustic melodies and infectious Latin American beats curated by internationally acclaimed artists and DJs of COYA MUSIC create a transformative atmosphere, inviting guests to connect with each rhythm. With venues in Mayfair, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, London City, Monte Carlo, Marbella, Mykonos, Doha, Riyadh, Muscat and Barcelona, COYA offers an odyssey into the very heart of Latin America. COYA Dubai earned a coveted spot in the 2023 Middle East & North Africa's 50 Best Restaurants guide. It has transformed its space into an ever-evolving gallery, seamlessly blending immersive hospitality with creative expression, continuing its commitment to cultural immersion in Dubai.
New York Times
29-04-2025
- Automotive
- New York Times
Ayrton Senna helmet from when he rescued unconscious F1 driver sells for record price at auction
The helmet worn by legendary Formula One driver Ayrton Senna during the 1992 Belgian Grand Prix, where he helped rescue an unconscious rival from a crash, has been sold for a record £720,000 ($966,449). Auctioneers RM Sotheby's said the sale beat the previous record of a race-worn helmet set by the sale of one from current Ferrari F1 driver Charles Leclerc. His helmet, from the 2023 Monaco Grand Prix, was sold for £262,700 ($352,315) in June 2023 to raise proceeds for the disaster relief fund of the Emilia-Romagna floods in northern Italy that year. Advertisement Leclerc's helmet, in turn, beat the previous record of £139,100 ($186,551) set in 2019 by the sale of another race-worn Senna helmet, used during the 1990 F1 season. The 1992 Belgian Grand Prix Senna helmet was created by manufacturer Shoei and was a bespoke racing version of its X-4 model, constructed to be 100-200g lighter than the standard version. Shoei, more famous as a manufacturer of helmets used in motorcycle racing, had only started supplying models to Senna for use in Formula One in 1992. The helmet offered at auction online by Sotheby's between April 23-28 features Senna's trademark yellow-green-and-blue striped livery, as well as the colors of sponsors for the McLaren team where he continued to race in 1992, plus those of its Honda engine supplier. During practice for that season's race at the fearsome Spa-Francorchamps circuit in Belgium, Ligier driver Erik Comas crashed at the Blanchimont corner and lost consciousness in the impact. His foot remained pinned on the throttle pedal in the aftermath, with the car's engine still running. When Senna drove past the wreckage shortly afterwards, he spotted the danger and stopped his McLaren, running back down the track to attend to the stricken Comas while dodging the traffic of other F1 cars, getting to the scene shortly before several track marshals. Senna reached into the cockpit and turned off the engine, which reduced the risk of a subsequent problem with the still-active engine potentially harming Comas. Senna then held Comas' head in the cockpit until medical crews arrived. The French driver later claimed Senna had saved his life with these actions. In another famous instance, Comas drove his F1 car to the scene of Senna's fatal accident at the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix during that race's red flag stoppage. The 1992 Belgian Grand Prix was won by then-Benetton driver Michael Schumacher, the first of his 91 F1 victories, while Senna finished fifth for McLaren. Comas did not take part as a result of his accident. The 1992 campaign came after Senna had won the final two of his three F1 world titles in the preceding seasons, as McLaren and Honda's previous dominance of the championship began to wane against the rise of Williams-Renault.
