As part of the celebrations of 50 years of diplomatic relations between Spain and China, a joint exhibition is taking place in Madrid to showcase the works of female contemporary artists from the two countries. 

"This is the first time my work has ever been seen in public," beams Spanish painter Lola Aguilar as she tells CGTN how it feels to finally be able to share her art with the world.

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Aguilar is in her 60s and is happily posing for photos with a large group of women who have come to see this joint display of works by 47 Chinese and Spanish artists at the Chinese Cultural Center in Madrid.

"I'm very proud and delighted with the opportunity, I've been painting since I was a child," says Aguilar.

'Art has been monopolized by men'

The exhibition is called 'Ellas' – the Spanish female collective noun - and presents a diverse selection of female perspectives from contemporary artists across Spain and China.

"Art has been monopolized by men since the beginning of time. Velazquez, Goya, Murillo… yet there are so many paintings by women in museum basements," laments Aguilar. 

The Chinese Cultural Center's Director Yang Changqing shares this sentiment.

"Us women have a crucial role in the world," Changqing tells CGTN. "I don't feel like we are inferior to men, we are equal and we can do many of the same things equally well, some things we can do even better."

For Aguilar, the opportunity to exhibit her work in public came through 'The (In)visible Women's Club' – a collective founded by Eva Tamargo in Spain that aims to give female artists the oxygen of exposure.

"We need to take works by women out of the museum basements," says Tamargo.

"But it isn't just male painters who have dominated, men have also held all the positions of power in the art world, favoring the promotion of works by other men."

'Giving visibility to all women'

"Women need to have the same rights that men have had throughout history," Aguilar adds. "Women of all adjectives, of all nations, we don't have [differences of] nationality or color, we are simply women. We have to support each other in a world that is made for men, particularly in art and culture. 

"The great thing about this club is that it gives visibility to women of all races and from all places."

The exhibition in Madrid's Chinese Cultural Center is an opportunity for female contemporary artists to share a unique space.

"This is a platform of cultural exchange between Chinese and Spanish female artists," Director Yang explains. "We want it to be a bridge between our two countries.

"Culture and art are universal languages, I believe through artistic works people can feel the hope and the expectations for a better future, that's the beauty of art."

In Madrid's neighborhood of Salamanca, works of art by names like Ana Hernando and Dunia Vera are on show alongside those of Fan Xueyi and Kang Lei.

There is a rich palette of expressive styles hanging proudly in the center where women from diverse backgrounds across Spain and China share their perspectives.

The theme of the exhibition is the richness and energy of Spring - exploring youth, beauty, old age, nature and rejuvenation. The exhibits nod to China's many ethnicities as well as the Chinese zodiac calendar. 

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