After the stage lights have gone out and the final note has faded into silence, Joaquín Sabina returns to the most private area of his life – he takes refuge in his notebooks and his marker pens, with which he has produced hundreds of drawings in bright, vibrant colours, forging a creative universe that is full of princesses, legends, muses, and many other things. 

Artika invites you to discover this creative universe, conceived by one of our leading contemporary artists; in an edition, furthermore, that is exclusive, inimitable, signed by the artist and limited to 4,998 copies. 

THE WORK is comprised of an Art Book, the book Garagatos and a pull-out section measuring almost 3 metres in length. Joaquín Sabina has been closely involved in every step of the production of this edition, and he has even signed all the copies personally, one by one, in pencil. 

But before we venture into Sabina’s world, we have to open our eyes to his way of seeing, observing and portraying reality; we have to discover the most private side of the artist. Thus it is no coincidence that the box cover for this work includes a fragment of the door of the artist’s bedroom. 

The Art Book contains 66 facsimile drawings, selected by the artist from his personal collection of notebooks. They are presented in the form of different-sized plates, and printed in five colours – including the silver ink that is such a favourite of the artist, and which he uses in almost all his drawings. 

Each plate is accompanied by a short text that features calligraphy by the artist himself, as well as poetry, fragments of songs or simply humorous comments on each drawing, all of which brings us closer to Joaquín Sabina and his world. 

The volume is divided into five chapters, four of which make reference to songs recorded by Sabina: “No permita la Virgen de la Amargura”, “Pongamos que hablo de…”, “Princesas” and “Enemigos íntimos”. They take us on a journey through some of his perennial themes: the religious imaginary, Sabina’s myths and legends, the thousand faces of his nights, his princesses, eroticism, etc. The fifth chapter, “Fotomatón”, contains a pull-out section featuring 74 of the artist’s portraits. They represent the 1,000 faces (not to mention the 2,000 corners) that inhabit the singer-songwriter’s nights. 

The book Garagatos takes the reader on a journey guided by a group of first-class writers, all of whom have an in-depth knowledge of Sabina’s life and work. They include the poet and professor of Spanish literature Luis García Montero, the writer and poet Felipe Benítez Reyes, the journalist Miguel Ángel Aguilar, Benjamín Prado, writer and poet, Javier Rioyo, journalist, writer and scriptwriter, and the journalist and writer Nativel Preciado. And last but not least, Guillermo Solana, Artistic Director at the Museo Thyssen, explores the characters, influences, archetypes and clichés that appear in the artist’s drawings. 

To both his faithful followers and those discovering him for the first time, Sabina sends this message: “In my drawings you will find a little bit of laughter, a little irony, a little eroticism, and nearly all the subjects that interest me most”, in addition to a selection of his stories, secrets and anecdotes, and a wide variety of photographs that illustrate the singer-songwriter’s life and career.