Painter Documents León Mining History

Why this is here: De la Concha spent over two years working on the project, and noted that some of his subjects passed away before the exhibition opened.

Félix de la Concha, a painter from León, Spain, is exhibiting portraits and a documentary about the now-defunct mining industry of Fabero. Over two years, from 2002 to 2024, he interviewed and painted twelve residents connected to the Julia mine, now a museum.

De la Concha painted his subjects “alla prima,” completing each portrait in a single session while also recording their stories. He previously used this method to document elderly residents of Bilbao, Holocaust survivors, and people of various faiths in Iowa. The resulting series, “Conversations from the Julia Well,” is on display at La Térmica Cultural in Ponferrada until May 31st.

The artist deliberately chose the former engineers’ house as his studio, a space overlooking the valley and the mine entrance. He notes some of his subjects have since passed away, including one known as “Pedro El Lechero.” While De la Concha avoids idealized portraits, aiming to capture personality, he also edited some potentially sensitive details from the recorded conversations.

The project continues as De la Concha explores time and attention in his broader artistic practice.