Casa Revilla, headquarters of the Valladolid Municipal Culture Foundation, is hosting the exhibition 'Veneno Magazine', a retrospective of the history of a poetry and visual art publication. Curated by Luis Marigómez, the exhibition traces a publishing adventure that began in 1983 and reached its final issue in 2019.
The Councillor for Education and Culture, Irene Carvajal, inaugurated the event alongside Luis Marigómez and Pedro Ojeda, coordinator of the Valladolid Letraherido program. Admission is free , and the exhibition can be visited until November 22, from Tuesday to Sunday, between 12:00 and 14:00 and from 18:30 to 21:30.
A modest and long-lived publication
Veneno took its first steps in August 1983 in Palencia , driven by the poets Edigio Huerga and Secundino Naves and the painter Francisco Aliseda. The idea was to create a poetry and design magazine, distributed free of charge and on a non-profit basis, with very limited resources and a great deal of artisanal dedication.
The first issue was a single sheet of paper, printed on both sides and folded, of which only 200 copies were distributed . What could have remained a brief experiment stretched for more than three decades: the publication reached 192 issues and six special editions.
The following year, in 1984 , the magazine moved to Valladolid and maintained a close relationship with the city. It later continued its work from other locations. Over time, Veneno became a meeting point for poetry, design, painting, and visual and experimental creation, despite having limited resources and remaining free of charge.
Everyday objects and a highly recognizable visual identity
One of Veneno's most curious features was its habit of including everyday objects and materials in its issues. Safety pins, buttons, tickets, painted stones, or unwinning lottery tickets appeared alongside trading cards and comic strips, so that each issue ended up being a unique piece.
The list of contributors was extensive and varied: poets, painters, and designers, many of whom appeared in only one issue. Among them all, Francisco Aliseda , co-founder and a key figure in the project, stood out. He participated throughout its entire run, sometimes under pseudonyms, and his designs became one of the magazine's defining characteristics.
Visual and experimental poetry appeared from the very first issues, although it gained particular prominence during the sixth and penultimate period. This phase saw the addition of creators from Brazil, Mexico, Japan, and Portugal, as well as numerous authors and poems written by women and other Spanish artists. Its pages featured names such as Antonio Gómez, Fernando Millán, Julián Alonso, Bartolomé Ferrando, Antonio Orihuela, Juan Crego, José Blanco, J. Ricart, J.M. Calleja, and Rafael MarÃn.
Exhibition, round tables and parallel programming
The exhibition brings together a selection of issues arranged by theme , along with related books and other magazines. These materials help contextualize how Veneno was born and how it evolved, and also reveal the mark it left on the publishing world. The exhibition dedicates a section to Francisco Aliseda as a key figure in the project.
In parallel, Casa Revilla has organized five roundtables in the CossÃo Room. All are free, begin at 19:30 p.m., and will examine different moments and aspects of the publication's history.
- September 30: 'The Seven Lives of Veneno', with Luis Marigómez and Jorge Praga. Includes the presentation of the book Veneno (1983-2019), by José Luis Puerto.
- 7 October: 'Birth and early times', with Julián Alonso, Francisco Sanz and Luis Santana.
- 14 October: 'Painters in Poison', with Manuel Sierra, Teresa Cortés and Marco Temprano.
- November 4: 'Visual poetry in Veneno', with Antonio Gómez, Julián Alonso, Rafael MarÃn and Juan Crego.
- November 11: 'Poets in Poison', with Olvido GarcÃa Valdés, Miguel Casado, Esperanza Ortega and Tomás Sánchez Santiago.
All appointments are free of charge and take place in the CossÃo Room at 19:30 p.m. The exhibition remains open until November 22, from Tuesday to Sunday, with the same hours of 12:00 p.m. to 14:00 p.m. and 18:30 p.m. to 21:30 p.m.
The Casa Revilla exhibition serves as a reminder that Veneno was a magazine produced with limited resources , a small print run, and free distribution, yet it possessed a remarkable ability to connect poets, graphic artists, and readers. Its journey, from Palencia to Valladolid and beyond, can now be traced in an exhibition that combines copies, artifacts, documents, and panel discussions.
