- The event will take place on 28th August at the Santa Ponça Cross
- Garner's work has brought the name of Calvià around the world
Multidisciplinary artist Lolo Garner will be the town crier for this year's King en Jaume festivities, which celebrate the 796th anniversary of the Conqueror in Santa Ponça, Calvià. The opening speech reading and the traditional floral offering will take place on Thursday, 28th August 2025, at the Discovery Cross, also known as the Landing Cross, above Santa Ponça cove.
Garner expressed his gratitude and surprise: "I will try to do my best. What citizen wouldn't like to give the opening speech in their municipality? It's a source of pride." Garner feels like an ambassador for Calvià: "Wherever I go, I carry the name of Calvià with me. I boast the fact that I'm from here, also as a Mallorcan and Balearic native. Art unites people from all over the world."
Lolo Garner is the pseudonym of the artist Manuel Granero, born in the Palma neighbourhood of Molinar and resident of Calvià, where he also has a studio from which he exports his works worldwide. Trained in industrial design, numerical control, and robotics, his work connects with the art world through the kinetic movement, a movement focused on the aesthetics of movement. He considers himself a tech sculptor.
From his studio in Calvià, Garner has created extremely complex pieces that have traveled around the world. In them, he plays with both, movement illusion and point of view, creating a kinetic effect. Garner's work is based on the exploration of movement as an artistic language. The viewer's gaze and the movement perceived in the work mutually feedback.
His work has transcended borders. Amongst many others, his are the sculptures of King Felipe and Queen Letizia in the Zarzuela gardens, and one of his works is part of the Vatican's private collection. They are also found in the National Art Museum in China and the Shaanxi Provincial Museum (Xi'an). He has exhibited large-format works in the Dominican Republic and one in Florida at Virginia Key National Park (Miami). He was invited by the Chinese Ministry of Culture to represent Spain at the Silk Road World Exhibition, receiving an honorable mention the first year and a gold medal the second. He has been awarded the Pro Arte y Cultura gold medal. He is the first Mallorcan artist to participate in the Burning Man and Love Burn festivals. His two works portraying King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia can be seen in the Zarzuela Palace gardens.
