Luis Francisco Esplá Sponsors 'Embroidering Courage' Exhibition by Yuliia Tkachenko at the Municipal Bullfighting Museum

Luis Francisco Esplá, a bullfighter and recipient of the Gold Medal for Fine Arts, sponsored the opening of the 'Embroidering Courage' exhibition this week at the Municipal Bullfighting Museum in Alicante. The exhibition, created by Ukrainian artist Yuliia Tkachenko, features 18 works where 40,000 hand-embroidered pearls form the faces of bullfighters, using a technique previously unknown in Spain. Each piece in the exhibition is unique.

'Embroidering Courage' is Tkachenko's first exhibition in Spain since she attended her first bullfighting event in 2019: "I was moved by everything I witnessed. I was fascinated by the ancient art of bullfighting, its rhythm, its poetry." From that moment, she felt compelled to express through her hands and art the echo left by various masters in her spirit. It was a year later that she began embroidering the first pearl.

The more than 40,000 small pearls that form each face, in eleven shades of black and white, represent for the artist that "each stitch, each crystal glint is a gesture of gratitude, a tribute to the passion, courage, and mystery embodied by bullfighters. This collection arises from pure inspiration, born in the arena and embroidered with the soul." It will be open to visitors until the days leading up to the Hogueras Fair 2025.

'Embroidering Courage' makes its first stop in Alicante on a tour that will continue throughout this year and into 2026, reaching cities such as Madrid, Valencia, and Málaga. The exhibition is supported by the Alicante City Council, through the Bullring Department led by Mari Carmen de España; the 'Friends of Nimes' Bullfighting Club; and the Honorary Consulate of Ukraine in the Valencian Community.