The Manifesta 15 art biennial proposes to reconquer and rethink the city

The European biennial of contemporary culture Manifesta has already started work on the 15th edition, which will take place from September 8 to November 24, 2024 in Barcelona and the metropolitan region. The prolegomena consists of developing the "conceptual framework" based on the work of 10 artists, researchers and local entities, the creative mediator Sergio Pardo and the Manifesta team. The objective, "reconquer and rethink the city" and its limits from three physical nodes: the Besòs river, the Llobregat delta and the Collserola mountains. The critical role of arts and culture in "urgent" issues such as environmental, humanitarian and political crises and the integration of culture, nature, science and human rights will guide the meeting.

Manifesta, the nomadic European biennial of contemporary culture, has been working for several months on the planning, conceptualization and development of the next edition that will take place in 2024 in Barcelona and its metropolitan region.

Each Manifesta biennial investigates and reflects on emerging developments in contemporary art and culture, situated in a European context. In doing so, they seek the engagement of local, national and international audiences with new aspects and forms of artistic expression to catalyze positive social change in Europe.

In the case of Barcelona, the city invited Manifesta (this is how the biennial works) to celebrate Manifesta 15 to "help create an urban, cultural and ecological alternative of structures around the metropolitan region", away from the touristic icons of the downtown.

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Process in progress

In this sense, the event begins its work long before the actual art show (2024). In fact, the calendar has already started to run and during the last six months Manifesta 15 has been thinking about the theoretical questions that will give rise to the presentation of projects, and is about to close the collaboration with ten collaborations schools and city entities to jointly develop an 'Ecosocial Magna Carta' for Barcelona.

With this theoretical body, starting in September, the event will make an open call to artists, researchers from various fields, entities and collectives from Barcelona and the metropolitan region to present until the end of the year the projects that give shape to the challenges that arise. In other words, much of what will end up being seen at the biennial in the fall of 2024.

"Mapping" Barcelona

The topics are not completely closed, but it is already known that they will revolve around three territorial nodes, with their respective conceptual umbrella: the Besòs area to "imagine the future", Collserola ("how we want to care and be cared for") and the Llobregat delta ("balancing the conflict within the framework of the common"). In Barcelona, the epicenter and headquarters of the Manifesta will be the former headquarters of Gustavo Gili Publishing.

Manifesta therefore presents itself as a "catalyst for debates and alternatives in the territory". His proposals, as a set of socio-climatic research and knowledge production actions "will not solve the problems but they do this function", and aspire to leave a mark on the city and its metropolitan region, argued this morning the architect and first (of the two) creative mediator chosen by the contest.

Manifesta 15's board of directors is made up of 9 people, four foreigners and five people from Catalonia: the architect Josep Bohigas (current director general of Barcelona Regional Urban Development Agency, and director general of the Barcelona Urban Ecology Agency) , the manager of the Area of Culture, Education, Science and Community of Barcelona City Council, Marta Clari, the director of Innovation, Research and Visual Arts at the Institute of Culture of Barcelona, Eva Soria Puig, the current Minister of Universities, Joan Subirats, and the deputy mayor of Culture, Jordi Martí.

This is a temporary Foundation set up for the celebration of the event, in which the Dutch Manifesta organization participates, the Barcelona City Council and the other metropolitan councils that are part of the candidacy (Hospitalet de Llobregat, Terrassa, Badalona, Sabadell, Mataró, Sant Cugat del Vallès, Cornellà de Llobregat, El Prat de de Llobregat, Granollers and Santa Coloma de Gramenet), and other actors. The Generalitat is not there, nor the Diputació de Barcelona nor the Ministry of Culture, which nevertheless co-finances the event. In total, the public contribution to Manifesta will be 8 million euros.