The 15th edition of Manifesta opened on the 8th of September in metropolitan Barcelona. I was glad to have made it to Barcelona just a few days before Manifesta closed on the 24th of November. The European Nomadic Biennale started in 1996 in Rotterdam as a response to the political, economic, and social changes following the end of the Cold War and the subsequent steps toward European integration.
Metropolitan Barcelona, with its population of 5.1 million inhabitants, covers 3,000 square kilometers. For the first time in Manifesta’s history, the Biennale was hosted in 12 different cities; the Biennale was intentionally decentralized and focused on local communities on the periphery. The gargantuan project, with 92 artists overseen by Portuguese curator Filipa Oliveira, was at times overwhelming, with a wide curatorial concept delving into the themes of Balancing Conflicts, Cure and Care, and Imagining Futures.
The main highlight by far was the colossal Sant Adrià de Besòs power plant, which hosted the Imagining Futures sub-theme of the Biennale. Its three towering chimneys are visible from across the region and were open to the public for the first time. Called the ‘Sagrada Familia of the workers,’ it has become a local landmark since it was built in the 1970s. There were 21 interventions scattered throughout the mind-blowing space, and the conversation between the various works, installations, and videos embraced the gigantism and majesty of the space.
Claire Fontaine, the collective whose work gave the last Venice Biennale its title, presented another conceptual piece, “When women strike, the world stops,” which resonates with the history of the power plant. While only making up 1 per cent of the workforce, women fought in the shadows of the building for personal rights, environmental safety, and improved living conditions.
Asad Raza’s Prehension (2024), commissioned for the Biennale, is a totally site-specific and truly standout piece. Raza created an installation centred around the wind: 22 industrial lengths of white linen cascaded from the ceiling. With its white curtains, this major installation evoked the imagery of Muslim burial shrouds and created a bridge across the Balearic Sea to Africa, “symbolizing nature’s unhindered movement in contrast to the restrictions imposed on people”. Raza’s work, with its long drapes of white fabric that rhythmically danced with the wind, was truly poetic and mesmerizing.
I really liked Diana Scherer’s Yield (2024). The gigantic tapestry, which she refers to as a “collaboration with nature,” was made of roots, soil, seeds, and grass draped all the way from one factory floor to another. It references the spines and bones that fascinated Catalan architect Antoni Gaudí and was manufactured in Barcelona.
An interesting discovery was the installation Sonido Invisible by the two collectives Jokkoo and cantdefine.me. Jokkoo is a musical artistic collective rooted in Barcelona with six distinctive personalities sharing common objectives: Baba Sy, Maguette Dieng (Mbodj), Oscar Taylor (Opoku), Nicolas Beliot (Mooki6), Ismäel N’diaye (B4mba), and Miriam Camara (TNTC). The collective name comes from the word “connection” in the Senegalese language. They decided to team up with cantdefine.me, an audio-visual duo collective. Their joint installation called Sonido Invisible explores the communities, often from the African diaspora, who collect and recycle metal in Barcelona.
The sub-theme, Balancing Conflicts, was presented on the other side of the city at El Prat de Llobregat in the truly breathtaking Casa Gomis. A private Modernist villa designed by Antoni Bonet i Castellana between 1949 and 1963, Casa Gomis was opened to the public for the first time by the Biennale. It is known as a former refuge for Catalan cultural figures during Franco’s dictatorship.
I liked Carlos Pérez Siquier’s photographs on beaches and mass tourism.
Scattered around the garden, I discovered Larry Achiampong’s installation A Series of Blackboard “Detection” from 2018-24. Achiampong enlisted ten locals in positions of privilege, such as Elvira Dyangani Ose, director of the Barcelona Museum of Contemporary Art, to choose from a collection of political phrases from English children’s TV and themes connected to public art and the Black Lives Matter movement. These participants had repeatedly written the words in chalk, mimicking the old-school punishment of writing lines. Through this, Achiampong challenges colonial narratives and reflects on contemporary society, using humour and satire.
Further, at Can Trinxet, in a transformed textile factory, I really enjoyed Binta Diaw’s Dïà s p o r a (2021–24). The Italian-Senegalese artist created an intricate maze of black synthetic braiding hair. Initially showcased at Galerie Cécile Fakhoury in Abidjan, the artwork involved local women of African descent who wove the structure while sharing personal stories, highlighting their often-overlooked contributions. As visitors navigate the maze, they encounter knee-high rice plants emerging from the floor, which reflect Diaw’s exploration of the transatlantic slave trade. Enslaved women hid seeds and grains in their hair as acts of resistance; a theme echoed in the braiding of escape routes.
I had mixed feelings about my visit to the Monastery of Sant Cugat, which hosted the ‘Cure and Care’ hub for Manifesta 15. The Monastery, a stunning Roman structure from the 12th century, provided a remarkable backdrop. Still, I felt that the curation of the Biennale could have more effectively highlighted the venue and the artists involved, including Simone Fattal’s captivating bronze sculpture, Adam and Eve (2021). At times, it was unclear which elements were part of the Biennale and which belonged to the Monastery Museum, which made the experience a little challenging to navigate.
I left Barcelona slightly frustrated, as navigating the various exhibition locations was challenging. What was a good intention to decentralize and include the peripheral localities proved, at times, to be a cumbersome experience and required good organization in order to navigate among its various sites.
Overall, I did make great discoveries, and the three chimneys of the Sant Adrià de Besòs power plant were truly a mind-blowing experience where art and architecture blended to enhance a unique experience for the viewer. Manifesta 16 will take place in Germany and promises to provide another unique experience.
Manifesta 15 Barcelona 8 September – 24 November 2024
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