Manifesta Barcelona

Manifesta 2024, the 15th edition of the European Nomadic Biennial, will be held in the metropolitan region of Barcelona, Spain. The City of Barcelona invited Manifesta with the aim of decentralizing cultural infrastructures and creating a framework for artistic interventions across the region. Manifesta changes its location every two years and invites interdisciplinary practitioners to reflect on emerging developments in Europe. Manifesta 15, scheduled to open on September 8, 2024, will explore the urban fabric of the metropolitan region, focusing on socio-cultural themes and geographical locations. The pre-biennial process involves researching and collaborating on socio-cultural and ecological projects in the region through a participatory approach. The outcome of this research will lead to the development of innovative artistic projects addressing urgent socio-ecological transformations. Sergio Pardo, a Spanish architect based in New York, has been appointed as the Creative Mediator to work on this process. The three selected geographical nodes for Manifesta 15 are the Besòs river, the Llobregat delta, and the Collserola mountain range, representing natural systems and open spaces in close relation to urban and industrial development. These nodes will explore themes of imagining the future, managing imbalances in the commons, and caring for ourselves and others. Manifesta 15 will involve co-creation and will also incorporate educational research on the pedagogical histories of Catalonia. The results of these processes will be showcased at Manifesta 15 Barcelona’s headquarters in late summer 2023 and will inform the vision for the biennial, which will run from September 8 to November 24, 2024.