Mallorca shines at ARCO: International Contemporary Art Fair opens its doors

ARCO is the International Contemporary Art Fair of Spain, one of the main platforms of the contemporary art market. It is held from February 22 to 26 at IFEMA Madrid. Four galleries and different artists from Mallorca shine at the Fair. In total, 211 galleries from 36 countries are exhibiting

The 42nd edition of ARCO brings together hundreds of professionals from the sector with a common theme: ‘The Mediterranean: a round sea’. This year, 2023, the Mallorcan representation shines thanks to the galleries L21, Pelaires, the Kewenig space and Baró, as well as the Institut d’Estudis Baleràrics.

L21, directed by Óscar Florit, attends the Fair with a large representation, including the island artist Fátima de Juan. The Galería Pelaires, run by Frederic Pinya, is presenting the Mallorcan artist Gori Mora at ARCO.

On the other hand, the Kewenig space, located in Palma and Berlin, represents Bernardí Roig, who attends the event with other galleries such as Max Estrella from Madrid and Miguel Marcos from Barcelona. The Baró gallery, run by María Baró, is accompanied by Amparo Sard, an artist who is also represented at the Beckers + Kornfield gallery in Germany, and the multifaceted Mallorcan creator Albert Pinya.

The Institut d’Estudis Baleàrics, IEB, directed by Pere Malondra, is participating with a single project by Julià Panadès, curated by Àngels Miralda, entitled ‘Mediterranean Souvenir: Ofrenes’. Finally, the director of Es Baluard Museu d’Art Contemporani, Imma Prieto, will participate in an inaugural colloquium entitled ‘Breaking News’ together with Nuria Enguita, managing director of the Instituto Valenciano de Arte Moderno (IVAM) and Elvira Dyangani Ose, director of the Museo de Arte Contemporáneo de Barcelona (MACBA), moderated by the independent curator Marina Fokidis.

The Consell de Mallorca with Mallorcan galleries and artists at ARCO

The president of the Consell de Mallorca, Catalina Cladera, has expressed her support to the Mallorcan delegation of galleries present at ARCO. It is a sample of the island’s cultural richness and its promotion outside the island. This year, four galleries from Mallorca are participating in the International Contemporary Art Fair: Pelaires, L21, Kewening and Baró.

Precisely, the insular direction of Culture of the Consell de Mallorca has made available to the art galleries of the island 90,000 euros as a grant for their artistic activities. An aid that this year has increased by 40,000 euros over the previous year.

The purpose of the call is to support the realization of exhibition projects of plastic and visual arts carried out by art galleries, within the framework of collective events that take place in Mallorca. The deadline for submitting applications is March 13.

Pelaires Gallery at ARCO.

L21 Gallery at ARCO.

‘Mediterranean Souvenir: Ofrenes’

For its part, the Balearic Government is present at ARCO to promote and give visibility to the artistic creation in the field of visual arts of the Balearic Islands. At the Balearic Islands stand is the project ‘Mediterranean Souvenir: Ofrenes’, by Julià Panadès and curated by Àngels Miralda.

It is a proposal born in 2014 on the coasts of Mallorca and includes performance, sculpture and photography. As totemistic sculptures, these offerings can be interpreted as a form of reverence to consumer culture. As well as a proposal of spiritual practices of a polluted present in which the earth enters the geological era of the “plasticene”. Panadès and Miralda explained.

The gallerists receive aid from the Institut d’Estudis Baleàrics, IEB, through the line of external projection of visual arts, which favor the internationalization of the culture of the Balearic Islands, explained the general director of Culture, Catalina Solivellas.

Vindication of the care of the marine ecosystem

‘Mediterranean Souvenir: Ofrenes’ is accompanied by a curatorial text by Àngels Miralda that contextualizes Panadès’ work and is complemented by a text by marine biologist Carme Alomar. This text focuses on the problem of plastic pollution in the Mediterranean Sea. It supports the demand for the care and conservation of a highly vulnerable marine ecosystem that must be preserved for future generations.