BSM, the MAPFRE Foundation and the Barcelona Institute of Culture (ICUB) sign an agreement for the organisation of three annual exhibitions linked to the KBr photography centre's programme and the MAPFRE Foundations Collections
The programme kicks off today with the exhibition ‘Retrats’, a selection of portraits by great photographers that shows the variety and richness of the genre over the 20th century
As part of this collaboration, the Port Olímpic will also be the venue for music and dance performances organised by the Conservatori del Liceu and the Institut del Teatre
All activities will be open-air, accessible and free of charge
The Port Olímpic is forging ahead with its aim of becoming another space in the city where people can enjoy cultural and family activities. BSM, as the company responsible for managing the Port Olímpic, the MAPFRE Foundation and the Barcelona Institute of Culture (ICUB) have signed a collaboration agreement that will enable photography and the performing arts to be incorporated into the Port Olímpic's cultural programme.
Thanks to this alliance, over the next three years, the Port Olímpic will be hosting an annual photography exhibition with images from the KBr Photography Centre and from the artistic collection belonging to the MAPFRE Foundation. These will be free, open-air exhibitions, and at each, there’ll be a total of 22 images on display. The photographs will be exhibited on stands located on the Moll de Mestral quay and on the Moll de Gregal quay at certain times.
As well as the photography exhibitions, from next February onwards educational workshops on the art of photography and music and dance performances are planned, and they will revolve around the themes of the exhibitions being held at that time. These shows will be organised in collaboration with the Conservatori del Liceu and the Institut del Teatre.
For the general manager of BSM, Marta Labata, “the alliance between BSM, the MAPFRE Foundation and the ICUB highlights the role of the Port Olímpic as a space within the city that's open to the people of Barcelona, designed not only as a somewhere to enjoy nautical activities, but also as a place for taking a stroll, having a bite to eat, and now for cultural events as well, firmly establishing it as a new focal point within this new space in the city”.
“We're very happy and excited about this project. Not just because it's another step forward in our history as one of the institutions that contribute to the dynamism and cultural richness of Barcelona, but because it involves a space that’s very close to our hearts, one that enables us to play an active part in an initiative that's as important for local people as the recovery of the Port Olímpic”, said the general manager of the MAPFRE Foundation, Julio Domingo Souto.
The programme kicks off with the photography exhibition ‘Retrats. Fundació MAPFRE Collections’
The beginning of this collaboration between BSM, the MAPFRE Foundation and the ICUB will be marked by the photography exhibition ‘Retrats. Fundació MAPFRE Collections’. On display will be reproductions of 22 large-format portraits that reveal the variety and richness within the genre over the course of the twentieth century. From full-face portraits in line with the tradition of the fine arts to fleeting images captured of people on the street who were not posing for the camera to intimate family portraits. The photographs were taken by acclaimed photographers such as Paul Strand, Helen Levitt, Harry Callahan, Anna Malagrida and Cristina García-Rodero.
The programme will continue with the work of artists such as young Colombian photographer Felipe Romero, Helen Levitt, who is one of the leading names in street photography, and many more,which are always related to the exhibitions and collections of the MAPFRE Foundation.
As far as the programme of shows is concerned, the first jazz concert, inspired by mid-20th century French jazz and performed by musicians from the Conservatori del Liceu, will take place on 15 December at 12.30 pm, and you'll be able to enjoy the first dance show, featuring dancers from the Institut del Teatre, in 2025. There will be a regular music and dance programme on certain weekends throughout the year, with afternoon and evening performances in spring and summer, and morning ones in autumn and winter.
Lastly, the first educational workshops will be organised starting next February, and will be held fortnightly on weekends, the aim of which is to introduce children to the visual language of artistic photography.
The Port Olímpic, a new cultural space in Barcelona
The exhibitions and shows emerging from this agreement will be incorporated into the Port Olímpic's cultural programme. Since reopening last July, the Mestral and Gregal quays have been the setting for events such as the concerts and shows that were part of the Cultural Regatta and the La Mercè festivities, as well as the family workshops held on different weekends.
The programme is an invitation by the Port Olímpic to the people of Barcelona to enjoy culture in a space that has been reclaimed for the city, to taste the wide range of dishes offered by the restaurants on the ‘Balcó Gastronòmic’ and to play sports, or simply take a stroll by the sea.
