15 Jul Avant-Garde Barcelona: 10 Contemporary Art Spots To Sensate

Recognized in the avant-garde salons of the world art scene, Barcelona is much, much more than “The City of Gaudi”. Certainly, its postmodern expression quietly nods to those of Dalí and Miró, but boldly liberates itself from the clamps of tradition. As a result, the Catalan capital is now mottled with conceptualism and eroticism, interactive discourses and abstract installations, bizarre and neglected artifacts of the past and colorful art enthusiasts of the future. Dive deep and explore the scene from its murkiest corners.

1. Bizarre and Mesmerizing: Museu Frederic Marès

Dare to call him an obsessive hoarder if you will, but Frederic Marès gave his all to Barcelona’s art scene. Traveling the world to collect rare and wonderfully bizarre pieces for the biggest part of his life, Marès had assembled a truly impressive anthology of 12th and 13th century sculptures, now open for the public and respected worldwide. Located in the Barri Gòtic district, the Museum exhibits various kinds of hypnotizing artifacts, from coarse wooden Madonnas and offbeat crucifixes to bourgeois umbrellas and smoking paraphernalia of Barcelonian Lords.

Address: Plaça Sant Iu 5

Website: museumares.bcn.cat

2. Shadow and Light: Esther Arias Galeria de Arte y Taller

If still hesitant, colorful Esther will surely convince you to stop what you’re doing and pick up a paintbrush. She did it herself many years ago, and never regretted trading marketing figures for lights and shadows. Her gallery, set in the 18th century building in Borne, is where she experiments with the magic of color, exhibits her findings and, occasionally, lends a wall to guest artists to do the same. Instead of heading straight to the Picasso Museum, allow your intuition to wonder off to Esther’s intimate workshop and get inspired by her enchanting dreamlike canvases.

Address: Carrer Cotoners 14

Website: estherarias.com

3. Sofas and Booze: Cosmo Café & Galería Del Arte

There’s a special kind of crowd gathering at The University of Barcelona’s favorite art café. At Cosmo, minimalism meets bohemian – they serve the most succulent of tapas and exhibit contemporary canvases. Packed with freckled ladies and casual scholars, it is the perfect place for an unconventional museum night. Attend a jam session, savor the art, learn how to make the most delicious cupcake toppings, watch an indie film and meet with like-minded souls – Cosmo really knows how to spice up a long academic day.

Address: Carrer Enric Granados 3

Website: galeriacosmo.com

4. Interactive Art: Taller Creativo Bencini

The whimsical vividness of Mercat Santa Caterina is contagious. A couple of steps away, Federico Bencini and Raúl Pernia share a tiny studio space of Taller Creativo Bencini, a workshop beloved by both locals and tourists. Bright and jazzy at the same time, the studio exhibits Bencini’s monotype prints created on wood and metal and Pernia’s organic set pieces.

Capturing the interactive potential of contemporary art, the dynamic duo offers a blank magnetic wall for visitors to play with. If inspiration is what you’ve came to Barna to look for, seek no further – Taller Creativo Bencini specializes in getting your creative juices flowing.

Address: Carrer Semoleres 10

Website: bencinibarcelona.com

5. Erotic Whispers: Prostíbulo Poético

Every sensuous soul dreams of being seduced with poetry, and Barcelonans are no different. The city’s most artsy brothel keeper, Madam Eva, understands the incredible erotic potential of a whispered verse. Once a month, Kiely opens her door to the city’s most lustful literature lovers and arouses their senses with a beauty of both the written and spoken word.

Her putas – writers of semi-erotic poetry dressed like burlesque prostitutes. The literary debauchery of Prostíbulo Poético takes place at a different candle-lit bar each month and welcomes the flirtiest of art-enthusiasts. Pick one of the ladies of the evening and receive the most orgasmic aural pleasure of your lifetime.

Address: Various venues

Website: prostibulopoetico.com

6. Debate of Contemporary Culture: àngels Barcelona

Barcelona is a delightful fusion of archaic and modern; you don’t have to be an observant mind to notice the way its eclecticism surpasses every constraint and liberates from conventions. Over at àngels Barcelona, internationally recognized artists from all over the world leverage the city’s potential for being both traditional and contemporary and experiment with deviating from the norm with conceptual art.

Encouraging the “debate of contemporary culture and art practices”, the gallery pushes the boundaries of normative art by toying with different mediums and discourses. If abstract and radical is what fuels your avant-garde mind, àngels Barcelona is your artistic Mecca.

Address: Calle Pintor Fortuny 27

Website: angelsbarcelona.com

7. Macabre Explorations: Eat Meat

Eat Meat is not interested in illusions. Critically acclaimed as a freak show, the Gràcia gallery understands, loves and supports the art of macabre. Its representative exhibition, Camping Cannibal, explores the dark side of modern society, and without being afraid to disturb the human psyche, associates mutilated human bodies with supermarket chickens.

And it’s only one of many – Eat Meat is truly passionate about delving into obscure traditions, mutations of both form and essence and all other deviations of the human civilization and soul. Hold your breath and experience the eclipse of modernity; Eat Meat is daring enough to show you.

Address: Carrer Alzina 20

Website: eatmeat.cat

8. Nudes and Tempests: Andreu Marcs i Art

Saturated with abstract installations and blank canvases? Luckily, Barcelona likes you to be fearless and to come bare. Understanding the endless complexity of esthetics, Andreu Marcs insists on both the visual assault and transparency of a creative process. The gallery exhibits vary from oil depictions of tempestuous seascapes to Romantic displays of still life, but Marc’s most intriguing obsession are actually charcoal nudes. The creative chaos of the gallery will offer you a glimpse of the artistic process, in which every little detail impresses the mind and kindles the spirit.

Address: Carrer d’Astúries, 7

Website: marcsandreu.com

9. The Future of Art: Galería Artevistas

For those in pursuit of independent, backdoor gallery entries and yet unrevealed artistic talents, Galería Artevistas offers a contemporary blast of color. The locale itself, reminiscent of the great Joan Miró, is one of Rambla’s architectural wonders, but still hidden away in the off-the-beaten-track passageway, like all underground galleries should be. Passionate about promoting young artists, the Galería exhibits around 800 works of around 50 prospective artisans, and changes its repertoire every 6 weeks. If impatient to discover the future of Barna’s art scene before its time, the Galería Artevistas is the place for you.

Address: Passatge del Crèdit 4

Website: artevistas.com

10. The Last Word: Peeping Monster

Barcelona-born, Rube Verdu is what public mediocracy likes to label as controversial – check out his blog, and you’ll find out why. The artistic concepts that the contemporary artist, researcher and writer explores transgress current avant-garde efforts and steer towards yet unexplored discursive waters.

Not necessarily a gallery, at least not in the traditional sense of the word, Verdu’s Peeping Monster has been created as a research lab and named, as the artist explains, with an “outrageous oxymoron” to represent the contradictory nature of contemporary practices of art. And, since the brick and mortar gallery does not exist, the Peeping Monster has its exhibitions displayed virtually. Visit it online while sipping your afternoon coffee at Ulls Blaus.

Website: peepingmonster.com

Be it ubiquitous or cutting-edge, the art of Barcelona is still thriving. When tired of chasing after Gaudi, take a detour to the intricate labyrinth of the city’s contemporary art scene, where the regulars expect the unexpected.