A contemporary art market between 'boutiques'

Among shop windows, shopping bags, stairs, and restaurants, L'illa Diagonal makes space for something more for a few weeks: art has become the protagonist of the shopping center. The interior space of Plaça Anglesola takes on the role of an ephemeral art gallery, with an exhibition and market of works by both established and emerging artists.

With the aim of bringing contemporary art closer to the public —especially to those who do not usually venture into galleries—, the shopping center has fully committed to the initiative. Under the name Supermerc'Art, until May 31, it brings together about thirty artists of diverse profiles and trajectories, from consolidated names like Francesc Artigau or Perico Pastor to emerging voices like Makaria, Mariona Espinet, or Natalia Eyre.

As a result of this mixture, the space hosts a hybrid exhibition, halfway between a gallery and a cultural market, giving space to diverse generations and styles. This variety also extends to formats: visitors can stroll through the exhibition and acquire both graphic work and illustration and photography, in a proposal different from conventional exhibition spaces.

"We were interested in taking art out of its usual circuits and bringing it to an everyday space," explains Ainhoa Izuel from L'illa Diagonal. "The idea was that anyone could encounter art unexpectedly, even buy it, even if they don't usually visit galleries or move in that environment," highlights Izuel, tracing the objective of the artistic and gallery world to bring contemporary art closer to new audiences.

In this initiative, accessibility is also economic. As Izuel details, the exhibited works range from 60 to 6,000 euros, a wide range of prices focused on breaking the perception that being an art collector is out of reach for many. "The idea is that anyone can access buying works by the artists in the exhibition," and thus also contribute to energizing the local ecosystem, as all artists are from Barcelona or are based in the city.

The organization of Supermerc'Art itself already nourishes this ecosystem, as this first edition has been launched by the managers of El Patio de Atrás, an initiative that organizes a similar format combining exhibition and sale on a small scale twice a year.

In fact, the shopping center had been wanting to organize the market for years, as Izuel explains. And this commitment to giving space to art is not new. The shopping center has already promoted other exhibitions, although it is now debuting with this format of collective exhibition and sale of works.

Despite this role of sales, as Izuel highlights, the objective of Supermerc'Art is not economic: "What we seek is to offer a quality cultural proposal and generate a different experience within a leisure and shopping space," taking art out of its usual circuits and bringing it to everyday activities.

The good reception the initiative is having leads one to think of a second edition, and at the same time illustrates a trend that is gaining strength in Barcelona: culture seeks new scenarios, new audiences and formats. Now, among shops and purchases, art has found an unexpectedly natural space.