Joana Roda (Bombon): "Going to an art gallery is an act of resistance"

Joana Roda sits on a chair amidst the white and textures in the airy room of Bombon, on a Trafalgar street transformed into an axis of galleries and art. Her words float among urban objects transformed by Ludovica Carbotta in Column Press, reclaiming the importance of art, of stopping, and of going against the current. Bombon, from its facet as a gallery and also as an artist representative, rows in this direction, always with a collaborative spirit that generates a network and feeds on it.

This is how Bombon has grown in Barcelona —and, for a year now, also in Madrid—, and even how it was born. The germ of what is now Bombon Projects, inaugurated nine years ago, emerged from this collaborative spirit: first between Joana Roda and the artist Bernat Daviu, and then from the two towards artists whose works they began to collect through the Passatge Studio initiative. That initiative grew until it demanded to become permanent.

— And from there, you made the leap to Bombon Projects.

— We inaugurated in 2017. This project space grew, and we asked ourselves: why not professionalize it? We spent a year looking for the right location until we found a good space on Trafalgar Street, a few doors from the current one, and decided to open. Since then, little by little we have been growing, in a sustained manner, and also through trial and error. This is how we have been building what is now Bombon Projects.

— What trials and errors have marked the path?

— They haven't been concrete decisions, but rather you see where you want to go, how you want to work with the artists. We were very clear that we wanted it to be a very personal project. Many of the artists, in fact, had already exhibited at Passatge Studio. In a way, we are almost like a family.

— In what sense?

— We wanted to generate a kind of safety net, to sustain all of this. What is important is art and artistic projects, and all of this has to be sustained, and a gallery is not the business of the century. And even less so in our project, since many exhibitions and works that interest us are not especially commercial. The way we have found to make it sustainable is this network, this community.

"Bombon has surrounded itself with people who are very convinced of the importance of culture"

— From private collectors, with some who have supported us from the beginning and who have grown, to institutional sales. The museums of Catalonia and the rest of Spain have responded to the program we have proposed and have been buying from us and have supported us.

— And international fairs?

— They give us a lot of visibility. We go to those that are capable of bringing together the public most akin to the artists we work with, with a specific sensibility. Because in the end, what we propose is not easy: we are not just selling pretty paintings (which we also do), but proposals that don't fit on just any wall [while looking at Carbotta's large-format works around her].

— What is this sensibility?

— There has to be a commitment to culture; the collector who decides to bet on an artist who works in this way has to firmly believe that culture and art are a driving force for change and that these projects must continue to be supported. They are very involved people, and this is what interests us and what we believe we are achieving. Bombon has surrounded itself with people who are very convinced of the importance of culture.

— What is the essence of the artists Bombon champions?

— There are no specific requirements, it's more by intuition. And we seek to encompass many disciplines and themes with the artists, and to generate a balance. But, above all, there is a question of feeling; that's the most important thing. First, that the artist's work interests you; then, to see that you understand each other and, furthermore, that you can do something for the artist. In the end, we work for the artists, we are a service, aren't we? The gallery is important but, deep down, it's not very important. Without the artists, we would be useless. There are many elements that have to align for it to work.

— How does this process of discovering an artist begin?

— There are many ways: from an international fair to a visit to a museum during a vacation. What is needed is to have your eyes wide open and all antennas up wherever you go; interesting artists can appear everywhere. After this research part, comes the part of opening the relationship with the artist and, then, nurturing it.

— Sometimes even representing them.

— Yes. And if you become an artist's representative, you have to know their work very well, you have to be the ultimate expert. If you go to a fair and you bring their work, you have to be able to explain it almost as if you were the artist, and this is a great responsibility. It's not just about taking care of their work, it's about providing them with the necessary space to work, and also to sell. You always have to consider what you can contribute to an artist. We currently represent 15.

— As a gallery and representatives, what role does Bombon play in Barcelona's art scene?

— We are very committed to participating in the context and to collaboration. We are present at events such as Gallery Weekend, Art Nou, The Collector is Present, international fairs... We try not to be a gallery that looks inward, but rather from a position of collaboration. This way of working also includes the space we opened in Madrid less than a year ago with Galería Crisis from Peru, where we alternate exhibitions.

"As a whole, galleries form the largest museum there is"

— They are different cities in different contexts. I believe there should be more connection and more transfer of artists and projects. Coming into contact with this other art scene is also interesting and opens up possibilities and new styles that contrast with Barcelona's. It has always been said that Barcelona has a more conceptual and experimental essence.

— Do you consider replicating new collaborative spaces in other cities?

— It could be done, but it's not a stated goal as such. In fact, there is a community of galleries of the same generation from different parts of the world that we meet at various international fairs. Just a few days ago, we returned from ARCO.

— Does Barcelona need a fair of ARCO's dimensions?

— I don't think so. We have Gallery Weekend, Swab, Art Nou… What needs to be done is to support projects like Gallery Weekend more. It's a very good project; many people come, but more Barcelonans need to come. It's a great format because it's done from the gallery itself and not from a fair stand. In the end, what you're looking for is for people to come to your gallery, and come back. Here you can better deploy all your strength, more than at a fair.

— That helps break down barriers when entering a gallery. Do they still exist, or do people feel invited to enter?

— Here, people keep coming in. We invite them in with a wide-open door, welcoming whoever enters, explaining what they can find. As a whole, galleries form the largest museum in square meters, and the word needs to get out. They are free, and, of course, you don't have to buy. They are a fantastic place.

— Here, Trafalgar Street concentrates quite a few of these square meters.

— An axis of galleries has been created, and quite a few people visit it. It helps to make visible that, if you calculate the square meters of galleries in Catalonia, it is larger than any museum. Besides being free, we do activities, such as talks, readings, and concerts. There's no excuse not to come.

— What needs to be done for more people to feel invited to come?

— A lot is being done, and I think there's a point where, if someone doesn't come, it's because they're not interested. I don't think it's because people feel inhibited by not buying, but rather that there's simply a part that isn't interested. If someone doesn't want to enter, they won't. On the other hand, if you have interest and curiosity, you enter. It's a matter of interest.

— And does this interest exist?

— This is another question: I don't know how the issue of interest and curiosity is today. We always have so many things to do, we barely make it to the end of the month, we don't have time to do anything. And when you do, maybe you just want to get home and lie on the sofa, and that's also legitimate.

— Or you can choose to stroll among works of art.

— I think so! And whoever comes and dares, repeats. It's clear with the Gallery Weekend. Last year we had more than 500 people every day. People are eager, but sometimes it seems that people need an event, a specific call.

— And besides people coming, art also needs to be bought. How to incentivize it?

— Many things can be done, starting with the cultural VAT, which is a very significant grievance. A Catalan Patronage Law would also be needed, and if we want Barcelona not to be full of coffee shop chains, measures could be sought to facilitate the opening of cultural projects.

— Like the IBI bonuses in the Cultural District of L'Hospitalet.

— There are many measures that can be taken to promote the opening of businesses linked to culture. Every time a local closes on the street, I wonder which chain will open another coffee shop just like the others.

— Fewer franchise coffee shops, and more art and culture. But why? What does art bring to the city?

— Art represents critical consciousness, spaces to think freely, to question oneself, to look differently. It fosters curiosity, and also time. We are always rushing, and art and culture require time, and we often don't give ourselves this time. Instead, when you enter an exhibition you have to stop, you have to give yourself this time and think. I believe that now we are at a moment where giving this space is a privilege, and I think it is important that they exist and to give this possibility. We have to keep offering it. Even if people don't enter.

— With this accelerated pace, stopping becomes a necessity.

— I think so. We are going completely against this accelerated pace. We are going in the opposite direction. Everything goes very fast, on social media, in videos. And you go to an exhibition, and everything stops. And you have to read a text, and you have to look, and you have to think. Sometimes people accustomed to this pace come and say: Is that it?

— Art requires time to delve deeper.

— We must give this opportunity and, when you leave time and space, people enjoy it. Going in this direction is an act of resistance that we must maintain and continue doing.