Manifesta 15 Spreads Too Thin Across Barcelona Metropolitan Area

Manifesta 15, a traveling biennial, encompasses the entire Barcelona metropolitan area, with its main exhibition located in the massive Sant Adrià de Besòs power plant, which has been closed since 2011. The curatorial subtheme 'Imagining Futures' examines ecological impacts and the remnants of industry, showcasing pieces such as Kiluanji Kia Henda's 'The Frankenstein Tree' (2024) and Mike Nelson's 'Un Intruso (uninvited, into chaos)' (2024). Other subthemes, 'Balancing Conflicts' and 'Cure and Care,' lack a clear curatorial direction, a choice made by chief 'creative mediator' Filipa Oliveira. Twelve municipalities are involved, utilizing sites like abandoned textile factories and medieval churches. The biennial seeks to preserve the Sant Adrià site as an artistic hub and create enduring cultural connections among surrounding towns. However, the themes and exhibits seem insufficiently developed, with the format feeling overly stretched. Highlighted works include MASBEDO's 'Ghost Soldier' (2024) in Granollers, which recreates a rave in a Civil War-era air-raid shelter. The official materials employ 'healing' terminology that seems clichéd. Manifesta 15 is scheduled from 8 September to 24 November across various Barcelona locations.