Black Archives Publication and Final Press Conference Manifesta 15 Barcelona Metropolitana

On the 4th of June 2025, Manifesta 15 Barcelona Metropolitana welcomed the public and press one last time to Gustavo Gili, the former publishing house that has served as Manifesta’s office for the past few years, for the closing press conference of this edition. During the event, Manifesta’s Head of Marketing, Communications and Business Development, Emilia van Lynden, presented the key outcomes of the biennial and shared some valuable insights from the Public Survey, a research project conducted by the Universitat Oberta de Catalunya. The Final Report of the biennial’s 15th edition, a Manifesta publication, was presented as well.

Over the course of 12 weeks, this edition – spanning the largest region in Manifesta’s history – brought art, dialogue and transformation to 16 venues, showcasing the work of 91 participants. With its focus on transcending the city’s physical boundaries and decentralising the metropolis’ cultural infrastructure, Manifesta 15 Barcelona Metropolitana has left a lasting imprint on the region.

In collaboration with local communities, international partners, and a dedicated team of 120 people, over 560 public events sparked meaningful conversations. A total of 291,336 visitors engaged with installations and interventions that demonstrated the transformative power of art in addressing urgent global issues.

The press conference also served as a moment to festively present the new addition to the Manifesta library, Black Archives: Fragments of an Anticolonial Metropolis, commissioned by Manifesta 15 Barcelona Metropolitana and authored by Creative Mediator Tania Safura Adam. The publication expands on the archival exhibition she curated for the biennial, bringing together research, historical materials, and artistic works to foreground Black experiences that have long been overlooked in mainstream Catalan archives. The project reflects on how collective memory is forged and knowledge circulated - particularly among communities whose stories are systemically silenced.

Developed over the last three years, the archival presentation included microhistories, documents, images, sound recordings, and literature – constituting the materiality necessary to construct alternative historical narratives. This is the story of Barcelona’s Black communities, constantly oppressed, yet present in the metropolitan region for centuries, and more visibly, as a result of the immigration process, in the post-Franco period.

The event concluded with a panel discussion with Agnès Agboton, Edmundo Sepa, Remei Sipi, Saoka Kingolo addressing the urgent need to activate and preserve Black Archives. The conversation was moderated by Kathleen Ferrier, Board Member of Foundation Manifesta 15 Barcelona Metropolitana and Chairwoman of the Dutch UNESCO Commission.

We warmly thank everyone who joined us for this special event.