The highly anticipated 15th edition of Manifesta is now open to the public across Barcelona and its wider metropolitan region. Following packed and successful Preview Days, during which Manifesta 15 guided journalists through the region, the event has been celebrated in local media. The biennial has received praise from prominent members of the press in the Barcelona metropolitan region, marking it as a pivotal moment for the region's cultural landscape. Journalists have highlighted both the vision and execution of the event, emphasising its importance not only for Barcelona but also for broader conversations about urban futures, ecological concerns, and the peripheral role of metropolitan areas in the cultural ecosystem.
Miquel Molina of La Vanguardia set the tone by stating, "There are plenty of reasons to hop on the Manifesta 15 train and to consider that investing in it has been a good decision." He also posed a key question: "Why is Manifesta 15 important for Barcelona?", an inquiry that was echoed by many as they considered the impact this event would have on the city's future.
In her piece for El País, Clara Blanchar highlighted the inclusion of often-overlooked metropolitan areas, saying, "For once (and at the same time), the metropolitan cities are included to open the debate about the role of the cultural ecosystem of the periphery, that area which is not within metro reach, but still exists." The decentralisation of culture has been a central theme of Manifesta 15, pushing visitors to explore beyond the city centre of Barcelona and making culture accessible to a larger population.
Several commentators underscored the event's ambitious goals for eco-social transformation. Anna Abella of El Periódico observed, “The greatest legacy of Manifesta will be to serve as an incubator for eco-social transformation projects, showing us how the future of our cities should be and inviting us to think the unthinkable and imagine the unimaginable.”
Finally, Javier Blánquez of Time Out encapsulated the event's broad cultural impact, calling it "one of the most important events on Barcelona's calendar for anyone interested in contemporary art and critical thinking." He emphasized its interdisciplinary nature, connecting visual arts, philosophy and urban transformation, while stressing that the biennial "has long been a point of connection between various disciplines", “always with the intention of recovering a part of history that has traditionally been less explored.”
Manifesta 15 Barcelona aims to leave a legacy for local communities, with its participatory approach to art, culture and urban transformation resonating strongly among critics and visitors alike.
Check all the press entries of the last days at www.manifesta15.org/press.
