25 years of Drap-Art
XXV International Festival of Sustainable Art of Catalonia
NOTHING DISAPPEARS, EVERYTHING IS TRANSFORMED

The International Festival of Sustainable Art of Catalonia celebrated its 25th edition with a very special program within the field of sustainable art, with pioneers of contemporary art and outstanding figures of urban art, as well as a large selection of emerging artists and projects.

Artistic action by Nathalie Rey within the framework of the project From the Individual to the Collective

The Drap-Art’21 was held from November 18 to December 21, 2021 in several exhibition halls in emblematic buildings with a cultural circuit in the Gothic Quarter, making it a meeting point between artists, art lovers, the inhabitants of the Gothic Quarter and new audiences, collaborating in the sustainable and intercultural urban transformation of the center of Barcelona.

Drap-Art aims to raise awareness and educate audiences and promote sustainability through art, as well as promote artists and their creations within the field of contemporary and urban art, architecture, design and crafts. In times of crisis such as the one we are currently experiencing, it is more important than ever to realize that culture and art are an intrinsic part of our being, and that in times of uncertainty they are very good tools for reflection, creative analysis of our situation and to find new paths.

Drap-Art has grown and been enriched thanks to the participation of Fousion Gallery, the Reial Cercle Artístic, Villa del Artd Galleries, Artesania de Catalunya and Sala Perill, as well as the Faculty of Fine Arts of the University of Barcelona. It is encouraging to see the large number of artists, collectives and organisations that Drap-Art brings together in a new global artistic movement.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          Artistic action by Nathalie Rey within the framework of the project From the Individual to the Collective

Drap-Art’21

The 25th anniversary of Drap-Art Festival was celebrated with exceptional exhibitions curated by critics, theorists and curators specialized in the fields of urban and contemporary art, exposing pioneers of environmental art such as Michelangelo Pistoletto with his project Third Paradise, promoted by the Cittadellarte – Pistoletto Foundation and HA Schult with a historical work Biokinetic Landscape (1973), which was also used for the image of the Festival this year.

PISTOLETTO I HA SCHULT

Two world leaders in environmental art for the 25th anniversary of the Drap-Art Festival

Pistoletto, a great exponent of Arte Povera, with the Cittadellarte – Pistoletto Foundation, joined the Drap-Art in this edition. The Rebirth Day, held worldwide on December 21, is an event that the artist organizes in different places within the framework of his project Third Paradise. Its projection is a socially sustainable future, where the human being coexists in harmony with its environment.

The ego must converge beyond the contrast between technology and nature to begin a new society based on responsibility and situated in the balance between the artificial and the natural, using art and technology to claim the need to stop abuse towards our planet.

Drap-Art joined the ambassador of the Third Paradise in Barcelona, the curator and artist Savina Tarsitano, co-founder of Espronceda Institute for Art & Culture, with the celebration of several events co-curated with Saverio Teruzzi, coordinator of the ambassadors of the Third Paradise around the world.

The festival was also attended by HA Schult (1939, Parchim, Germany). Collaborator of the festival since its inception; he brought to Barcelona his most emblematic work in 2007, when his army of the Trash People invaded the Plaza Real to warn of climate change and raise awareness about the importance of recycling and environmental conservation.

In this edition, HA Schult brought and signed a limited edition of one of his most emblematic works, Kinetik Landscape, 1973, mixed technique, from the Picture Box series, which incorporates bottles, suitcases, tennis rackets and cars, all of them toys, and in addition to small garbage such as cardboard and candy wrappings, demonstrating the fragile ecological balance. This work was also used for the Drap-Art’21 image.

Michelangelo Pistoletto drawing the symbol of the Third Paradise
“Art is freedom, commitment and responsibility”

Michelangelo Pistoletto

IN MEMORIAM

Una exposició que ens recorda l’obra més pictòrica de Rafael Bartolozzi, Bigas Luna, Lesley Yendell i Richard Hambleton aka Shadowman

TRES ARTISTES DEL BAIX GAIÀ

Ben relacionats entre ells i amb la història de l’art i ara històrics, Bigas Luna, Rafael Bartolozzi i Francesco Volsi van trobar al Baix Gaià el locus amoenus que hi van descobrir els romans. Els tres artistes practicaven –i en Volsi, encara practica– l’estratègia Glocal, des del global, seguint els moviments artístics internacionals (Arte Povera, Pop Art) al local. L’arrelament al territori és cabdal en els tres artistes, així com l’aprofitament de l’object trouvée, valors que enllacen perfectament amb la filosofia del Drap-Art. L’edició del festival del 2021 va comptar amb obres dels tres genis, reconeguts i internacionals

The curated exhibitions were held in the facilities of the Royal Artistic Circle with artists selected by the co-curators Joan Abelló, Tanja Grass, Robert Kaltenh·user, Jasmin Waschl and Betty Bigas and in the facilities of Villa del Arte Galleries (Calle de la Palla) with artists curated by Bert van Zetten.