Enric Puig Punyet renews as director of the Santa Monica Arts Center

The Santa Monica Arts Center continues with its transformation project towards a radically contemporary art space. The Department of Culture ratified at the beginning of February the renewal of the direction of Enric Puig Punyet for the next four years, consolidating its commitment to an interdisciplinary center that explores new forms of artistic experimentation.

Puig Punyet, who was chosen in February 2021 through a public competition, has led a programmatic revolution that has positioned Santa Mònica as a true laboratory of ideas, where collectivization and dialogue between disciplines are protagonists. With a stable and innovative programming, the center has promoted projects that challenge citizens and seek to establish deep bonds with the young public. Since its new approach, Santa Mònica has produced a total of 10 exhibitions, mostly with newly produced works, and has been a benchmark in inclusion, with 75% of female or non-binary artists in its programming. In addition, more than forty artists and a curatorial board participate every four months in a process of collective creation. The Mònicas, the resident artists selected annually, also play a fundamental role in artistic mediation, designing prototypes to make the content accessible and inclusive to various audiences.

Quadra Minerale – Rare Earths, Rosell Messeguer

Through its exhibitions, Santa Mònica has addressed highly relevant issues, such as ecological collapse, social and economic crises, and collectivization, in addition to questioning traditional exhibition models with innovative proposals such as Exposar · No exposar-se · Exposar-se · No exposar, La irrupción and Utopia Rambles. In the last year, the exhibitions have attracted more than 44,000 in-person visitors, with a notable growth in young audiences, accompanied by a digital community of almost 50,000 followers.

The project has also involved profound institutional transformations to ensure greater transparency and equity in its management. The center has committed to the redistribution of resources and the application of a code of good practices, ensuring fair fees for artists and dedicating 60% of the budget to artistic compensation. With the renewal of the management, Santa Mònica continues with its commitment to creating an accessible, participatory and sustainable space, based on listening and the values of care. In the coming years, it will continue to commit to curatorial innovation, new production and de-hierarchization, with a focus on performativity and participatory formats that foster dialogue and critical reflection between artistic creation and society.

Janus, Roc Parés (2021)