BIENNIAL B: art, territory and collaboration from Mallorca

Mallorca is preparing to host an innovative project that places art as a transformative tool to rethink the relationship with the territory and activate new connections between disciplines. This is the BIENNIAL B , a proposal promoted by Es Baluard Museu d'Art Contemporani de Palma and the Consell de Mallorca , which is committed to collaboration, shared knowledge and an open look towards the future. More than a one-off event, this initiative aims to generate continuity and impact, connecting cultural agents, scientists, artisans and institutions from across the territory.

The project has an artistic co-direction formed by David Barro , director of Es Baluard, curator and expert in sustainable development applied to art and design, and Mercedes Martín , publicist and meteorologist, recognized for her commitment to sustainability and climate change. Together they bring a transversal perspective in which art connects with science, territory and environmental activism.

Antònia Roca, Mercedes Martín i David Barro. Foto: Carmen Verdú

With a program that will extend throughout the island, the biennial will activate spaces such as the Museum of Mallorca , the Pilar and Joan Miró Foundation , the Casal Solleric , Can Balaguer and Casa Planas ; the History Museum of Manacor ; the Toni Catany Foundation in Llucmajor; the Museum of Footwear and Inca Industry ; the Pollença Museum – Church of the Convent of Santo Domingo and Coster Art and Nature , also in Pollença; the Sea Museum , the Balearic Museum of Natural Sciences (Botanical Garden) and Can Prunera , in Sóller; the Santanyí House of Culture ; the Salines d'Es Trenc , in Campos; the Capdepera Castle ; the CCA of Andratx ; the Casal de Cultura Can Gelabert , in Binissalem; the Bellpuig Monastery , in Artà; and the Casal de Son Tugores , in Alaró.

The BIENNIAL B , therefore, will arrive in 2025 in very diverse spaces, from museums and cultural centers to emblematic places in the Mallorcan landscape. The objective is to work side by side with local entities and open the museum to the outside world, moving its activity beyond its walls and the city of Palma. This new delocalized format aims to promote exchange between contemporary artists and craft professionals, promoting projects that combine art, sustainability, traditional crafts and landscape. Exhibitions, performative actions and interventions designed specifically for each space are proposed, with the aim of generating links with the context and promoting cultural activation that does not depend exclusively on tourist seasons. The BIENNIAL B is built around three main lines: the production of interdisciplinary projects, actions to strengthen ecological connectivity and an international congress that will open spaces for debate and reflection.

Actions linked to ecology will include collaborations with experts and local groups in areas such as Puigpunyent , Randa or the Mallorcan coast , with the participation of organizations such as Save the Med . The Suelo Mallorca initiative will also be promoted and a hub of culture and citizen science will be created as spaces for the exchange of ideas and practices.

The International Congress of Art, Culture and Science will take place on November 7th and 8th, 2025, at the Aljub d'Es Baluard Museum. This meeting will bring together professionals from different fields to debate topics such as cultural innovation, ecology and heritage preservation. It will also serve to take stock of the projects developed during the biennial and propose future directions.

In terms of impact, BIENNIAL B wants to go beyond artistic activity. To this end, it has defined more than 50 indicators to measure aspects such as citizen involvement, the transmission of traditional knowledge or collaboration between sectors . It is also planned to document the entire process in a final report, which will allow the results to be assessed and the foundations for future editions to be established.

With this proposal, Es Baluard Museu opens up new forms of collaborative work on the island, taking advantage of the potential of art to activate conversations, preserve knowledge and imagine new ways of living and understanding Mallorca. The biennial not only wants to show, but also to listen and involve. And, above all, to create spaces where contemporary art can dialogue with what is already there.