I am a staunch advocate of art and culture as a force for change. I believe they define who we are, they are part of our very essence, they make us turn our gaze towards places we had not previously noticed, make us more sensitive, better people – more critical, but also more aware. I cannot see a present or future for the city of Palma, for Mallorca, for the islands, that is not inextricably linked to culture, art and creativity.
We are currently in the process of receiving entries for the ideas competition for the former GESA building, a rationalist-style structure which we envisage, following its refurbishment, becoming the epicentre of culture and innovation in the city. The first challenge will be to ensure that this building is efficient and sustainable; it will serve as a testing ground which, once established, will project its activities and policies on culture, innovation and sustainability across the entire city. For example, we are drawing up a contract whose clauses will apply to all cultural projects in which we are involved – a certificate of quality and commitment that is focused on ensuring that all our cultural proposals are sound in terms of sustainability, accessibility, integration, participation and legacy.
Over the past three years, we have succeeded in establishing Palma as one of the leading cultural capitals of the Mediterranean. This is a path we have embarked upon and one from which we will not turn back. GESA is, of course, our flagship project, but it will be joined by investments that will become infrastructure serving art and culture, as well as the creative sector and the public: the Can Ribes Creation Centre, our Sales d’Assaig, Es Baluard d’Es Príncep, the Torres del Temple, Can Serra, and the City Interpretation Centre in Plaza Mayor – facilities that will join existing ones such as the Casal Solleric, the Miró Foundation Mallorca, Can Balaguer, the Maruja Alfaro Theatre, the Xesc Forteza Theatre and Bellver Castle, spaces that reflect the cultural vitality of our city.
It is a real pleasure for Palma to host and support an art fair such as Art Cologne, the oldest in the world. The fact that an event of this calibre has chosen our city as its venue also reflects our commitment to art, culture and the international reach of our programme. During this term of office, we have succeeded in establishing Palma as one of the key centres for contemporary art in Europe; the programmes at Casal Solleric, Fundació Miró Mallorca and Es Baluard Museu combine major international names with local talent. The ‘Paysage Miró’ exhibition has become one of the most significant milestones in the history of our islands, but it was not a project that came about in isolation; in recent years, the city has hosted works by artists of the calibre of Kounellis, Cabrita Reis, Julian Opie, Jaume Plensa, Jessica Stockholder, Fiona Rae, Tony Oursler and Angela de la Cruz… We were missing an international art fair, and now we have one too.
