LOOP is a Barcelona-based platform dedicated to studying and promoting the moving image. Since its founding in 2003, LOOP has been committed to providing visibility to high-quality video work. They do this by working with an international community of artists, curators, gallerists, collectors, and institution directors to develop projects that push video and film as a primary medium of contemporary art.
The Festival takes place across Barcelona with exhibitions, screenings, and live performances by 116 artists. Meanwhile, the Fair creates a focal point for interactions, talks, and hosting video work in one central location.
LOOP Barcelona Fair
The LOOP Fair is the first fair dedicated exclusively to contemporary video art. It’s a unique event that combines contemporary art and cinema, providing a platform for artists to showcase their work and for collectors to acquire video art.
The fair strives to re-examine traditional art fair models and methods of presentation. Instead of presenting works of art in a conventional booth setting, the LOOP Fair offers a unique viewing experience by presenting each film project in a hotel room. This intimate setting allows visitors to experience the work of video artists in a more immersive and personal way.
The LOOP Fair also offers a variety of talks and events that explore the latest trends in video art. These programs allow artists, curators, and collectors to come together and discuss the medium’s future.
This year’s edition will be at the Almanac Barcelona, a stylish hotel in the heart of Barcelona. The hotel is the perfect setting for the fair, as it offers a unique and intimate atmosphere.
The Marlborough Gallery in Room 113 is presenting the work of historical video artist Anna Bella Geiger. One of the most striking aspects of her career is her close connection to cartography and how she used it to reimagine Brazil’s colonial policies and cultural preconceptions.
In Elemental Maps I (1976, film/video, 3 minutes), Geiger appropriated the tools of geography from their usual political use and used them metaphorically to rebel against the establishment, thus circumventing Brazilian censorship. Due to the political situation, certain ideas had to be hidden and disguised, such as when she redefined the term “feminism.”
She revisits the idea of camouflage in the “Elemental Maps” trilogy. The song playing in the background is “Meu caro Amigo” (My Dear Friend) by Chico Buarque, which hides a harsh criticism of the Brazilian dictatorship of the mid-1970s in its rhythm. This video reveals its radical nature by discussing politics beyond the object of subversion: the map.
LOOP Barcelona Fair | Nov 21, 7 PM – 8:30 PM, Nov 22-24, 4 PM – 8:30 PM | Almanac Barcelona in the Eixample district of Barcelona, Spain
Talks will be held on November 22nd and 23rd from 10 AM to 1:30 PM.
LOOP Barcelona Festival
The Loop Festival is featuring exhibitions, screenings, and live performances by 116 artists throughout Barcelona until November 24th. The events are free and open to the public, so it’s a wonderful way to navigate the city.
Lab36 is presenting an exhibition of work by Spanish artist and filmmaker Jose María de Orbe titled “Melancholia.” The show features a screening of his film “XXX, I” and archive photographs from the American Civil War. The nineteen archive photographs are treated with digital techniques to merge the past and present.
The film examines how Aristotle viewed the state of melancholy – that it has symmetrical and asymmetrical humor whose balance determines if a man becomes extraordinary or mentally ill. The film follows this journey as a mysterious road investigating the connections between symmetry and its breakdown.
Loop Barcelona Festival | Nov 14-24 | Throughout the city of Barcelona, Spain | Free
LOOP Barcelona’s Video Creation Award
The Video Creation Award is back for its ninth year; this time, the winner is Fito Conesa. His audiovisual piece, “Anoxia: A Constant Prelude,” is a three-act opera that explores the degeneration of the Mediterranean Sea’s ecosystem and the imminent ecocide. It is a visual song that narrates the darkness to come but without dwelling on fatality as the only possible melody.
Conesa is a Spanish artist and programmer who studied Fine Arts at the University of Barcelona. He has exhibited his work at museums and festivals around the world, including the Oslo Screen Festival, Barcelona Loop Fair, Barcelona International Poetry Festival, the Spanish Cultural Center of the Dominican Republic, Matadero Madrid, and CaixaForum.
The Video Creation Award is co-produced by LOOP, Santa Mònica, the Department of Culture of the Generalitat of Catalonia, and The Public System of Visual Arts Facilities of Catalonia. The public system is a network of contemporary art centers in Catalonia, including:
- Art Center Tecla Sala, L’Hospitalet de Llobregat
- ACVic Center for Contemporary Arts, Vic
- Bolit Contemporary Art Center, Girona
- Creation Factory Fabra i Coats, Barcelona
- La Panera Art Center, Lleida
- M|A|C Mataró Contemporary Art, Mataró
- Mèdol – Contemporary Arts Center of Tarragona
- The Patio Terres de l’Ebre Art Center, Amposta
If you’re interested in seeing “Anoxia: A Constant Prelude,” it will be on display at the Center d’Art Tecla Sala in L’Hospitalet de Llobregat until December 10th.
LOOP Barcelona Map
You can use LOOP’s festival map to see the comprehensive list of locations.
I’ve added select locations to the ‘Find Contemporary Art’ Google Map, including the mentioned exhibitions. It also has other exciting art museums and galleries marked with numbered blue pins.
Almanac Barcelona (LOOP fair location) has a purple hotel icon. The address is Gran Via de les Corts Catalanes, 619, 621.
If you want directions on installing the map on your phone or desktop, write your email below, and I will send them to you.
Arriving in Barcelona
You can take the Aerobús or the train from the airport to Plaça de Catalunya. The Aerobús departs every 5 minutes and takes 35 minutes. The fare is €5.90 for a one-way ticket and €10.20 for a round-trip ticket. The train departs every 30 minutes and takes 27 minutes. The fare is €4.50 for a single ticket.
Taxis are available at the airport on Level 0. Once you are outside, you will see the taxi line to queue. The minimum charge is €20, and the fare to the center city is €30-35. Cash (Euros only) is the preferred method of payment.
Due to the difficulty of hailing a cab in the city, it is easiest to download the official Barcelona taxi app, AMB Taxi Barcelona. The app also allows you to estimate your fare.
AMB Taxi Barcelona | iPhone app | Android app
You can find the latest fares on the Àrea Metropolitana de Barcelona website.
Getting to LOOP Barcelona
LOOP Barcelona is offering special discounts with partner hotels until November 26th. To view the available options and deals, visit their visitor page.
You can take the metro to Passeig de Gràcia-L3, Catalunya-L3, or Urquinaona-L1/L4 to get to the fair. If you are driving, the closest car parking is:
- Parking Saba Bamsa Diputació: Carrer de la Diputació, S/n, 08007 Barcelona
- Parking NN Gran Via: Gran Via de les Corts Catalanes, 641, 08010 Barcelona
* LOOP Barcelona is not associated with Loop Art Critique in Miami.
