Culture
The Unseen City opens at the Old Harbour
Laia Esteve's Biennal avoids spectacle for the sake of attention, and gains by it.
By Marisol Vega·2 min read
The Biennal d'Almaria opens this weekend in the renovated warehouses of the Old Harbour district, and those who arrive expecting the grand spectacle of previous editions will find the curator, Laia Esteve, has chosen a quieter road. The central theme — "The Unseen City" — has drawn over sixty artists from across the Mediterranean, and the works, by design, reward a slow walk and a patient eye.
The exhibition turns on hidden labour, invisible communities, and the submerged histories of the Almarian coastline. There are installations in the old cork warehouse on Carrer dels Estibadors that consist, at first glance, of nothing; the attentive visitor will find that the nothing is the point, and that the point is made with considerable craft.
The Biennal is open daily until the first Sunday of next month. The Athenaeum will host a round-table with three of the participating artists on Wednesday evening.
