With the start of the new year comes a new opportunity to immerse ourselves in the world of art.
This year promises to be a vibrant journey full of exhibitions and discoveries that invite us to reflect, move and connect. Art awaits us to make us travel to unexpected places, experience emotions, and, above all, to remind us of the value of creativity.
A journey to the heart of the Amazon rainforest
The exhibition AMAZÔNIA, presented at Les Drassanes Reials in Barcelona, invites us on a sensory journey through the heart of the Amazon rainforest through the lens of Sebastião Salgado. For seven years, the Brazilian photographer explored this ecosystem, capturing in more than 200 black and white images the majesty of a landscape that oxygenates the world. Complemented by the immersive music of Jean-Michel Jarre and real sounds of the jungle, the exhibition transforms simple observation into an immersive experience that connects us with the essence of the Amazon.
Sebastiao Salgado’s installation with works such as Mujer indígena yawanawá. State of Acre, Brazil, 2016. Editorial credit: Les Drassanes Reials.
Beyond the photographs, the exhibition stands out for its environmental and cultural commitment, promoting the protection of necessary places. With films made by Salgado, and carefully curated by Léila Wanick Salgado, the exhibition displays scenarios that range from the interior of the jungle to the torrential rains and the peaks of the Imeri mountain range. Each image reflects the balance between nature and its inhabitants, while the sound trail intensifies the sensation of being there. AMAZÔNIA is a visual and sensorial reminder of the urgency of preserving this vital lung of the planet in order to have a future.
When? Until 20 April 2025.
Where? Avinguda de les Drassanes, s/n, Barcelona.
Opening hours: Monday to Sunday from 10.00h to 18.30h.
Three decades of words in photographs
The 14th edition of Bamako Encounters, the African Biennial of Photography, celebrates 30 years as the epicentre of visual creativity in Mali. Since its founding in 1994, this festival has not only been a point of revelation for African photographers, but also an opportunity for exchange between artists, the Malian public and international artists. This year, Bamako becomes the stage for a dialogue between words and images under the theme Kuma, The Word.
Artist John Kalapo captures silhouettes of victims marching for political conflict in his series Résistance à l’Oubli. Editorial credit: Les Rencontres Bamako.
The biennial allows artists to explore the connection between language and photography, highlighting moments of expression such as eloquence, hope or silence. In addition, the La Panafricaine section brings together 30 artists, including Victor Adewale and Héla Ammar, whose works challenge the boundaries of visual art. This edition, celebrating three decades of creativity, promises to be an unforgettable experience where the struggles and voices of the continent are revealed.
When will it take place? 16 November 2024 to 15 January 2025.
Where: Bamako, Mali
Timetable: You can check the biennial’s programme on its website.
Tickets: Free admission.
The Spectacle of Life according to Fernand Léger
The exhibition Fernand Léger: The Spectacle of the World at the Palau Martorell celebrates the fusion of art, modernity and dynamism through the vision of the French artist. Léger found in the circus a fascinating universe of movement and freedom, where circular forms broke up everyday life. This connection with circus performance, which marked his childhood and his life in cities such as Paris and New York, is reflected in works full of acrobats, clowns and jugglers.
Interior of the exhibition at the Palau Martorell with works such as Litografia Cirque 1963 and 1950. Editorial credit: Fernand Léger, VEGAP, Barcelona, 2024.
The exhibition also highlights his work with Les Illuminations, a series of lithographs inspired by the poems of Arthur Rimbaud. In these works, Léger combines landscapes, portraits and geometric shapes with vibrant colours, achieving a unique visual language that defines his Cubist style. His interpretation of the poem ‘Vowels’, which transforms each letter with a specific colour, reflects the artist’s ability to transform poetry into dynamic images. The exhibition invites us to immerse ourselves in a world of light, music and colour, where art becomes a vital, accessible and human spectacle.
When does it take place? From 6 December 2024 to 26 January 2025.
Where? Calle Ample, 11, Barcelona.
Opening hours: Wednesday to Sunday from 10.00h to 14.00h and from 15.00h to 19.00h.
A look at the Expressionism of Gabriele Münter
The Museo Nacional Thyssen-Bornemisza opens its doors to the retrospective dedicated to Gabriele Münter, a key artist of German Expressionism and co-founder of The Blue Rider. The exhibition features 145 works including paintings, photographs, drawings and prints spanning more than 60 years of her career. Münter defied the social restrictions of her time and developed a unique style characterised by precise lines and colours that captured the essence of landscapes, objects and portraits. Highlights of the exhibition include her self-portraits, her time as a photographer and her iconic period at Murnau, alongside artists such as Kandinsky.
From left to right: Murnau’s Woman (Rosalie Leiss), 1909 and Portrait of Marianne von Werefkin, 1909. Editorial credit: Gabriele Munter, VEGAP, Madrid, 2024.
The tour is divided into thematic and chronological sections, and reflects Münter’s artistic evolution from her travels in the United States and Europe to her consecration in the Expressionist movement. Particularly noteworthy are the outdoor works, in which she fused photography and painting, as well as her portraits, considered by the artist herself to be her greatest creative challenge. With this exhibition, the Thyssen continues its work to vindicate the figure of women in the history of art, offering the public the opportunity to discover the richness and depth of one of the most influential figures of Expressionism.
When will the exhibition take place? From 12 November 2024 to 9 February 2025.
Where? P.º del Prado, 8, Centro, Madrid
Opening hours: Tuesday to Friday and Sunday from 10.00 am to 7.00 pm. Saturday from 10.00h to 23.00h.
Reflections of self-consciousness
Adrian Piper‘s exhibition Who, Me? at Portikus offers a space for reflection that fuses conceptual art and social critique, challenging the perception of the ‘self’. In the main gallery, the installation I’m the Tree (2024) features a dead tree suspended above a mirrored floor, accessible only from a raised walkway. This arrangement transforms the space into an enveloping and engaging experience, where architectural barriers and reflections invite us to question self-consciousness.
Aerial view of the work I’m the Tree (2024). Editorial credit: Portikus.
On the lower level, I’m the Screen (2024) continues this exploration through mirrored walls, an empty podium and a screen projecting a square of white light. The interaction of the reflections with the waters of the Main River makes the visitor the protagonist. The exhibition is inspired by Kantian ideas of the self as a transcendental condition, and Piper uses these environments to encourage active introspection.
When does it run? 23 November 2024 to 9 February 2025.
Where: Maininsel, Alte Brücke 2, Frankfurt am Main, Germany.
Opening hours: Tuesday to Friday from 12.00h to 19.00h. Saturday and Sunday from 11.00h to 19.00h.
Tickets: Free admission.
Mark Bradford and the Art of Community and Resilience
The exhibition Mark Bradford: Keep Walking has opened at the newly reopened Rieckhallen at the Hamburger Bahnhof as the artist’s first solo exhibition in Germany. Through 20 works spanning two decades, Bradford explores themes of racial, gender and economic inequality through paintings, sculptures, installations and videos. Highlights include works inspired by the Great Migration, where millions of African-Americans sought new opportunities far from the American South.
De izq. a drcha.: No sé lo que soy, 2024 y Pie estropeado, 2016. Crédito editorial: Mark Bradford y Hauser & Wirth.
The exhibition combines immersive installations and personal narratives that invite us to reflect on resilience. From Pinocchio Is On Fire, with its powerful Spiderman video and sound tunnel, to the monumental floor painting Float and the video Niagara. Works such as Death Drop and the End Paper series fuse personal memory with collective cultural expressions, while his abstract works are composed of everyday materials to offer a discussion of urban life and the struggles of marginalised communities.
When? 6 September 2024 to 18 May 2025.
Where: Invalidenstraße 50 – 51, Berlin, Germany.
Opening hours: Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday from 10.00 am to 6.00 pm. Saturday and Sunday from 11.00h to 18.00h. Thursday from 10.00h to 20.00h.
Chiharu Shiota weaves together time and memory
Grand Palais hosts The Soul Trembles exhibition, a celebration of the work of Chiharu Shiota, renowned for her large-scale installations of interwoven threads. This retrospective, the largest of the Japanese artist’s work in France, spans more than 20 years of her career in a space of 1,200 square metres. Her intricate webs of wool, laden with meaning, envelop everyday objects such as beds, chairs and pianos, transforming them into portals into a dreamlike universe that explores themes of memory, absence and fragility.
Large-scale work Accumulation – In Search of Destiny, 2014/2022. Editorial credit: Natasha Harth, QAGOMA.
The exhibition, co-organised with the Mori Art Museum in Tokyo, includes seven monumental installations alongside sculptures, drawings, photographs and performance videos. Shiota invites us to interact both mentally and physically with his works, challenging us to find the place between the canvases. This exhibition reaffirms Shiota as a key voice in contemporary art, taking visitors on a journey of introspection and dreaming.
When is it on? 11 December 2024 to 19 March 2025.
Where: 7 avenue Winston Churchill, Paris, France
Opening hours: Tuesday to Sunday from 10.00 am to 7.30 pm. Friday from 10.00h to 22.00h.
The legacy of Ryuichi Sakamoto through sound and time
The Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo (MOT) pays tribute to the creative Ryuichi Sakamoto with Seeing Sound, Hearing Time, an immersive exhibition celebrating his legacy as a composer, artist and visionary. Through more than 10 sound installations, including iconic works and new pieces created before his death, the exhibition transforms the space into a multi-sensory journey that explores sound and temporality. Collaborations with artists such as Shiro Takatani and Apichatpong Weerasethakul reflect Sakamoto’s ability to break down barriers and re-imagine the relationship between art, space and emotion.
View of the Ambient Kyoto 2023 installation. Editorial credit: Satoshi Nagare.
Sakamoto was recognized as a pioneer of J-pop, electronic and ambient music, and left an indelible mark on global art and activism. This exhibition, the largest dedicated to the artist in Japan, delves into his evolution towards three-dimensional installations that fuse technology and artistic sensibility. Previously unseen works and large-scale iconic pieces are integrated into the interiors and exteriors of the MOT, showcasing the boldness of the artist’s vision.
When? December 21, 2024 – March 30, 2025.
Where? 4 Chrome-1-1 Miyoshi, Tokyo, Japan.
Hours: Tuesday – Sunday from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
Identities on Stage
For the first time, the art world brings together a unique collaboration at M+ with the exhibition Yasumasa Morimura and Cindy Sherman: Masquerades. This show brings together two of the most influential artists in exploring identities and cultural constructions through photography. Renowned for their ability to transform into multiple characters, Morimura and Sherman reimagine icons from art history, film, and media, creating a dialogue between familiarity and ambiguity.
Exhibition view of Yasumasa Morimura and Cindy Sherman Masquerades, 2024. Editorial credit: Dan Leung, M+, Hong Kong.
Along the way, you can enjoy iconic works such as Sherman’s Untitled Film Stills, which parodies the role of women in classic cinema, and Morimura’s Cien M, an investigation into cultural influence and masking as a means of self-knowledge. In addition, the Japanese artist’s Doublonnage highlights his eccentric humor by embodying historical figures, while Sherman’s The Centerfolds challenges female representation in the media.
When? From December 14, 2024 to May 5, 2025.
Where? 38 Museum Dr, West Kowloon, Hong Kong
Opening hours: Tuesday to Thursday, Saturday and Sunday from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Friday from 10:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.
