>>> This international event, attended by more than 300 emerging student artists and researchers from 21 universities around the world, promotes global dialogue, academic research, and student professionalization.
>>> The most avant-garde trends can be seen at the ADEMA Campus at Coll d’En Rabassa, the central space where the creative processes and works of participating students will be displayed; ADEMA-Es Crum (Inca), which will host the artistic and cultural research projects of university faculty; and the Barceló Foundation, where a selection of works signed by professors from participating universities will be showcased.
>> Participating fine arts faculties include Princeton University, UDK Berlin, Columbia College Chicago, the University of Arts London, and the FHNW Academy of Art and Design in Basel, among others.
Starting today, Mallorca will host a world-class event in contemporary university art for the first time: the University Art Biennial – Art Week 2025. This event, which can be enjoyed until the end of June, will continue with a traveling exhibition in La Misericordia and around various municipalities on the island.
A biannual event that will bring together 21 fine arts universities from around the world and 300 emerging student artists and researchers. Curator and director Ian Monroe and Amparo Sard highlighted this morning the biennial’s pioneering nature, educational focus, and commitment to critical thinking, research, and knowledge transfer.
As explained by Amparo Sard, director and head of studies for the Fine Arts Degree at ADEMA, “this event is conceived as a unique opportunity for contemporary art, focused on the real connection between young artists, teachers, researchers, and academic institutions, and designed to foster the exchange of ideas, languages, and creative contexts.”
In this regard, he argued that “it was born with a very clear idea of giving visibility to emerging talent in a professional and real-life environment, placing university creation at the center of new contemporary artistic trends and creating synergies with important universities on the international scene. Artistic teaching needs moments like this, where the academic meets the professional.”
“For ADEMA students, participating in a biennial of this nature offers them a unique opportunity for professional development, such as connecting with curators, gallery owners, and artists from other countries and facing the challenges of presenting their work publicly. This experience is a driving force for personal and artistic growth that will undoubtedly mark a turning point in their training,” Sard stated.
Meanwhile, Ian Monroe, guest curator and coordinator of the University of Arts London (UAL), expressed his satisfaction with this project, which has become a reality and will not only distinguish the Biennial for the quality of its works but also for the creation of a platform for emerging artists, connecting art and dialogue, and promoting cultural exchange and new perspectives on contemporary art. “The University presents itself as a space for thought, for experimentation, for risk. Here we don’t look for finished works, but rather for artists who are courageously considering the present. Mallorca is becoming a laboratory for connections between research and teaching, between artists, between languages, between institutions. This network of exchanges is our main objective.”
For Mallorca, in Amparo Sard’s opinion, “hosting an event like this means establishing itself as an active and relevant hub within the contemporary cultural scene, promoting emerging talent and demonstrating its commitment to young art and critical thinking. It’s also a way of opening up to the world and projecting the island as a fertile ground for cultural creation and dialogue.”
The Biennial’s structure reflects a decentralized approach that seeks to broaden the project’s territorial and conceptual scope. The 2025 edition will feature three venues:
- ADEMA Coll d’en Rabassa (Palma): This will be the central space, where the creative processes and works of participating students will be showcased. It will be open until July 25th, and guided tours will be available.
Opening on June 4th at 7:00 p.m.
1. Barceló Foundation (Palma): will host a selection of student-authored works, chosen by their teachers for their ability to represent each institution’s lines of work and expand the boundaries of artistic practice from an interdisciplinary perspective. Visitors will also have the opportunity to enjoy the immersive piece, created by Princeton University (USA).
Opening next June 5th at 7:00 p.m.
- ADEMA-Es Crum (Inca): This will host the artistic and cultural research projects of university professors, highlighting their active role as creative agents and their direct influence on teaching. A mask-making workshop will also be held. It will be open until the end of June.
Opening on June 6th at 12:00 noon
This approach allows for the multiplicity of actions and thoughts to be observed in action, giving each venue its own identity and creating real spaces for encounter and interaction. Through this decentralization, the Biennial establishes a living map of contemporary university art, generating a network of synergies between institutions, faculty, and students that goes beyond the exhibition format.
During these five days, participants also have access to a comprehensive program of conferences and Workshop featuring internationally renowned teachers and artists. (See program) https://universitybiennial.art/es/programa/
Awards
In addition to its exhibition nature, the International Biennial offers several award categories, granting a total of twelve prizes that celebrate creativity and emerging talent.
· Barceló Group Emerging Artist Award
Sponsored by the Barceló Group, this award grants a first prize of €5,000 to the most outstanding work presented at the Biennial. The winning work will become part of the Biennial’s official collection and will be exhibited. Two honorable mentions will also be awarded to recognize other exceptional works, without any monetary prize.
· Award for the Best Institutional Proposal
This category recognizes the most relevant proposal submitted by a participating institution, with an honorary first prize. Two honorable mentions will also be awarded. This prize does not include a cash prize.
· Can Pep Nebot Residency Award
In collaboration with Quartier am Hafen (Germany), this award offers a one-month artistic research residency in Son Servera (Mallorca).
· ADEMA Residency and Acquisition Award
This award offers an artist residency at ADEMA, focused on the development of a new project. Upon completion of the residency, the resulting work will be acquired by ADEMA and incorporated into its institutional collection.
· Art Palma Contemporani Award
A one-year Master’s scholarship at ADEMA University School, awarded to an artist selected in collaboration with Art Palma Contemporani.
· Xavier Fiol Gallery Award
One artist will be selected to participate in a group exhibition curated by gallery owner Xavier Fiol, which will take place during the Nit de l’Art 2025 in Palma.
International jury of renowned professionals
These awards will be evaluated by an international jury composed of leading figures from the world of art and culture. Claudia Tittel (curator of the European Capital of Culture 2025 of Chemnitz in Germany, art and culture scientist, curator), Wendy Anderson (director of International Development-University of Arts London, artist and curator), Amparo Sard (head of Studies of the Degree in Fine Arts at ADEMA and artist), Adriana Polveroni (artistic director of the Modern and Contemporary Art Fair Arte in Nuvola in Rome), Anita Beckers (gallerist), David Barro (director of Es Baluard Museu d’Es Baluard Museu d’Arte in Nuvola, in Rome), Anita Beckers (gallery owner), David Barro (director of Es Baluard Museu d’Art Contemporani de Palma), Alejandro Romero (Coordinator of the Spanish Pavilion at the Venice Biennale for both the Contemporary Art and Architecture editions and coordinator of Visual Arts at AECID), Xavier Fiol (gallery owner-Art Palma Contemporani) and Pilar Pujol (Art director of the Barceló Foundation).
The University Art Biennial – Art Week 2025 is supported by the Barceló Hotel Group, the Balearic Islands Government, the Balearic Institute of Studies, the Consell de Mallorca, Palma City Council, Inca City Council, the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID), Estrella Damm, Es Baluard Museum of Contemporary Art, Endesa, and the Baleària Foundation.
Participating universities:
2. Princeton University (USA)
3. Universität der Künste Berlin (Germany)
4. Columbia College Chicago (USA)
5. University of Arts London UAL-Chelsea College (UK)
6. FHNW Academy of Art and Design in Basel (Switzerland)
7. Aarhus School of Architecture (Denmark)
8. IUAV Università luav di Venezia (Italy)
9. Academy of Fine Arts in Gdańsk (Poland)
10. Academy of Fine Arts of Macerata (Italy)
11. ADEMA University School of Fine Arts (Spain)
12. Brera Academy of Fine Arts of Milan (Italy)
13. École Européenne Supérieure d’Art de Bretagne (France)
14. HfBK Dresden University of Fine Arts (Germany)
15. IPMT Lviv Polytechnic National University (Ukraine)
16. Royal Danish Academy (Denmark)
17. Weißensee Academy of Art and Design Berlin
18. Academy of Fine Arts Munich
19. Universidad de La Laguna (Spain)
20. Universidad del País Vasco Euskal Herriko Unibersitatea (Spain)
21. University of Art and Design Cluj Napoca (Romania)
22. Universidad de Málaga (España)