>> Ukrainian delegation wins the Audience Award.
This afternoon, the Aljub of the Es Baluard Museum hosted the closing ceremony and awards ceremony of the University Art Biennial – Art Week ADEMA 2025, a pioneering week-long event that has transformed Mallorca into a meeting point for emerging university art worldwide. The biennial, organized by ADEMA, brought together more than 300 artists, students, and researchers from 21 universities around the world in an unprecedented initiative on the international academic scene.
The Biennial’s director and curator, Amparo Sard, and Ian Monroe (University of Arts London), were responsible for announcing the awards at a ceremony that recognized creativity, innovation, research, experimentation, and dialogue among Fine Arts students and researchers.
A total of seven prizes and twelve awards marked the closing of this edition:
- The Grupo Barceló Emerging Artist Award, worth 5,000 euros, was awarded to Interstellar Decennial, a collaborative project by Eric Fei, Joshua Kon and Nikita Savostyanov (Chelsea College of Arts, UAL, London).
Honorable mentions went to Valvanuz Ruiz (ADEMA University School of Fine Arts, Palma) and Mia Bevan (Chelsea College of Arts, UAL, London).
- The Best Institutional Proposal Award has been given to the University of La Laguna (ULL), Tenerife.
Honorable mentions for the Institute Art Gender Nature (FHNW Academy of Art and Design, Basel) and Research Film Studio (Princeton University, USA).
- Can Pep Nebot Residency Award, in collaboration with Quartier am Hafen (Germany), awarded to the University of Art and Design Cluj-Napoca (UAD), Romania.
- ADEMA Residency and Acquisition Award, which offers an artist residency and the incorporation of the resulting work into the institutional collection, awarded to Fatma Ibrahimi (Academy of Fine Arts of Macerata, Italy).
- Art Palma Contemporani Award, a one-year master’s scholarship at ADEMA University School, awarded to Victoria Valiente (University of La Laguna, ULL).
- The Xavier Fiol Gallery Prize, which guarantees participation in a group exhibition during the Nit de l’Art 2025, was shared by Elia Menang Setiadi (FHNW Academy of Art and Design, Basel) and Gabrielle Curry (Chelsea College of Arts, UAL, London).
- The Audience Choice Award, chosen by popular vote, was awarded to the Ukrainian delegation.
- Christian Ewe Residency Award and Segno Award
International jury of renowned professionals
These awards have been evaluated by an international jury composed of leading figures from the world of art and culture: Claudia Tittel (the 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 Modern and Contemporary Art Fair 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).
A living network of artistic thought
During his remarks, ADEMA President Diego González highlighted the event’s human, research, and academic dimensions and thanked all the participating universities, artists, collaborating institutions, and the organizing team for their involvement in an initiative that “exceeded all expectations, thrilled us, and demonstrated that Mallorca can be an international benchmark in the field of contemporary university art.”
Diego González emphasized that this first edition “encourages us to continue collaborating and investing in internationalization” and reaffirmed ADEMA’s commitment to the continuation of this project: “We will continue to network with universities, institutions, and stakeholders in the Fine Arts sector. This is just the beginning of future initiatives that will connect research, training, and artistic creation in the university setting.”
For his part, the Regional Minister of Tourism, Jaume Bauzá, was responsible for closing the event. During his speech, he congratulated ADEMA for organizing this project, which “is not just an exhibition. It’s a declaration of intent. It’s a way of saying that art matters. That young people matter. That investing in culture, education, and critical thinking is the best way to build a freer, more just, and humane future.” He also argued that “making art today is an act of resistance and also of hope. And you have done much more than show your works: you have shared your inner world, and that is a gift we will never forget.”
For her part, First Vice President and Regional Minister of Culture, Antònia Roca, expressed her support for the Biennial: “Mallorca has been a meeting point for contemporary university art from around the world these past few days. At the Consell de Mallorca, we are proud to support an initiative that connects young talent, universities, and cultural institutions, fostering creation, research, and critical thinking. Because our culture must be open to everyone.”
“This Biennial demonstrates that our island can be the stage for major international cultural events, while also promoting the professionalization of our young creators. Art not only inspires us, but also propels us toward the future as an open, active, and creative society,” he concluded.
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.