Manifesta purposely strives to keep its distance from what are often seen as the dominant centres of artistic production, instead seeking fresh and fertile terrain for the mapping of a new cultural topography.

Manifesta 15 Barcelona will be taking place in Barcelona and 11 surrounding metropolitan cities

Annette Barcelo, CH

Annette Barcelo crafts a distinct universe populated by quasi-mystical figures. Her drawings, using various techniques and mediums, create a bestiary of unsettling creatures, witch-like priestesses, chimeras and animal forms. These figures oscillate between life and death, possessing powers of destruction or resurrection. Her work evokes Native American totemic figures, the Book of the Dead and ancient pagan rituals. Barcelo’s work tells mysterious stories that viewers are invited to decipher. Her spontaneous style, reminiscent of artists like Carol Rama and Anna Zemankova, focuses on the ephemeral and animalistic nature of the body. Predominantly black and white, her work often depicts the bleeding female form, symbolising both suffering and life, with dark, spontaneous floral elements.