Art Award

Introduction: The Artevistas Art Award Barcelona

The Artevistas Art Award is a contemporary art competition centered in Barcelona, conceived and organized by the galleries affiliated with the Artevistas project. It offers emerging and established artists the opportunity to exhibit their works in one of the city’s creative hubs, gain visibility, and engage with the thriving local and international art scenes. The award is part of a broader mission of Artevistas Gallery to support and promote artists through open calls, solo shows, and curated group exhibitions. Artevistas Art Award+2Artevistas Art Award+2

Barcelona, with its rich cultural heritage and vibrant contemporary art community, provides a fitting backdrop for such a prize — bridging historic quarters like the Gothic (Gòtic) and Born districts, and intersecting with key institutions such as the Picasso Museum, MEAM, and MOCO museums. streetartcities.com+3Artevistas Art Award+3Artevistas gallery+3

In what follows, we explore its origins, structure, past winners, critical significance, and how artists can best engage with it.

Origins and Development

Roots of Artevistas Gallery

Artevistas started as an ambitious gallery initiative intentioned to promote new talent and create a dynamic exhibition schedule. Over time, it expanded into multiple gallery locations in Barcelona — notably in the Gòtic and Born districts — and developed a reputation for bold, rotating shows and artist support. Artevistas gallery+2Artevistas Art Award+2 The Gòtic gallery is located in Passatge del Crèdit 4, in the building where the famous Catalan artist Joan Miró was born, between Las Ramblas and the city center. Artevistas gallery+1

In recent years, Artevistas opened a second, more spacious gallery space in Born, at Barra de Ferro 8, with approximately 500 m² of exhibition area. Artevistas Art Award+2Artevistas gallery+2 This expansion reflects both institutional ambition and a desire to host more ambitious projects, larger works, and solo exhibitions as part of the award. Artevistas Art Award+1

Launch of the Award

The Artevistas Art Award was conceived as an open call competition to bring worldwide artists into conversation with the Barcelona art ecosystem. The idea: allow artists from diverse geographies and practices to submit portfolios, with finalists selected to showcase in official exhibition contexts.

Its structure has evolved year by year, but always with a focus on solo exhibitions, visibility, and institutional support as key rewards. Artevistas Art Award+2ForPhotographersOnly+2 The award is now one of the flagship initiatives of the gallery, often aligning with the gallery’s rotating solo and group shows. Artevistas Art Award+1

In past editions, finalists have come from a wide range of geographies and practices, showing the award’s ambition to be global in scope. Artevistas Art Award+1

Structure, Rules & Prizes

Open Call & Submission

Each year, an open call is announced (with deadlines, submission fees, and rules) inviting artists to submit their portfolios, works, or proposals. For example, the 2025 call required a submission fee of €48, and had an “open” thematic approach (i.e. not restricted to a specific subject). ForPhotographersOnly

Submissions typically include several artworks (images or proposals), artist statements or CV, and other supporting documents. The jury — often composed of curators, art professionals, and gallery representatives — evaluates based on artistic merit, concept, coherence, and presentation.

Selection & Exhibition

From all submissions, a shortlist (finalists) is selected. These finalists often have the chance to show in a collective or solo exhibition in one of the Artevistas spaces. The ultimate winner is awarded a solo exhibition for a month in Artevistas Gallery Born, which is located strategically near key institutions such as the Picasso Museum, MEAM, and MOCO. ForPhotographersOnly+2Artevistas Art Award+2

This solo exhibition is more than symbolic: it offers exposure to local and visiting audiences, press, curators, and collectors. In one listing, Artevistas frames this as the core prize of the award. ForPhotographersOnly

Gallery Spaces & Context

Artevistas operates two main gallery venues in Barcelona:

Artevistas Gallery Gòtic: The original gallery in the historic heart, situated in the building of Miró’s birth, and deeply embedded in the city’s historic core. Artevistas Art Award+2Artevistas gallery+2
Artevistas Gallery Born: The newer, larger space (500 m²) in the Born district — which is now the exhibition site for the solo-show prize. Artevistas Art Award+2Artevistas gallery+2

These gallery infrastructures give finalists and winners the physical stage needed to reach broader audiences, while also confirming the institutional legitimacy of the Award. Artevistas Art Award+1

Outcomes & Benefits

Winning or being shortlisted for the Artevistas Art Award brings several advantages:

Visibility & exposure: The solo show in Barcelona is a chance to present works to international art-going audiences and critics.
Institutional recognition: The award helps build credibility in an artist’s curriculum vitae.
Networking & connections: Participants may connect with curators, collectors, galleries, and peers.
Portfolio enhancement: The experience of preparing for a solo show, or even being shortlisted, provides a professional benchmark.
Legacy & documentation: Works and exhibitions are archived and remembered as part of the gallery’s institutional output.

Over time, finalists and winners accumulate reputational capital that helps them in subsequent shows, residencies, or prize applications.

Past Editions & Notable Artists

While Artevistas is a relatively recent and dynamic project, it has already established a roster of finalists and winners who illustrate the diversity and ambition of the award.

In the 2025 edition, a number of artists (Ingrid Bohigas, Shyne Eghosa, David Anocibar, Selma Blau, Laura Nieto El’ Gazi, Fredy Forero, Abdelrahman Alkahlout, Liv Likart, Synesthetic blackout, Sguario) were announced as participants/finalists. Artevistas Art Award
The winner in 2025 was Topper W. Plessmann. Artevistas Art Award
Earlier editions include artists like Marta Bran, who in 2015 was among the 15 finalists for the II Premio Artevistas. Marta Bran
The gallery also organizes related exhibitions and contests such as the II Certamen d’art Vermuts Miró, which involved collective displays of submitted works. Artevistas gallery

These names and shows indicate that while the award is open in spirit, it still attracts serious practitioners committed to advancing their careers.

The Cultural and Urban Context

Barcelona as Artistic Hub

Barcelona is a city known for blending tradition with innovation — from Gaudí’s architecture to its modernist heritage, to its lively street art and contemporary galleries. The Artevistas Art Award taps into this cultural density by situating itself in district zones rich with foot traffic, cultural institutions, and tourism. The Born and Gothic districts are particularly prized for their walkability and proximity to museums. Artevistas gallery+2Artevistas Art Award+2

The location of the Born gallery near the Picasso Museum and MOCO further situates the award in conversation with major institutional players in Barcelona. Artevistas Art Award+3Artevistas Art Award+3streetartcities.com+3

Synergies with Local Art Ecosystem

Because Artevistas’ galleries are part of the local gallery network, exhibitions tied to the award can dovetail with other events, gallery walks, and tourist circuits. In this way, the award is not merely a stand-alone gesture, but a node embedded in the ecosystem of Barcelona’s cultural tourism and gallery culture.

Additionally, being selected connects artists to the local collector base and media outlets in Catalonia and Spain more broadly. The award leverages physical space and place to create meaning beyond merely “winning a prize.”

Critical Reflections & Challenges

As with any contemporary art prize, there are nuances, potential criticisms, and areas for growth to consider:

Submission costs & accessibility: The fee (e.g., €48 in 2025) may be prohibitive to some artists, especially from less privileged contexts. The balance between covering administrative costs and inclusivity is delicate.
Selection transparency: The processes and jury criteria might benefit from clearer documentation or public feedback, so artists understand how decisions are made.
Sustainability of exposure: A month-long solo show is a valuable moment, but sustaining momentum afterward is up to the artist. The award might explore post-exhibition support (catalogues, promotion, residencies).
Diversity & representation: Ensuring that submissions and finalists come from diverse regions, identities, and practices is essential to avoid echo chambers.
Curatorial dialogue: With so many open calls worldwide, the distinctiveness and curatorial narrative of the Artevistas Award are important in preventing it from being just another “prize for solos.”

Despite these challenges, Artevistas is relatively young and responsive, and its model shows adaptability and ambition.

How Artists Can Engage & Prepare

For artists interested in applying or leveraging the Artevistas Art Award, here are recommendations:

Follow official announcements
Keep an eye on Artevistas’ website or social media (Instagram) for open call announcements and terms. Artevistas Art Award+1
Craft a curated portfolio
Submit a coherent, well-photographed, diverse but thematically consistent selection of works, with clear documentation.
Strong artist statement & CV
Provide a narrative of how your practice fits into current dialogues and your past work trajectory.
Propose exhibition-ready works
Consider logistical constraints in Barcelona (transport, installation) and select works feasible to display in a gallery of ~500 m². Artevistas Art Award+2ForPhotographersOnly+2
Engage the local art context
If possible, show awareness of Barcelona’s art history, movements, or spatial context in your proposal (not to copy, but to resonate).
Prepare for exhibition logistics
If selected, be ready to produce or ship works, manage installation, and engage in promotion and opening events.
Use the opportunity for follow-up
Leverage the exhibition for networking, catalogues, press coverage, and social media amplification.

Broader Significance & Legacy

Award programs like the Artevistas Art Award serve multiple roles:

They spotlight emerging artists and help shepherd them into serious exhibition circuits.
They mediate between local and global audiences, bringing international artists to Barcelona, and projecting Barcelona’s cultural output outward.
They reinforce institutional memory: the award becomes part of the gallery’s archival legacy and institutional narrative.
They stimulate cultural ecosystems: by hosting regular open calls and shows, the gallery helps animate the local art calendar.

Over time, a successful award becomes part of the identity of a locale — people may speak of “Artevistas laureates” or trace trajectories of past winners. In that sense, the Award is both a programmatic gesture and a seed for generational change in artist networks.

Conclusion

The Artevistas Art Award Barcelona is an ambitious, evolving platform that seeks to merge the dynamism of contemporary art with the spatial and cultural richness of Barcelona. Through open calls, well-situated gallery venues, and a commitment to giving visibility and exhibition opportunities, it offers artists a meaningful path to broaden their careers.

As it matures, its continued influence will depend on how it balances ambition and accessibility, curatorial rigor, and the ability to maintain momentum beyond the solo show. For any artist with interest in Europe’s art circuits, Artevistas is certainly one to watch — and a meaningful opportunity to consider, apply, and grow.

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