Drap-Art 2024: Barcelona Transforms into Sustainable Art Circuit
Drap-Art 2024 is a month-long festival featuring over 60 global artists reviving discarded objects into powerful expressions of activism and sustainability. By Nikitha Sunil Vallikad
Work of Artur Bordalo, also known as Bordalo II who is famous for using street garbage to create stunning animals sculptures so as to warn people about pollution and all types of endangered species.
Art can be a mirror reflecting the fractures of society, a voice challenging the status quo, and a healer offering solutions. Drap-Art 2024, the International Festival of Sustainable Art, embodies these ideals, transforming Barcelona’s Gothic Quarter into an expansive, interactive canvas. Running from 21 November to 21 December 2024, this 28th edition of the festival invites visitors to experience a rich blend of art, culture, and sustainability, free of any entry chanrges.
The work of Snezhana Botenovskaya.
Celebrating nearly three decades of environmental advocacy through art, Drap-Art’24 offers a thought-provoking and participatory journey. From upcycled sculptures to outdoor performances, the event demonstrates that discarded objects can tell stories, spark dialogue, and inspire change.
“There is no sustainability without peace,” emphasises Tanja Grass, Drap-Art’s founder and director. Her vision intertwines humanist values with global sustainability, making the festival a platform for reflection and hope.
The Gothic Quarter: A Stage for Sustainable Art
Drap Art’24
Drap-Art’24 unfolds across Barcelona’s historic Gothic Quarter, merging medieval charm with contemporary urgency. This year’s festival adopts a dual approach: “Drap-Art Indoors”, featuring exhibitions in galleries like Base Elements Urban Art Gallery and Espai del Borsí, and “Drap-Art Outdoors”, engaging the public through installations and performances in plazas and streets. Together, they create an immersive cultural circuit that is as educational as it is artistic.
Visitors will encounter works from over 60 artists, including Colombian artist Andrea Verbel Vanegas and her striking performative piece, “Masa de Elecciones”. Known as “Garbage Guerrillera,” Vanegas challenges consumerism and waste by crafting intricate garments from discarded materials. Her 20-kilogram dress, painstakingly embroidered with plastic and electronic waste, exemplifies art as a form of activism.
Work of British artist Errol Sari, repurposed ceramics and plastic
Equally compelling is the work of Errol Sari, a London-born artist who calls Barcelona home. From his Mono 30 studio, Sari crafts delicate pieces using aluminium cans and plastic caps collected by neighbours, embodying the local-global ethos Drap-Art champions. His art isn’t just about reusing materials but reimagining community dynamics through collaboration.
Beyond the Galleries: Art in the Open
While indoor exhibitions offer introspection, Drap-Art Outdoors invites interaction. Iconic public spaces like Plaza del Rey and Plaza Real become stages for concerts, markets, and installations that connect art with daily life. The festival’s emphasis on open-air activities aligns with its commitment to inclusivity, encouraging broader participation from locals and visitors alike.
One of the standout outdoor activities is the Artistic Recycling and Sustainable Consumption Market, a weekly event that turns Plaza Real into a hub of creativity and conscious consumerism. Vendors showcase products crafted from recycled materials, proving that sustainability and innovation can coalesce in tangible ways.
The festival’s grand finale, the ‘Demonstration-Procession-Parade for Universal Peace and Human Empowerment’, promises to be both celebratory and contemplative. Led by renowned Arte Povera pioneer Michelangelo Pistoletto, this procession features international and local artists uniting for a shared vision of peace and sustainability. Eddy Ekete’s towering sculptures and Amelie Leschamps’ vibrant installations offer a visual feast while underscoring the event’s socio-political message.
The Role of Art in a Fractured World
Work of Augustine Namatsi Okubo using discarded objects.
Drap-Art’24 arrives at a time of global uncertainty. As wars and crises dominate headlines, the festival confronts the pressing need for a return to humanist values.
Tanja Grass observes, “Art has the power to critique, to heal, and to rebuild. Drap-Art is our call for action and introspection.”
The festival’s alignment with activism is not incidental. Sustainable art, as demonstrated by the featured works, transcends aesthetics. It’s a tool for education, a medium for protest, and a bridge between disparate communities. By showcasing art made from discarded materials, Drap-Art questions societal hierarchies, challenges consumerist norms, and offers alternative narratives.
Work by Miquel Aparici
However, the festival’s focus on sustainability isn’t without its challenges. Can art truly influence systemic change, or does it remain a niche discourse, accessible to the few? Drap-Art invites this debate, positioning itself not as an answer but as a catalyst for dialogue.
A Model for Urban Transformation
Work of Malena Friedman
Beyond its artistic merit, Drap-Art’24 illustrates the transformative potential of public art festivals. By activating the Gothic Quarter, the event fosters a sense of place and belonging, reimagining urban spaces as sites of creativity and connection. This year’s edition also highlights the role of community in sustainability. The collaborative efforts between artists, local entities, and residents amplify the festival’s impact, ensuring its legacy extends beyond the month-long celebration.
Work of interdisciplinary artist Maria Salouvardou
For Barcelona, Drap-Art is more than an event—it’s an evolving movement. As the festival nears its 30th anniversary, its commitment to sustainability, peace, and artistic innovation sets a precedent for how cities can engage with global challenges at a local level.
Sustainability as a Collective Responsibility
Drap-Art’24 succeeds in reminding us that sustainability is as much about creativity as it is about responsibility. By turning discarded objects into powerful symbols and transforming historic streets into stages for dialogue, the festival demonstrates that art has a pivotal role in shaping a sustainable future.
But as the final installation is dismantled and the last parade echoes through the Gothic Quarter, a question lingers: Can such initiatives ripple outward, influencing policies and mindsets on a global scale? Or does Drap-Art remain an inspiring, if isolated, gesture? The answers may lie in the festival’s enduring ethos—that sustainability is a collective journey, fuelled by individual imagination and action.
