When architecture and art want to heal

BarcelonaThe verb "to cure" has the dual meaning of "to care for" and "to heal." Architecture and art are not medicine, but they can contribute to the well-being of sick people, as can be seen in Barcelona in the exhibition Mortals+ of the Fundació Suñol and in the exhibition of the Enric Miralles Foundation Architectures of healing: designing spaces of care (Pasaje de la Paz, 10 bis). One of the protagonists of the second one is the Kálida San Pablo centerInspired by Maggie's Cancer Foundation homes around the world, the project also includes a dozen designs for a potential Kálida center on the grounds of Vall d'Hebron Hospital, which architect Benedetta Tagliabue presented as an exercise for a special course she taught at Yale University in the spring.

"I strongly believe in this project," Tagliabue stated at a conference at the headquarters of the Official College of Architects of the Balearic Islands in Ibiza. "It makes very clear the need for humane architecture, architecture that makes you feel at home even in a hospital, in a critical situation. It doesn't cure from a medical point of view, but it does help you accept the illness in a better way," she said. The Kálida Sant Pau center left a deep impression on her: "Everything we do now in the studio stems somewhat from the experience of this center, where I truly learned how important it is to create a space where you feel more comfortable, and how you can do this at any time," she emphasized.

The Kàlida Sant Pau center is only 20 meters from the oncology department of Sant Pau Hospital, but Tagliabue designed it so that patients could "escape." Thus, while the side of the building facing the hospital is closed, the other opens like a fan towards gardens and the modernist buildings of Lluís Domènech i Montaner. "The roof is like a peacock, and hospital patients can see from above that they have a special building nearby," says the architect. The building's budget was limited, but this didn't prevent her from adorning it with beautiful details, just as renowned architects like Norman Foster, Frank Gehry, Zaha Hadid, and Rem Koolhaas made beauty a source of comfort. "We looked at what Domènech i Montaner had done, and in the decoration of the façade, we created a faux-modernism, playing in a very simple way with bricks and the color white," says Tagliabue.

Regarding the Yale students' projects for Vall d'Hebron, Lauren Sexton aims to lift patients' spirits through "the dynamic experience of interior spaces" and views of nature. Marya Bakhrameeva occupies a neglected courtyard within the complex with a wooden structure, transforming it into "a sanctuary of light and care." Sida Tang proposes a wood and brick building with vaulted ceilings that belongs simultaneously "to the Collserola mountains" and to the city. The relationship between the building and illness is further explored in Christy Ho's project, which proposes a building with "spaces that compress and expand, mirroring the emotional journey of illness." Architectures of healing: designing spaces of care It will be on display until April 10, 2026 and is part of the events celebrating Barcelona's status as the world capital of architecture.

Before the Kálida, Tagliabue had already completed a series of works in which various strategies for making buildings more "welcoming and loving" can be detected, both in his early period with Enric Miralles and when he embraced Miralles' legacy and projected it into the future. Miralles and Tagliabue respected the existing structures when they built their home in a Gothic palace and renovated the Utrecht Town Hall. And when they designed the Parliament of ScotlandThey ensured that it wasn't overwhelming and that the spaces retained a certain domestic character. On his own, Tagliabue has continued to develop his approach to caring for public spaces (Rimini Sea Park), using warm materials, such as ceramics and wood (the church of Sant Jaume in Ferrara and the central metro station in Naples), and working with the community (Clichy-Montfermeil metro station in Paris).

From hedonism to remembering the victims of HIV

In the field of art, in the exhibition Mortals+ Albert Potrony, from the Suñol Foundation, presents the Taming of pleasureFour collaborative hanging sculptures are accompanied by a sound piece featuring the voices of participants from the working group from which they originate. The exhibition is the result of a research project on HIV and AIDS involving the collectives Supervihvents Creación Positiva and Bollos en Teoría de Ca la Dona, the latter through visibil.

"With these damasks, we speak of the hedonism that exploded with the Transition and was undermined by the emergence of AIDS. We also think of the damasks from the Names Project, which commemorates all the names of the people who disappeared during the pandemic," explains Potrony, along with members of the foundation Jaume Brunet and David Martrat. Another work by Potrony is also on display: a set of twelve fabrics printed with the marks left on the bodies of the participants, who also include doctors, nurses, and members of Casal Lambda, Gais Positius, and SIDA STUDI. The project has received funding from the Generalitat's 2023-2025 grant for community culture and social transformation projects, and support from the Fundació Suñol and the Fundació Glòria Soler.

Mortals+ It is a continuation of a project by Potrony and Sanjuan. "When we did the project queer mortals"The activists from Supervihvents asked us how they could find meeting places with healthcare workers, because living with the disease today is very different than at the beginning of the pandemic, but there were still issues they wanted to rethink if they found a place to meet with healthcare workers, and they would prefer it not to be a healthcare setting," says Roser Sanjuan. ~B. organized chronologically from pre-pandemic sexual freedom to the current chronicity of HIV, colorful painting Sweet swimmers, 3 selfwatchers (1981-1982), by Chema Cobo, engages in dialogue with Potrony's first damasks, while Couple No. 1 (1988), by Susana Solano, evokes fear and isolation. Later there are Cactus arm (2000), by Miquel Navarro; and Self-portrait (A Little Love Story) (1994), by Alberto García-Alix, prompts reflection on how HIV-positive individuals can be viewed as monstrous and the physical control measures that followed the emergence of AIDS. And in the final section is the defiant letter in the world of ceramic artist Laia Torramilans, which reads: "I want a society that loves me, that doesn't discriminate against me because of how I contracted HIV. I want a truly inclusive society, one that is republican, secular, and free."