“The works you will see at this exhibition and the creative contexts in which they were produced have profoundly marked our identity as a project rooted in a neighborhood, city and region: the Mediterranean. Over nearly eight years of activity as an international artist-in-residency program, Jiwar Creació i Societat has grounded its project in Barcelona upon a recurring obsession with building bridges for dialogue and interaction amongst disciplines, individuals and communities, advocating for artistic creation as an act which passes on both values and knowledge. Accepting our role as mediators, our greatest concern has been to assist with creative processes and broaden the spaces for sharing and dialogue by aiming towards the basic ideal of “sharing the city,” an expression used on many occasions by thinker Marina Garcés. 

To this view of art and creation we could add the project’s ideological foundation, which is none other than the very concept of jiwar, an Arabic word meaning “neighborhood” or “closeness.” This is the driving idea and raw material for a project which advocates for artistic creation as a tool for transformation and reflection on the city, as well as new potential for building relations with it. 

 To this expected and known neighborhood and city, we add two meanings that form a dynamic equilateral triangle: first and foremost, the geographic and cultural dimension of the Mediterranean peoples, which is reflected in our active role in welcoming artists and projects from this region to the greatest extent possible. Secondly, the proximity between artistic disciplines, promoting exchanges and shared work within the residency between artists using different languages. 

In addition to the occasional support given by Barcelona’s City Council, collaborations with public and private entities and organizations of all kinds both locally and internationally have opened up a world of possibilities that we have taken the utmost advantage of. Jiwar has had both the fragility and strength of independent projects, quietly working in depth, contributing value outside the spotlight and trends. 

“We thank Casa Árabe for the opportunity it gives us to keep alive the spirit of the creative neighborhoods that have transformed us. We will never want to stop sharing this,” Mireia Estrada Gelabert, co-founder and director of Jiwar.