Untitled BCN visit

Barcelona is home to many galleries, one of which is close to my heart in the form of Untitled BCN, a fantastic little space run by an Anglo-Catalan duo. They are in the heart of the old town of Gracia in Barcelona, giving you a taste of what life is really like for the locals on the walk up to the gallery. The journey from the nearest metro station takes you past multiple bars, restaurants and boutique little shops, boasting a multitude of shopping and foody places to satisfy and occupy for hours on end. Having visit a couple of times before this particular visit, I found myself wandering around in the sun through the wide open squares that punctuate the journey over to the gallery. There are som many smiley faces and bustling cafes, of which one is a favourite of mine, when you reach the corner just before the street the gallery is on you almost switch into a different world as you walk up a quiet side street, seconds from the bustle of the square. From almost fifty yards away you can see the welcoming bright pink signature lights of the gallery, drawing you in like a bug to a flame. Reaching the gallery only then to be greeted by Dolly the sheep (also sporting a bright pink woollen coat) at the door, from there the space opens up in front of you. Providing a welcome break from the bright sunshine in a cool and well lit space, walls currently inhabited by the work of a group of students from the international arts initiative Metafora. Most striking of all is a video work by the artist Johanna Nahous, the work explores ideas of the body and self juxtaposed with journeys made on local public transport. The work was projected at the far end of the space, directly facing the door so naturally this is the first thing I saw and instantly I started to grapple with its message.

Another piece that caught my eye was an interesting mirrored mask suspended on two invisible wires directly in front of a mirror. The mask itself only covered half of the viewers face, like the phantom of the opera one, while being entirely covered in jagged mirror sections creating an uneven reflective surface to replace half your face as you look into the larger mirror. An interesting show overall, aided by the bilingual duo in charge of this great space ready tot tackle any questions you have and engage in conversation wholeheartedly. Overall this gallery is one of my favourites to visit and hope to visit again, while passing by a couple of sunny squares on the way over.