ABOUT ESPRONCEDA
ESPRONCEDA – Institute of Art & Culture, powered by Lemongrass Communications S.L., was founded in 2013 to create an innovative platform for artistic and cultural research that could produce social impact and social change in society.
The project is a research and creation platform for contemporary and new media arts, science, education, and cultural dissemination. Its mission is to promote innovative and creative thinking through artistic research and innovation, with the aim of shaping our understanding of the world and enriching the quality of life with new insights toward a more sustainable and responsible transformation.
The organization promotes residency and artistic research programs in the field of both new media art, science, and visual art, offering a multidisciplinary environment that stimulates dialogue between the art world, public institutions, and business.
Espronceda is open to the local and international community by offering various types of events and initiatives such as art exhibitions, workshops, conferences, and open calls aimed at analyzing important issues of our contemporary society.
The methodology is based on a multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary approach that encompasses the new advanced technologies, visual and performing arts and is aimed to create a new ecosocial imagination for society without distinction of race, gender, and background.
For us, artistic research and creativity can be engines of awareness and change, helping people to imagine new balanced, and sustainable futures.
Programs
NEW MEDIA ART AND SCIENCE
IMMENSIVA is an international platform created by Espronceda for artists and creatives working with advanced technologies such as VR, AR, AI, sensors, and many others. The project has created a different collaboration with international Universities, Art centers, R&D institutions, International Galleries, Foundations, and Digital Festivals; in order to explore, through art residencies, new future fields of innovation and to research the potential of technology and science related to important topics on our society. https://www.immensiva.com/
VISUAL ART PRIZES
Over the years Espronceda has created an international, local, and European network, and it has become a partner of different art awards. Specifically, each award offers the artists a research and production grant and a final exhibition. The awards are accompanied by panel discussions and guided tours to open the exhibition and show the research developed both to the local and international public. Below is a list of some of our awards: Arte Laguna Prize, Venice, ARBA-ESA – Espronceda Prize, Swab – Espronceda Prize, Barcelona, Royal College of Art London – Espronceda Prize, Rome University of Fine Arts – Rufa, Roma, Vera Brant Prize, Brasil, Nectar-Espronceda ArtPrize…
SUSTAINABILITY
Through its work over the years, Espronceda has been committed to promoting sustainable development, by collaborating with artistic, cultural, and creative institutions worldwide to explore, investigate and disseminate art as a tool for social and environmental change. We believe there is a need to change our approach by redefining our position in the world, overcoming the current anthropocentric model, and rewriting our future in an ecocentric and balanced way. Artistic research assumes an important educational role in raising awareness, informing and educating citizens about current issues, and helping them to imagine creative solutions and effective alternatives to address the current ecological and systemic crisis. For this reason, in recent years Espronceda has organized different activities such as projects, exhibitions, seminars, artist residencies, and civic engagement actions that promote the topic of sustainability in its ecological and social dimensions.
SOCIAL CHANGE, EDUCATION
At Espronceda we believe in the importance of the dialogue between cultures, for this reason, part of our activities are dedicated to the importance of art for social and sustainable change and for social integration and inclusion.
With the collaboration with the Third Paradise of Michelangelo Pistoletto and the international coordinator of Kids Guernica, we have collaborated on more than 100 workshops with more than 2000 young people and children around the world. In particular, our main targets are the schools and the local citizens of the countries we collaborate with. The aim is to engage them, through art, and empower them to create a sensitive and active community to promote the importance of positive social and civic change both locally and internationally.
ART EXHIBITIONS
The organizational model of Espronceda provides not only an artist’s residence but also the organization of a final exhibition to allow the artists to show their work research. We also host exhibitions in collaboration with our partners, outside of the artist’s residences. The exhibitions allow us to open up to the city and position ourselves in the contemporary international cultural and artistic scene, showing the research and achievements of the artists involved in order to promote them.
Over the last few years, we have produced approximately 130 exhibitions.
RESIDENCY PROGRAM FOR ARTISTS
We have a residency and co-living, and co-working artist’s studios available for hire or in grants for creators working in the areas of the focus of our social impact. We seek to work with underserved populations, such as those who do not have access to new tech, opportunities, or materials to expand their work.
CONFERENCES, SYMPOSIUM, and WORKSHOPS
Espronceda‘s program of activities is also characterized by symposia and conferences, attended by national and international experts in the field with the aim of analyzing different topics related to the relationship between contemporary art, culture, education, society, innovation, and research.
The organization also offers workshops for the Barcelona and international community, ensuring a strong relationship with our audience and making Espronceda an educational space for all ages and interests. From 2013 to 2020 our organization has organized, on average, 60 cultural events, through an interdisciplinary approach to social, innovation, and artistic topics.
HOLGER SPRENGEL
Dr. Holger Sprengel (Co-Founder) is an art lover. He holds an MBA and PhD in Law. Holger is Managing Director in Nurogames and Nuromedia and attracted by the idea of STARTS and believes that artists can trigger innovation. With many companies founded both in the digital and bricks&mortar sector he believes that that art and culture is to make the earth a better place. He advises Espronceda in various aspects.
HENRIK SPRENGEL
Dr. Henrik Sprengel (Co-Founder) is a serial entrepreneur with experience with converting ideas into real businesses, since a decade. Based in Barcelona he feels truly European. His conviction that the EARTH without art would be “EH” makes him a strong believer in art & culture and in Espronceda.
ALEJANDRO MARTIN
Alejandro Martín, (Head of Innovation and EU Projects) is an independent curator, art collector, artist, scientist, business executive and philantropist. He is cooperating with Espronceda since 2015 as curator and strategic advisor for international development and cooperation with major Art Institutions and Universities. Developing programmes of inter-disciplinarity of Arts, Science, Technology and Entrepreneurship: ACT UTOPIA LAB and now managing the cooperation of Espronceda in the Consortium of project Mindspaces/ STARTS lighthouse pilots, Horizon2020. European Commission. Alejandro believes strongly in the transformative power of Art and Humanism on the technological development, knowledge creation and social wellbeing.
ALESSIA GERVASONE
Alessia Gervasone is a cultural manager, researcher and curator.
Art is her passion, as a wonderful global language to create, find, and express new different ethics.
She believes in dialogue and in the interconnection aimed at exploring new artistic and creative frontiers through different mediums.
Sustainability and Human rights are her values. Graduated cum laude in Communication and Valorization of contemporary artistic heritage and with a course in entrepreneurship in the cultural and creative industry sector. She has collaborated with different museums, cultural and university institutions, always working in the arts organization and production. She was a teaching assistant in New Media Art at the Academy of Fine Arts in Turin and worked in a research center dealing with new technology, cinema, and education
MILO DE PRIETO
Starting in storytelling (he wanted to be a filmmaker), Milo became interested in the science behind storytelling and story structure, and the brain. He segued into education and cognitive science while maintaining work in storytelling, production, writing, and even theater.
He has worked in education and curriculum development for many years, coming at it from the perspective of cognitive science and how the brain functions. Simultaneously he has applied this research to business organization, branding, and management.
He’s now fascinated with how this research can improve our lives and the world.
MARC GALVEZ
Marc Galvez is a video game developer and technology, art and culture activist. He is passionate about the creation of all kinds of applications and multimedia solutions, in which the programming, design and art from the creative, educational and gamified point of view.
His career began at the age of 12, when his interest in video game engine development grew exponentially, he was able to develop his first video game and share it with those around him. Years later he graduated from the Polytechnic University of Catalonia (UPC) in the degree of Design and Development of Video Games, and elaborated his university thesis on the design of the tutorial as a central pillar in the video game, thus publishing his first work as a dedicated author. He now studies in depth emerging technologies from close up, as well as Artificial Intelligence, Virtual and Augmented Reality alongside image and video editing.
MARIA MANTZAKOU
Maria Mantzakou (Project Manager) After working several years as content and coordinator manager for virtual and museological projects, currently manages the artistic projects of Espronceda Center for Art & Culture. She is leading the selection of resident artists giving support to the residencies and collaborating with the staff and curators, as well as preparing the expos.
CLARA BELLIDO
Clara Bellido (PR Manager). As managing director of a PR agency (LemonGrass Communications), she has extensive experience in communication campaigns for clients from different sectors, at a local, national and international level. She currently coordinates the communication and PR of the exhibitions and events of Espronceda Center for Art & Culture.
SAVINA TARSITANO
Savina Tarsitano is an artist from Calabria, Italy, who lives and works between Italy, Belgium and Martinique, Caribbean island. Her research hinges on the concept of “landing-place”. She has spent creative periods in “theme-sites” like islands, abbeys, castles all over the world. She is member of the European Cultural Parliament, ambassador of the Rebirth project of Michelangelo Pistoletto and founder of the project “Creativity in Motion” for a social integration through art.
MARIA RUBIES
Executive with 10 years of professional career in Communication, Marketing and Public Relations. Specialized in on-line and off-line Marketing, communication campaigns for customers in different sectors, Public Relations management in widely international environments, and team management in marketing, communication, HR and customer service. Expert Executive Coach. Transversal Competences: leadership, change management, empathy, flexibility, orientation towards results.
GUNNAR SPRENGEL
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