Instituto Cervantes, the Spanish cultural center, kicked off their fall season with a spectacular panel discussion and gallery opening on September 5th, welcoming the Young Architects of Spain: A Window into the Unknown exhibition. Hosted by Instituto Cervantes, the exhibition is a collaborative endeavor among its host, The Consulate General of Spain, and the Embassy of Spain.
To welcome the exhibition into their gallery space, prior to the opening, Instituto Cervantes held a panel discussion featuring curators Jesus Aparicio and Jesus Donaire, architect Alberto Campo Baeza, Storefront for Art and Architecture Director Eva Franch, the Executive Director of AIA New York Rick Bell, and the General Consul of Spain Juan Ramon Martinez Salazar. The discussion emphasized the importance of Spanish Architecture, and how the country as a whole has produced amazing architects, making architecture a prominent facet of Spanish culture. Through these architects, the panel concurred that one could envision the future of architecture and the cross cultural connections that are already evident throughout the scope of work presented.
An international jury of renowned architects received 700 submissions for entry into the exhibition and ultimately chose 62 architectural firms’ projects to display. Requirements for submission included that all architects must be under 40 years of age, and must be Spanish, although the work could be located anywhere in the world. Initially, the exhibition began in Spain and traveled throughout Europe before making its way across the Atlantic Ocean to the United States. Some of the firms are well known on the global stage, such as Andres Jaque Architects, whose IKEA Disobedience was recently purchased by MoMA, and others who are just stepping out in their global debut. All of the work is simply stunning; exemplifying the direction that architecture is heading and displaying the creativity and ingenuity of Spanish architects throughout the world.
Each submission is carefully displayed on an individual panel, highlighting key components of the projects, the architects’ intentions and goals, and renderings depicting their description. The exhibit is at Instituto Cervantes New York, 211 E 49th Street, Manhattan through September 18, 2012. Gallery hours are as follows: Monday through Friday from 9:00 am to 8:30 pm and Saturday from 9:00 am to 2:30 pm. The exhibition is free, making it a worthy destination on your brisk walk home after work, or a Saturday mid-morning excursion.
