DESPLAZADOS II by Guillermo del Valle

Presented by: ESPRONCEDA – Institute of Art & Culture
Venue: Carrer d’Espronceda 326, Nau 10, 08027 Barcelona
Opening: Monday, June 8, 2026 (19 – 21.30)

Exhibition: June 9–12, 2026 (visits from 17 to 19 by appointment at info@espronceda.net)

Admission: Free event – registration required via Eventbrite.

An exhibition defending threatened ecosystems and the memory of our wetlands.

ESPRONCEDA – Institute of Art & Culture, in collaboration with the Asociación de Arte Sostenible, proudly presents Desplazados II, a new exhibition by Chilean visual artist Guillermo del Valle. The project focuses on the defense of threatened ecosystems, specifically highlighting the ecological fragility of wetlands and their vital role in global biodiversity.

The exhibition official opening will take place on Monday, June 8, 2026, featuring an institutional welcome and an open colloquium with leading environmental organizations.

Practical Information & Timeline

Opening Night: Monday, June 8, 2026

• 19:00 — Doors Open & Free tour exhibition
• 19:30 — Welcome by ESPRONCEDA
• 19:40 — Official Inauguration: Brief opening remarks by: ESPRONCEDA – Institute of Art & Culture, Jaime López – Asociación de Arte Sostenible, Guillermo del Valle – Visual Artist

• 20:25 — Closing & Networking: Open dialogue and final tour

Exhibition Dates: June 9–12, 2026

Gallery Hours: Daily, 17:30 – 20:30

In Defense of Wetlands

Desplazados II reflects on displacement as both an ecological and human experience, connecting the progressive disappearance of wetlands with contemporary issues of mobility, vulnerability, and coexistence.

Based in Barcelona for most of the year, Guillermo del Valle focuses his research on the Llobregat Delta—a territory constantly threatened by decades of urban interventions, industrial infrastructure, and the expansion of the Josep Tarradellas Barcelona-El Prat airport and port. Because wetlands are essential habitats for migratory birds, the destruction of these spaces forces species into exile. Faced with this critical scenario, the artist poses a central question: What if we were birds? This inquiry transforms the forced displacement of non-human species into a stark metaphor for our own contemporary reality.

The Artwork: Aluminum, Transfers, and Historical Dialogues

The visual language of Desplazados II is deeply tied to the industrial themes it critiques:

• Materiality: The works are executed on aluminum, a material directly linked to the aeronautical industry and the physical transformation of landscapes.
• Technique: Del Valle applies photographs of the Llobregat Delta onto these metallic surfaces using transfer techniques and enamel paint interventions. This creates a visual layer of transparencies, absences, and ghostly forms that evoke endangered ecosystems.
• Immersive Experience: The exhibition incorporates a physical installation, a sound immersion, and an audiovisual piece.

Additionally, the exhibition highlights the artist’s participation in the international project Colaboraciones Culturales: Tejiendo el Futuro, promoted by the Pergamon Museum in Berlin. Working from Fragment 86 of a 17th-century Caucasian carpet partially destroyed during World War II, Del Valle establishes a sensitive dialogue between cultural heritage, historical memory, and ecosystems threatened by human action.

About the Artist – Guillermo del Valle

Guillermo del Valle is a Chilean visual artist whose practice centers on sustainability, the defense of threatened ecosystems, and the relationships connecting territory, memory, and displacement. His previous project, Desplazados I, was presented at the National Museum of Natural Sciences in Chile and the Cultural Center of Valparaíso, focusing on the protection of the Tunquén wetland. He currently resides part of the year in Barcelona.

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About the New European Bauhaus Framework

Desplazados II is part of NEB & Inclusió, an ESPRONCEDA program developed under the umbrella of the New European Bauhaus (NEB)—an initiative by the European Commission promoting sustainable, inclusive, and enriching ways of living through multidisciplinary art.

The exhibition has been selected as an official satellite event of the NEB Festival 2026. ESPRONCEDA is proud to be the only participating center in Barcelona for this edition, consolidating its role as a cultural reference point committed to environmental challenges and social transformation.

Institutional Partners

Asociación de Arte Sostenible: Founded in 2008 in Barcelona, this platform is dedicated to the research, promotion, and dissemination of artistic practices linked to environmental sustainability and territorial awareness. www.artesostenible.org

SEO/BirdLife:SEO/BirdLife is Spain’s leading ornithological society and one of the country’s most influential environmental organizations. Its work focuses on the study and conservation of birds and their habitats, with particular attention to threatened ecosystems such as wetlands, deltas, and migratory corridors. www.seo.org

DEPANA(Liga para la Defensa del Patrimonio Natural) is one of Catalonia’s pioneering environmental organizations. It works for the protection of natural heritage and biodiversity through legal advocacy, scientific research, and public awareness, with a long track record of defending threatened ecosystems in the Barcelona metropolitan area, including the Llobregat Delta. www.depana.org

ZeroPort:ZeroPort is a civil society platform advocating against the expansion of Barcelona’s port and El Prat airport, and for the protection of the natural, social, and cultural heritage of the Llobregat Delta. It brings together residents, environmental groups, and experts to defend the territory from the impacts of large infrastructure projects. www.zeroport.cat

About the speakers

Cristina Sánchez (SEO/BirdLife) She’s a biologist from the University of Barcelona, focused on nature conservation in Catalonia. She’s the director of the SEO/BirdLife office in Catalonia, and she’s the president of the Nature Conservation Network of Catalonia.

Jose García Moreno (DEPANA) Vice president of DEPANA, conservationist, and environmental activist, is connected to the Llobregat Delta. He led the complaint filed with the European Commission regarding the degradation of the Llobregat Delta.

Ariadna Cotén (Zeroport) Member of Zeroport, a platform that opposes the expansion of the port and the airport. She is also a member of the Assemblea de barris pel decreixement turístic (ABDT) and Ecologistes en Acció.

Press Contact

Maria Rubies maria.rubies@espronceda.net

+34 607 639 552

www.espronceda.net

Gallery