On Wednesday 10 September, Barcelona hosted “Artistic practices and a culture of peace,” an event that brought together artists, educators and activists to explore the role of artistic expression in peacebuilding.
Organized by ICIP, ConArte Internacional, Fundación Baketik, Fundació L’Arc, the Theatre Institute’s Social and Community Action Unit, and Dansalut, the event took place at the Fundació Carulla. The gathering underscored that fostering a culture of peace is a collective responsibility involving not only the pacifist movement but also numerous organizations using art and culture to transform society.
The program opened with the roundtable “Art for Peace,” where participants shared experiences of social transformation through art therapy, theatre and hip-hop. Participants included Silvina Merino (La Quinta Pata), David Martínez (La Nave Va) and Lucas Vico (Erol Urbà).
Merino presented Bud na bud, a project that uses embroidery and collective artistic practices to empower Afghan refugee women, turning trauma and exclusion into creative expression that strengthens a culture of peace through memory, dignity and community solidarity. Martínez highlighted the work of La Nave Va, which uses social theatre as a tool for inclusion, awareness and dialogue, taking art beyond the stage to strengthen community bonds. Finally, Vico presented Erol Urbà, a collective that promotes social intervention projects through urban art – rap, graffiti, dance and audiovisual projects – as a way to channel creativity into processes of critique, expression and community transformation.
Movement and words
Following the roundtable, artists Marta Galán and Montserrat Iranzo from Dansalut led a hands-on workshop focused on the body, identity and life stories as tools for theatrical creation and dramaturgy. Through creative dance, body expression, improvisation and free writing, participants explored the interplay between movement and words as a way of recognizing identity, sharing personal experiences and discovering new forms of artistic and collective expression.
The event was part of MONDIACULT 2025, UNESCO’s World Conference on Cultural Policies, which will take place in Barcelona from 29 September to 1 October, with thousands of participants from all over the world.
