Hospitalet’s Cultural Network Map

Dear circle, I’m Ines, a cultural manager based in Barcelona for 2 years and currently developing a research project about the Cultural District and art network of Hospitalet for the University of Barcelona, and Artist Ally invited me to share my insights about the area.

My aim is to help artists, curators, and art fans find new ways to connect with Barcelona’s art scene and integrate with the local community more fluidly, by stepping out of their comfort zone and discover lesser-known opportunities for exhibiting and producing art in the city.

Getting there is no excuse for staying in your Poblenou trenches and missing out on some of the city’s best art shows and exhibitions just because of their location. If you haven’t visited the area yet, travelling to Hospitalet is very easy: the two main art hubs can be reached by the red metro L1 line, stopping at either Santa Eulàlia or Torrassa, which are about a 10- and 15-minute ride from Plaça Catalunya, respectively. Otherwise, it’s a perfectly manageable 25-minute cycle from Catalunya for those who don’t mind the heat.

If you are an emerging artist or curator and are looking to connect with a new art network, I recommend Hospitalet as a potential starting point to make worthwhile connections. Many of the local artistic initiatives here are unique in Barcelona due to their dual identity as being strongly connected to the local Catalan scene and also benefitting from the arrival of a new wave of immigrant artists, leading to a more inclusive atmosphere and international connections with many galleries abroad such as in Buenos Aires, Puerto Rico, Basel and London.

Just showing up at shows or going to small concerts and performances in the area is a great place to start if you are looking to connect with creatives and get a feel of who you’d like to start working with.

One of the main advantages of moving to Hospitalet is its cheap rent, and easy access to big industrial warehouse space, advocated for by the Cultural District of l’Hospitalet in an initiative to make it become a new popular location for new artists looking for alternative modes of organizing, especially for those who prefer to work as part of a community or have their workshop close to their living space. 

To support and promote these emerging Hospitalet-based initiatives — as well as other local art spaces and collectives in lesser-known parts of Barcelona, many of which I regularly attend and are run by good friends of mine — I’m preparing a series of articles with tips and advice for those looking to move to Hospitalet, navigate the area, and apply for art production grants at the local, regional, and EU level.

As a first step in that journey, I’m sharing my first goodie: the Artist Ally Hospitalet Cultural Network Map — a resource I created for you as part of a broader research project of mine called HOSPICHARTING, supported by the University of Barcelona. You can check out the website for access to the original source.

Want Access to Ines’s Hospitalet Cultural Network Map?

Click the button below to explore the Hospitalet neighbourhood 🗺️

Inside, you’ll find a curated list of Cultural Centres, Galleries, Exhibition spaces, concert venues, and workshop spaces based in Hospitalet.