Barcelona’s Casa Batlló, Antoni Gaudí’s 1906 architectural masterpiece and UNESCO World Heritage Site, is entering a new era. On January 31, 2026, the landmark will unveil a permanent contemporary art gallery, marking the launch of Casa Batlló Contemporary. The space will debut with an immersive exhibition by United Visual Artists, reaffirming Gaudí Casa Batlló’s evolving dialogue between heritage and innovation.
United Visual Artists: a new light on Gaudí’s vision
The inaugural show, Beyond the Façade, is conceived by United Visual Artists (UVA), the London-based collective founded by Matt Clark. Known for merging art, architecture, and technology, UVA explores cycles of life through movement and light. For this project, they reinterpret Gaudí’s fascination with nature and geometry, creating a multisensory experience that invites visitors to perceive the interconnectedness between humanity and the natural world.
Coinciding with the opening, UVA will also unveil a projection mapping piece for Casa Batlló’s celebrated façade—part of the building’s annual public mapping festival. This new commission acts as a prologue to the indoor installation, extending Gaudí’s spirit of experimentation into the digital realm.
Upcoming art exhibitions in a reimagined space
The new gallery occupies a 230-square-metre second-floor apartment that has been closed to the public for decades. Historically a residential space and later a conservation workshop, it has now been transformed by Barcelona-based architecture studio Mesura. Their approach, described as an echo of Gaudí, respects the building’s original essence while introducing cutting-edge design techniques.
A central feature of the renovation is a curved metallic ceiling inspired by the ripples of water. Created using robotic serigraphy and advanced metal-forming technology, the surface balances poetic symbolism with structural innovation. The architects describe it as “a whisper of Gaudí’s language reinterpreted through contemporary tools.”
This space will host two upcoming art exhibitions each year, positioning Casa Batlló not only as a historic monument but as an active cultural hub within Barcelona’s dynamic art scene.
Gaudí’s Casa Batlló: heritage for the 21st century
The opening of Casa Batlló Contemporary coincides with two milestones: the centenary of Gaudí’s death and Barcelona’s designation as the World Capital of Architecture in 2026. These events underscore the significance of the project as both a tribute and a reinvention of Gaudí’s legacy.
For Casa Batlló’s directors, the initiative embodies what they call “21st-century heritage”—a balance between preservation and forward-thinking creativity. By welcoming artists like United Visual Artists to reinterpret Gaudí’s visionary principles, the building extends its influence beyond modernism, reaffirming its place at the intersection of art, architecture, and technology.
Photography courtesy of MESURA
