This Zero Project Awardee demonstrates how technology, creativity, and inclusion can work together to make art and culture accessible to all.
The Fundación ONCE International Contemporary Art Biennale was founded in Spain in 2006 to provide a platform for artists with disabilities and make art accessible to all. The exhibition showcases contemporary art in a variety of forms—from painting and sculpture to performance and new media—and combines them with assistive technology.
Each biennial has its own theme: previous editions have focused on "the body," "landscapes," "language," or "technology in art." Visitors were able to experience sound, movement, and visual art in a multisensory way—for example, through works by the deaf artist Sun Kim, who makes sound tangible through materiality and movement. The last and ninth biennial took place at the CentroCentro cultural center in Madrid. The theme of the most recent biennial was "Paths of Resilience: The Transformation of Mental Health through Contemporary Art." The exhibition explored how art can serve as a tool to improve mental health by bringing topics such as loneliness and mental well-being into public discourse, thereby contributing to destigmatization. The works of 43 Spanish and international artists were on display, more than half of whom live with a disability. Curated by Mercè Luz i Arqué, the works come from important contemporary art collections, galleries, and the artists' own collections. In keeping with the aims of Fundación ONCE, both the exhibition and the accompanying activities are designed to be fully accessible and promote dialogue between art, inclusion, and mental health.
Thanks to technological innovations such as audio descriptions, Braille, sign language videos, and a beacon-based guidance system ("Beep Cons"), the exhibition will also be designed to be spatially and communicatively accessible. This allows people with various disabilities to enjoy art under equal conditions.
Three aspects make the project special:
• Inclusive art funding: The Biennale offers visibility to artists with disabilities and strengthens their presence on the art market.
• Multisensory exhibition experience: Through technology and creative design, art can be experienced – with eyes, ears and hands.
• Sustainable impact and networks: Supported by the Spanish royal family and numerous museums, the Biennale continues to grow and inspire similar initiatives in Europe.
The Fundación ONCE plans to acquire additional partners in Europe to expand the Biennale's international reach. Its concept—art as a space for encounters and equality—can easily be implemented in other cities.
You can find more information here: Fundación ONCE Biennale