King Felipe VI has appealed to the defense of art and culture as consubstantial elements to the defense of the integrity of values "and the validity of democratic systems." For Don Felipe, this task is especially necessary and relevant at a time of uncertainty, such as the current one, "with the effects that are still lasting and with a war in the heart of the European continent."
"Culture is today, more than ever, our bastion, and museums, the guarantors of our shared values", said the Monarch, at the opening ceremony of the 54th Annual Conference of the International Committee of Museums and Collections of Modern Art (CIMAM), which brings together some 200 experts in contemporary art from all over the world in Palma.
Don Felipe has encouraged the attendees to analyze the challenges that museum centers face in terms of innovation, communication and education and how to stimulate creativity and talent, challenges that are typical of these art centers, but which are " close and understandable" for society. He has highlighted that contemporary art museums and centers are "windows that allow us to peek into what is to come; perhaps into a possible future or the ability to break canons and release creative energy, even if it does not recommend a defined path".
"Visiting the rooms of the centers where they work, with which they collaborate or direct teaches us a lot about the present, but it also enlightens us about the possibilities of building a better tomorrow", he said. He also highlighted the symbolic importance of this congress being held precisely in the Es Baluard museum, an old military fortress and a symbolic place "in which the values that inspire our democratic coexistence are also evoked, through the artistic expressions that houses."
At the opening ceremony, the Minister of Culture, Miquel Iceta, also referred to the changes and uncertainty facing the world and assured that museums and culture "can play a determining role in this future" and they must be "beacons, space for reflection and sources of welcome". "Culture is the vanguard of thought and the emotional rearguard, a safe place to pass and shelter," he has said.
The Balearic president, Francina Armengol, welcomed the attendees and thanked them for choosing the Balearic Islands to hold this meeting. The annual conference has kicked off with a dialogue between the director of CIMAM, Mami Karaoke, and Saskia Bos, an independent curator and art critic from the Netherlands. During the weekend, attendees will address the role of contemporary art museums and their future challenges.
