In February, we joined the IME and Museu de Menorca in launching a new grant to support art research and production. Following the theme of the IME’s annual conference, the emphasis for the inaugural year was sustainability and the relationship between art and nature in Menorca. 

Following an open call for submissions, a jury comprised by curators, art historians and researchers—including Hauser & Wirth Senior Director Tanya Barson—selected the winning project, ‘Sun Screen’ by Victor Masferrer, in collaboration with Maite Basterra, which is granted €5,000 for research and development. The project addresses sun cream as both a protection screen for the human body and one of the main polluters of the marine environment, causing harm to species including Mediterranean tapeweed. Using anthotype—a photographic emulsion with tapeweed clorophyll—Masferrer creates a parallel between this marine species and the human body, understood as a camera reflecting the sun on the skin. The resulting project will be exhibited at Museu de Menorca, coinciding with next year’s annual conference by the IME.

Through this partnership, we aim to contribute to the sustainable social and cultural development of Menorca, fostering community dialogue, collaboration across disciplines and citizen engagement with the arts.

Marta Jordi, Scientific Coordinator of the IME, comments: ‘The grant follows our vision to promote research and knowledge exchange on the island, and to do so in collaboration with other organizations working with art and learning.’ 

Submissions closed 18 March. Read more about the grant and its requirements here (in Catalan and Spanish). With the support of Agència Menorca Reserva de Biosfera.