Benidorm opens two new Urban Art Spaces on Rioja Street and at Ermita de Sanç
Both locations feature several backlit panels displaying images from the Municipal Archive for the public to enjoy
Benidorm City Council, through its Departments of Public Spaces, Historical and Cultural Heritage, and Citizen Participation, has launched two new Espais d’Art Urbà (Urban Art Spaces) to enhance the appearance of both locations and turn them into exhibition spaces.
The new spaces are located on Rioja Street and at the Ermita de Sanç chapel. The former is a busy pedestrian thoroughfare, while the latter is a central hub and meeting point for residents of the l’Horta neighbourhood and people from other parts of the city.
Their installation also responds to one of the most frequently requested initiatives from residents across Benidorm’s neighbourhoods: creating more spaces to promote art throughout the city and bring it to every area of the municipality wherever possible. This was explained by councillors Francis Muñoz and Ana Pellicer, who are responsible for the departments involved.
The first of the new spaces, on Rioja Street, is part of a project recently completed, which has undergone a refurbishment of the street that included resurfacing, the planting of trees and improvements to accessibility.
The first images selected by the Council for this Urban Art Space are two vintage postcards of Benidorm and three photographs from a collection of 86 images donated by Dutch businessman and philanthropist Wim Kuipers. All these photographs are in the Municipal Archive.
The second space, located at the Ermita de Sanç and named Espai d’Art Urbà l’Horta, consists of four panels displaying photographs of former festival committees associated with the celebrations in honour of the Mare de Déu del Roser (Our Lady of the Rosary), coinciding with the recent festivities.
These images also come from the Municipal Archive’s photographic collection, Pellicer explained. She added that the photographs “will be updated throughout the year, with changes scheduled to coincide with the various celebrations held at the chapel and other traditions of the l’Horta neighbourhood”.
With the addition of these two new spaces, Benidorm now has ten Urban Art Spaces distributed across different parts of the city. The other locations are Carrascos, Els Tolls, El Pont, El Campo, Ponent, Hispanitat, Tamarindos and El Castell.
