Margalef — Urban Art and Installation

Margalef is a Catalan artist who studied architecture. Inspired by urban art culture and minimalist abstract art, his work combines an awareness of architectural concepts with ephemeral artistic techniques. He creates installations, image appropriations, and interventions that are typically found in public spaces. Their accessibility allows viewers to interact directly with the work. Through his projects, Margalef reformulates the codes of urban language, using art as a tool to question the status quo.

You trained as an architect, but have ended up developing projects that merge architecture and artistic creation. When and how did you begin developing your artistic practice in public space?

I would describe my practice as addressing artistic challenges through architectural approaches, or proposing architectural ideas through an artistic conception. Architecture, which is also an art form, generally provides a broad understanding of context and offers technical resources when planning execution. These two aspects make it possible to create powerful and ambitious interventions in public space.

Five years ago, I decided to begin executing proposals in public space with the idea of moving from theory to practice. At that time, many artistic proposals were heavily based on theory, while offering only a small visual outcome. I found it interesting to work in the opposite direction: reducing the theoretical component and amplifying the physical impact of the intervention, so that the result itself would communicate the concept.

Although you have experimented with various materials and formats, much of your public-space work is recognized for its use of industrial tape. Why did you choose this material? What symbolism or background does it carry?

Industrial tape is a versatile, practical, and affordable material. It offers a large amount of color in a single roll that is lightweight, compact, clean to work with, easy to correct, and can be removed in just a few minutes. For ephemeral interventions, it has proven to be an excellent solution.

I first used it in one of my earliest projects, the Red Bridge in Girona, where I needed to apply a large number of colored lines along a 70-meter stretch. Since it was a highly ambitious project, it was essential to find an efficient solution in terms of resources, time, and constraints. From that point on, I expanded my exploration of the different types of tape available on the market, always trying to apply the strengths of each material to different contexts.

Experimenting with the possibilities of available materials and investigating their symbolism and associated meanings has become an integral part of my creative discourse.

Through your interventions, you question, reformulate, and reinterpret the codes of urban language. What effects do you think art can have in subverting hierarchies and social behavior models established by structures of power?

Art generally questions the status quo. It encourages us to ask questions, reflect, experiment, and ultimately develop our own positions. Through their practice, artists invite viewers to participate in this process of questioning.

Personally, I am interested in discussing the politics of public space—conflict, coexistence, freedom, and related themes. I aim to highlight aspects of urban life that we live with every day without fully understanding why they exist, or that we simply take for granted. Yet these elements often shape our experience of the city in profound ways.

Your interventions often invite play and interaction with the public. How do you challenge the audience’s role as passive spectators through your artistic practice?

The goal of interaction is to make the viewer a protagonist as well, allowing them to experience multiple perspectives and perceive subtleties that are not immediately obvious.

Many things cannot be explained through a photograph alone; they need to be experienced. An intervention that plays with sunlight, for example, changes character throughout the day. A large-scale geometric intervention with repetitive and seemingly endless patterns can create a feeling of disorientation or alertness.

Capturing the viewer’s attention is the first step. Guiding them toward the meaning of the intervention can be done either through explicit explanations or by embedding elements within the work itself that communicate its purpose. It is also about achieving a degree of acceptance and coexistence, ensuring that the intervention is perceived as adding value rather than generating distrust.

Your works have a direct relationship with public space. How do architecture, context, and environment influence the conceptualization of a project?

I try to establish a dialogue with the street and the ways in which public space is experienced. The goal is often to alter the context in order to highlight a characteristic that already exists there, even if it is intangible.

In my work, the architectural component is essential, whether it exists beforehand in the form of an interesting structure or is created through the intervention itself. The use of construction-related materials is also part of this approach.

As an architect, what is your view of the urban landscape and the interaction generated by urban art?

Cities suffer from visual and sensory overstimulation. While this is partly what makes them attractive, it also creates many inconsistencies and discomforts.

Advertising, for example, dominates urban space with little resistance. No one asks us whether we want advertisements or where we want them. For this reason, citizens must be critical and make their voices heard. We have rights, but they are rarely granted without being claimed.

Urban art has followed a similar path. It initially occupied spaces that were overlooked or considered aesthetically unimportant—vacant lots, abandoned buildings, and so on. Gradually it has conquered more territory, but there is still room for growth. Urban art could be integrated into many other environments. For example, subway stations or bus stops could provide space for artistic expression instead of being reserved exclusively for advertising.

As a collective, we must continue demanding space and equal opportunities alongside other sectors.

Most of your projects have a defined lifespan. What role does ephemerality play in your work?

I understand the use of public space not as an act of appropriation but as a temporary contribution—something transient.

Art in public space is subject to unpredictable transformations, and this is an important factor to consider. Often, we must accept the principle that the street belongs to everyone, and the longevity of a work does not depend solely on the artist’s intentions.

On the other hand, designing a work as something temporary creates both constraints and opportunities. It allows for greater risk-taking and experimentation—things that might not be possible in a permanent intervention, whether because of the occupation of public space or the durability of the materials involved.

You are currently working on the first intervention of a new artistic activation project within the Poblenou Superblock. Do you think these spaces create new forms of social behavior in urban environments? Could you tell us about the first lines of the community action you are developing?

I have been able to observe firsthand how the urban ecosystem of the Poblenou Superblock has evolved over recent months, and I have been surprised by the way people have embraced public space as their own.

I believe that every resident of the city would eventually like to have a space like this near them. It provides an enormous range of possibilities, and we have only begun to see its potential.

The intervention project we are preparing with Rebobinart seeks to reinforce the role of pedestrians as active agents in shaping cities, placing them above motorized traffic. We are doing this through the creation of a new graphic language that encourages the appropriation of spaces traditionally reserved for vehicles.

The project is expected to be carried out in collaboration with students from the neighboring school and will include a long-term program of actions designed to ensure its continuity and impact over time.

Finally, why do you think there has been an exponential growth in urban art projects nationally and internationally in recent years?

Urban art reveals new spaces to us and encourages us to see them from a different perspective. In many cases, it fills gaps that cities have.

In recent years, urban art has achieved a certain degree of public acceptance, which is essential. However, I believe we must continue promoting projects that offer more than simply covering square meters with paint and creating a visually attractive image. Urban art proposals should take into account the passage of time, the investment of resources, and the value they return to society.

In this way, urban art can evolve from being a temporary anecdote into a meaningful asset for our communities.

Barcelona, for example, has always been a vibrant city where initiatives supporting urban art and street culture constantly emerge. Often, these initiatives struggle to survive over time, whether due to financial limitations or a lack of clear institutional support. Nevertheless, the city and its artists continually reinvent themselves in order to bring their creativity to the public.