TBA21 at MONDIACULT 2025

UNESCO conference in Barcelona, Spain

September 27 – September 29, 2025

Photo: José Alejandro Álvarez

Programming

External

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Cultural rights must be guaranteed for all and upheld by all. This is why TBA21 will join a wide array of participants, from policymakers to civil society, artists to young people, at this year's edition of the world's biggest cultural policy conference MONDIACULT.

The 2025 edition in Barcelona brings together thousands of participants to set the global agenda for culture in the years ahead. The discussions will revolve around six themes (Cultural rights; Digital technologies in the culture sector; Culture and education; Economy of culture; Culture and climate action; Culture, heritage and crisis) and two focus areas (Culture for peace; Artificial intelligence and culture), representing key challenges and opportunities for the future of culture.

MONDIACULT is also a major advocacy platform. With the conclusion of the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda in sight, the 2025 UNESCO Conference is a decisive moment to build a consensus and momentum to establish culture as a 'stand-alone' goal within the next United Nations development strategy.

TBA21 participates in the 6th UCGL Culture Summit: The Culture Goal We Need Now, Agora Cívica: Creative Ecologies: Sustainability and Innovation in Economies, and Global Ethical Stocktake for Culture-Based Climate Action and organizes two side events: the exhibition Becoming Ocean and OcéanoFuturismos: Speculative fiction for ocean governance working session at the Institut de Ciències del Mar (ICM–CSIC).

PROGRAM

6th UCGL Culture Summit: The Culture Goal We Need Now

Panel 2: The Commitment: Turning Threats into Opportunities

Presentation and Conversation

Location: Teatre Hall (CCCB)

Saturday, September 27, 2025

11:30 AM – 1:30 PM
Moderation: Catarina Vaz-Pinto, Art and Culture Consultant; Member of the Supervisory Board of the European Cultural Foundation; Former Deputy Mayor for Culture of Lisbon

Speakers: Valentina Riccardi, Director of the Culture Department, Asia-Europe Foundation
Markus Reymann, Co-director of TBA21 Thyssen-Bornemisza Art Contemporary

This session offers a main space to present the first version of a ‘Cultural Goal’, including its targets and indicators, and to open a global debate on it. It is a key moment to listen to the clear and powerful voices of global cultural networks, that is, the people who are part of the Culture Goal 2030 campaign, at this turning point for culture in the global sustainable development agenda.

Learn more

Global Ethical Stocktake for Culture-Based Climate Action
Self-organized dialogue ahead of MONDIACULT
Location: Fundació Joan Miró
Saturday, September 27, 2025
2–6 PM
Participants: 25 live Interventions featuring artists, policymakers and community advocates

In the spirit of the Global Ethical Stocktake (GES) under the COP30 Presidency, this special event will serve as a self-organized dialogue rooted in cultural expression, ethics and imagination, and frontline testimony. Hosted ahead of UNESCO's MONDIACULT in Barcelona, the gathering will spotlight diverse voices working at the intersection of culture, ethics, and climate action. Through stories, performances, and reflections, participants will engage with the guiding questions of the GES, contributing a collective cultural synthesis to the COP30 process.

Markus Reymann, Co-director of TBA21 Thyssen-Bornemisza Art Contemporary, will speak during the 'Opening Remarks'.

Agora Cívica

Creative Ecologies: Sustainability and Innovation in Economies

Location: CCCB Auditorium
Panel discussion

Monday, September 29, 2025

3:30–4:45 PM

Moderation: Lluís Bonet

Speakers: Giada Calvano, Sylvia Amman, Shain Shapiro, Maria Buey (TBA21), Svetlomira Stoyanova

How can the creative economies contribute to a sustainable future? This panel will explore innovative models that integrate environmental, social, and cultural sustainability, ranging from local regenerative practices to global systems of responsible production. The discussion will focus on the intersection between creativity, ecological justice, and economic transformation, asking how we can drive systemic change without compromising cultural vitality.