ADQ__S_C__NS MAMT [i +]

“ADQ_S_C_NS [i +]” is part of an institutional strategy aimed at consolidating a patrimonial narrative that is coherent with the founding aims of the Diputació de Tarragona Modern Art Museum (MAMT), and with the interpretive needs of the present. The 2021-2025 time period is not merely delimited by a series of additions, but configures a privileged observatory to understand how the artistic practices of the region respond to wide-ranging social, technological and cultural transformations. Consequently, the selection of works reflects an express desire to map contemporary creative ecosystems from a perspective that is not only regional, but also critical and plural.

The methodology that guides this selection combines criteria of artistic relevance, regional representativeness, diversity of discipline and a capacity to generate discourse.  Thus, the recent collection engages in dialogue with trajectories that make up the core aspects of contemporaneity. The emphasis placed on Josep Royo and his work reaffirms the role that the MAMT has played in the perseveration and interpretation of contemporary tapestry, and in the recovery of textile practices often undervalued by historiography. Similarly, the inclusion and study of the work of Mari Chordà engages in a critical review of feminism and the creative genealogies linked to the Terres de l’Ebre region, as evidenced in the publications the Museum has promoted in recent years.

The case of Mariaelena Roqué allows us to broaden our view of performance, the body and interdisciplinary practices, and establishes bridges between the Catalan experimental scene and the transnational contexts they have operated in. The inclusion of Marcel Pey reinforces other forms of analysis related to the conceptual avant-garde, thermal images, experimental cinema and the persistence of an imagery that spans his work.On the other hand, the figure of Francesc Tosquelles, recovered and disseminated by the institution through exhibitions, activities and public programmes, exemplifies the Museum’s commitment to an expanded view of cultural practices, understanding them as means of social transformation and as critical devices capable of questioning the established institutional models.

These lines of work are articulated and analysed thanks to the core role played by the Museum’s editorial tools.The Col·lecció Tamarit, the monographic catalogues and the publications dedicated to research (TEXT) act as devices for the continuance of knowledge and as spaces that establish the theoretical frameworks that give meaning to the collection. For this reason, the editorial dimension is not complementary, but fundamental: critical writing becomes a natural extension of the curatorial task and a commitment to guarantee the transfer of knowledge beyond the exhibition period.

In parallel, the exhibition places the museum before a new situation, one marked by technological transformations and the boom in new languages related to digital art, expanded images and hybrid materialities. The custody of the Col·lecció Forvm reinforces this positioning and opens up new study opportunities for photography and contemporary visual practices.The incorporation of this resource not only extends the material limits of the collection, but also redefines the way the Museum is able to interpret images in the current context, integrating them within a narrative related to the acquisitions of recent years.

Ultimately, “ADQ_S_C_NS [i +]” seeks to formulate a view of the collection as a living and permeable organism that is in constant construction. Far from conceiving it as a closed body, the exhibition evidences the need to update, contextualise and communicate it continuously, understanding public collections to be structures of access, knowledge and responsibility. Consequently, the project emerges as a key part of the 50^th anniversary celebration of the Museum, not only because it celebrates its history, but because it establishes the bases for the future: a museum that aims to be thorough in research, open in representation, critical in interpretation and active in building a community.