Photo: Claudia Mauriño
The great Casa Batlló, regarded as Antoni Gaudí’s masterpiece in Barcelona, welcomes a million visitors each year. Thousands explore its many spaces and floors every day. But if you've visited, you might not have guessed there was a hidden second level that was long closed to the public. As part of the activities to commemorate the centennial of Gaudí’s passing, Casa Batlló finally opened this space as a gallery for contemporary art with an exhibition by United Visual Artists (UVA).
Titled Beyond the Facade, the show is part of a larger collaboration between Casa Batlló and UVA’s founder, Matt Clark. The “facade” part of the title refers to the front of Casa Batlló, which UVA transformed for a couple of nights with the mapping display Hidden Order. Marking the fifth edition of Casa Batlló’s annual mapping program, Clark drew from Gaudí’s concept of “L’ordre invisible,” where geometry and the laws of nature are always present to provide structure to design a large-scale audiovisual performance.
Casa Batlló describes Beyond the Facade as an extension of Hidden Order, while Clark considers it to be “A slower, more reflective counterpoint to the facade mapping… an opportunity to look more closely at the ideas and processes behind the work.”
In this site-specific show, the artist introduces a series of new works, including light studies, motion-based projections, and kinetic sculptures. All these pieces draw from natural geometry, choreography, and philosophical reflections on time and systems—as if engaging in conversation with the surrounding architecture. Through this, the artist chronicles a journey from natural light into darkness, day into night, and order into disarray.
“The exhibition seeks to transform visitors from spectators into participants, creating an immersive experience through the use of technology, light and the architectural space of Casa Batlló,” says Maria Bernat, Director of Casa Batlló Contemporary.
While the mapping shows are over, Beyond the Facade is open until May 17, 2026. To learn more and get your tickets, visit Casa Batlló’s website.
Casa Batlló finally opened the second floor of Gaudí’s masterpiece in Barcelona, which has been turned into a gallery space for contemporary art.
Photo: Claudia Mauriño
Titled Beyond the Facade, the show is part of a larger collaboration between Casa Batlló and UVA’s founder Matt Clark.
Photo: Claudia Mauriño
The “facade” on the title refers to the front of Casa Batlló, which UVA transformed for a couple of nights with the mapping display Hidden Order.
Photo: Claudia Mauriño
In this site-specific show, the artist introduces a series of new works that include light studies, motion-based projections, and kinetic sculptures.
Photo: Claudia Mauriño
All these pieces draw from natural geometry, choreography, and philosophical reflections on time and systems—as if engaging in conversation with the surrounding architecture.
Photo: Claudia Mauriño
Through this, the artist chronicles a journey from natural light into darkness, day into night, and order into disarray.
Photo: Claudia Mauriño
Clark describes the exhibition as “A slower, more reflective counterpoint to the façade mapping… an opportunity to look more closely at the ideas and processes behind the work.”
Photo: Claudia Mauriño
Beyond the Facade is open until May 17, 2026.
Photo: Claudia Mauriño
Photo: Claudia Mauriño
Photo: Claudia Mauriño
