New In Town: Hans + Fritz Contemporary

The unassuming side street of Sant Gil in the Raval is the backdrop for a new artistic endeavour by artist and gallery-owner Erik Marc Trensig. The juxtaposition of the neighbourhood’s traditional character and the new, warehouse-inspired space gives the art gallery an unexpected, clandestine ambience. Trensig, who was born in Barcelona to Danish parents, is aware that there is often very little communication between artists from Southern and Northern Europe and, by bringing Scandinavian artists to Barcelona, he hopes to open up a cultural and artistic dialogue in which both can learn from each other. Although Trensig didn’t open the gallery with the intention of displaying his own work, he is the artist behind the current exhibition, Fuck The Poor. The project started in 2012 when Trensig became increasingly aware of the poverty that surrounds us and how, in our apathy, we’ve lost the ability to react in a meaningful way. He uses sarcasm and irony in his exhibition to shock us out of that apathy and see beyond the comfortable world we live in. The name of the gallery comes from the famous 20th-century cartoon strip, The Katzenjammer Kids, which is about two mischievous brothers, Hans and Fritz.

Hans + Fritz Contemporary. Sant Gil 17.