Strange bedfellows – on one side of the narrow street is the dark sombre stonework of the old Convent of San Domingos de Bonaval (part of which is now the Museo del Pueblo Gallego), enlivened by the architectural detailing around the doorways, and dating back to 1228, the inside being less exuberant and more restrained than some of the other monasteries in Santiago with their Baroque richness; – on the other side the dark sombre worn concrete of the Galician Contemporary Art Museum (GGAC) designed by the well-known modernist Portuguese architect Álvaro Siza who has was awarded the Mies Van der Rohe prize in 1988 and the Pritzker prize in 1992.
The CGAC’s series of interconnected spacious high volume galleries on the upper floors with more intimate spaces below allows it to run a programme of changing exhibitions with a flow through the building, starting and returning to the main entrance with a focus on strengthening Galicia as an international centre for contemporary and also showing art that connects to social issues of our time.
Currently the visitors flows through four different exhibition, one ‘We Refugees’ focused on Immigration – not making political statements, but reflecting on the reality of the harsh life for immigrants and for refugees who have greater international protection -, one showing installation works by the artist Angela Ferreira whose work links to issues in Africa and another by Christian Villamide which focuses on how humans have lost the connectivity with their natural environment. A fourth installation of photographs and video by Max de Esteban explores digital technology and its impact on people and cities.