On March 27 at 19:00, Matiz Gallery will open BASPcr Table #2 – Material Encounter, a contemporary art exhibition presented as part of the BASPcr 2025–2026 program (Barri de l’Art Sant Pere, Santa Caterina i la Ribera).
The exhibition brings together works by Adam Weismann (Claymoon), Alexandre Clanis, Alberto Ruiz Villar, and Jordi Artigas around a clear axis: material as the visible foundation of the artwork.
Material Encounter begins from something direct and perceptible: materials are neither concealed nor secondary to image. Unfired clay, coffee and pigment, industrial paper, acrylic, and plaster appear as active components of the artistic process, foregrounding process, density, and surface construction within each piece.
At the center of the exhibition, Adam Weismann’s unfired clay panels are constructed through compression and stratification, making density and physical labor visible. The surface retains the trace of its making, emphasizing the relationship between construction and representation.
In dialogue with this material presence, Jordi Artigas develops works where gesture and inscription activate the pictorial plane; Alexandre Clanis explores repetition and extended formats on industrial supports; and Alberto Ruiz Villar builds layered compositions in acrylic and plaster that reveal the internal construction of the painting. While materials and techniques differ, all works share an explicit attention to the physicality of the support and to image-making grounded in matter.
Curated Encounter
As part of the BASPcr framework, the exhibition will incorporate a small-scale curated encounter taking place on Friday, March 27, 2026 at 19:00 at Matiz Gallery.
The session will bring together representatives of cultural institutions, local artisans, artists, collectors, and invited international agents. While participation is encouraged through invitation to ensure a focused dialogue, the encounter remains open to those wishing to attend and engage with the discussion.
The conversation will address questions related to material memory, construction knowledge, and the relationship between artistic practice and urban territory. Rather than a formal debate, it is conceived as a structured dialogue connecting contemporary artistic production with the local context.
Reflections generated during the session will later be integrated into the exhibition space, extending the conversation to the broader public throughout the duration of the show.
About BASPcr
BASPcr is a cultural laboratory initiated by Matiz Gallery that conceives the exhibition as a tool for territorial activation and intercultural collaboration. It emerged from a psychogeographic study conducted in 2024 with the support of the Institut de Cultura de Barcelona (ICUB), which identified both the tensions and the cultural potential of the Sant Pere, Santa Caterina i la Ribera neighborhood.
Rather than functioning solely as a curatorial program, BASPcr develops an expanded exhibition model in which each show operates as infrastructure for encounter. Alongside artistic production, the project incorporates curated round tables, public mediation initiatives, editorial exchanges, and collaborative formats that connect artists, institutions, collectives, and local and international agents.
Rooted in its territory, BASPcr seeks to strengthen cultural participation within a neighborhood marked by displacement and migratory diversity, while simultaneously establishing active links with other European cities. In this framework, the initiative has developed a transnational cooperation dimension in collaboration with HafenCity Universität Hamburg (CityScienceLab, Germany), AEA Culture Initiative (France/Georgia), and 48 Stunden Neukölln (Berlin), within the framework of the Creative Europe – Small Scale Cooperation Projects programme of the European Commission.
Through the integration of research, artistic production, and public activation, BASPcr positions the gallery as a site of social experimentation and as a platform connecting the local artistic ecosystem with broader European cultural networks.
Bureau mud
bureau mud is a creative practice founded in Barcelona in 2025 by Maria Uporova. The studio specializes in art direction within the architectural field, designing bespoke spaces and experiences that merge interior architecture with creative direction. With an artistic approach at its core, bureau mud develops projects from visual concept to execution, always focused on crafting thoughtfully designed environments that balance functionality and expression. Although based in Barcelona, the practice works internationally, bridging architecture, design, and art.
Maria Uporova
Maria Uporova is an architect and creative director with over five years of experience at Ricardo Bofill Taller de Arquitectura before establishing bureau mud. At Bofill’s studio, she contributed to projects such as ECO Hotel (Portugal), Vallformosa Winery (Spain), and international commissions in Albania and the US. She has also collaborated on independent projects, including The Fissure in Iceland (shortlisted in the YAC competition) with Juan Ramirez and Robert Mikaielian. Through bureau mud, she channels her architectural background into art direction and interior design, with a vision rooted in artistic sensitivity, narrative-driven design, and global reach.