25/10/2026
| Four alumni of the Master's Degree in Arts and Cultural Management at Universitat Internacional de Catalunya came together at Swab Barcelona Art Fair 2026 around a question that goes beyond the artworks on display: How does every art fair develop its own culture and what are the invisible rules for participating galleries?
🎙️ On 9 October, took part in , produced by , a collaborative art and technology research platform.
is an educational and community platform that supports international and immigrant artists in navigating Barcelona's art scene, building meaningful connections, and making informed decisions about their creative careers.
Entitled "Reading the Room: The Invisible Rules of International Art Fairs," the radio conversation brought together perspectives from art ecosystems across Europe, North America, and Southeast Asia.
(XAV) (Alumni UIC Barcelona, 2022), Founder and Director of Artist Ally. Drawing on their experience mentoring international artists and cultural practitioners navigating Barcelona's art ecosystem, XAV moderated the conversation, bringing forward the questions and challenges artists face when entering unfamiliar art-world spaces.
(Alumni UIC Barcelona, 2022), Associate Director at in . He shared insights into what it takes for a gallery to take part in international fairs, from preparation and logistics to the relationships built before and after.
(Alumni UIC Barcelona, 2026), Gallery Director at in . She shared insights into bringing an Indonesian gallery's artists to other countries, and into which approaches travel well between fairs and which belong to a specific place.
(Alumni UIC Barcelona, 2025), Project Producer at Artist Ally, who co-produced the radio programme together with the community event that followed it, connecting the ideas shared on air with the experience of exploring the fair.
💡 The discussion shed light on the often-invisible work behind international art fairs: what galleries do before, during, and after an event, how fair cultures differ from city to city, and why having clear objectives can make all the difference.
The conversation was followed by a community gathering at the fair, where Artist Ally members and current Máster Universitario en Gestión Cultural - UIC students explored , together through playful field quests.
📸 Photo Credit: Zeynep Ayta