Contemporary art has always existed. Discovered in back rooms or at the first exhibitions of master students, it was always a steep path to the art museums of the world. In the Bermuda Triangle between art historians, gallery owners and museum directors, many seen as a bright star in the sky of emerging art disappeared. Most people still see the museum certificate as a blessing, as it promises access to institutional collectors and provides the argument for price-increasing speculation. Many museums have made themselves convenient in this comfort zone. Crumbling public funding, falling visitor numbers, falling values and political reorientation make it difficult to simply carry on as before.
Often nothing or everything is then questioned.
In these places as museums we find the memory of the people. (Maamoun Abdelkarim, Director – General, Syria)
When you look back at an innovation, it often appears to be an apparently necessary consequence of a previous situation. Looking back, there is always something like a common thread. It is easy to recognize in retrospect.
In the present, you can at best recognize the deviation from the norm. Innovation is never mainstream. But since there are always many attempts to create something new, different, better and more forward-looking, there are many deviations present. There is a fine line between going astray and innovation.
Museums are places where we can become curious about other people. (Molly Fannon, Smithonian, USA)
A wooden box made from pallet wood is hung on the wall in a public space. Art is displayed and offered in the box. Anyone who wants to can open the box and take something out. This “something” is part of a social sculpture. It invites you to take part.
Is this a museum? Is this the contemporary task of a museum? Is this art… or an impertinence?
Anyone embarking on a journey beyond their comfort zone can ask themselves what this wooden box and a classic museum have in common and what distinguishes them.
A museum is a place where everybody belongs and everybody can contribute something. (Baba Fallo Keita, Conservator, Mali)
Both describe a space dedicated to contemporary art. The space is open to the public. The content is curated. The works are prepared for presentation, there are references to further information (such as to this post).
What distinguishes the two spaces goes far beyond the size. The visitor determines the opening times at the wooden box, but not at the classic museum. The exhibition changes very quickly, there is always something new to discover, and it is extremely worthwhile to come back to the wooden box. The actual contemporary work of art is created through the interaction between the offer of the initiating artist and the reaction of the visitor, who becomes an actor – and thus also an artist – with his subsequent action
The museum is a really interactive social model. (Lilia Rivero, Mexico)
The wooden box was easy to build. It is part of a social sculpture. It is called MUARCO. That is the abbreviation of “museo de arte contemporaneo”. The wooden box is where the visitor passes by. All that is required is the decision to pause and take a look. No admission is required. Something special begins with the appropriation of the art. The visitor does not remain passive. He understands what is on offer. And thus his reaction becomes part of the work of art. The engagement with the work is not limited to the visual aspect. The visitor in front of the box who is interested in art not only becomes the new owner, he also subsequently becomes a promoter and art mediator, and in the sense of social sculpture, an artist.
Fullfill roles in contemporary societies. (Nao Hayashi, UNESCO Coordinator)
The so-called popular saying used to be: If nothing costs nothing, it’s nothing! But does that still apply today? What about your G**gle account, the browser you’re currently using and what about the voucher from your last purchase?
In these times, public funds are being redistributed. Culture, especially the culture of criticism, is disruptive. Most artists have not benefited from public funds anyway. They have always had to invent other ways of refinancing their cultural work. The classic museum has also done little in this regard.
The upkeep of this wooden box is manageable. It doesn’t burden the public budget and it doesn’t live off your tax money.
In 2016 there was the World Heritage Sites and Museums – Conference in the UNESCO headquarter in Paris. The quotes come from participants. There was often talk of the educational mission. The elite have always seen the museum as a tool, but guided by the hand of the master from their own ranks with a clear mission. It is time to open the museum to the many creative people. Anyone who dominates the space creates space for themselves, at best, but not for the many. Anyone who creates space for others and is serious about it must be able to let go.
MUARCO is a social sculpture. It describes a space of possibilities. What happens in it is supported and determined by people like you. You have decided to read this so far. You also decide on the content. And only you define the boundaries.
It is your museum.
In the very first hour of 2025 we mounted a wooden box on the wall of CASAdelDRAGON in Cervera del Maestre. It is a space for art. It might be a space for you.
It was just a beginning.
Perhaps you’ll take something home now. Perhaps you’ll take part in a project. Perhaps an object will be created in the end that will find a place in your private rooms. That will then always be an occasion for a conversation, about art, about this post, about this wooden box on the wall of the house.
From discoverer, to visitor, to artist, to curator and to mediator, to preserver… do you notice anything?
The terms are tumbling around in a cheerful jumble. Expanding the concept of art has always been the credo of contemporary art. So why should it stop at the holy grail of “museum”? Perhaps it is time to expand the concept of the contemporary museum, since you yourself are in the process of doing just that.