Art and Well-Being

On April 9, the Enric Miralles Foundation hosted the discussion “Art & Well-Being: Artistic Practices in Care Settings,” a gathering held as part of Barcelona World Capital of Architecture 2026 that brought together art, architecture, psychology, and cultural research to reflect on the role of art in emotional health and contemporary well-being.

Through a conversation among professionals in the fields of psychology, architecture, art, and cultural research, the discussion focused on experiences in which creativity acts as an emotional mediator, fostering processes of adaptation, personal reconstruction, and well-being, while exploring the role of art in emotional health, caring for others, and its role in society.

In a context marked by contemporary social and emotional complexity, care can no longer be understood solely as a medical practice. This dialogue proposes rethinking it as a relationship that is built between the body, the mind, and the environment, where art ceases to be a decorative element and becomes an active practice.

Within this framework, art functions as a relational technology, capable of triggering processes of attention, perception, and transformation in contexts of vulnerability. Artistic creation is not limited to representing experience; rather, it constructs it, generating new ways of inhabiting the body, time, and the environment.

In this way, the event proposes a shift:
– from art as an object to art as a practice,
– from space as a container to space as an experience,
– from care as an intervention to care as a relationship.

Beyond its aesthetic dimension, art emerges as a cultural infrastructure of care: a system capable of sustaining, accompanying, and transforming the human experience. In this sense, architecture expands, incorporating sensory, affective, and relational dimensions that place well-being at the center of contemporary design.

“Art & Well-being” is part of the series of talks accompanying the exhibition “Healing Architectures: Designing Spaces of Care,” which presents the results of the Yale School of Architecture’s Spring 2025 Advanced Studio, led by Benedetta Tagliabue (Louis I. Kahn Visiting Professor of Architectural Design) and Can Vu Bui (Yale professor and critic).

The exhibition reflects on how architecture can become a key tool for providing emotional and physical support to people affected by cancer, exploring—through the students’ work— the design of a new Kálida Center in Barcelona, adjacent to the Vall d’Hebron University Hospital, inspired by the philosophy of the Maggie’s Centers.

Speakers:

– PILAR CORTADA
Director of Eina Obra – Eina University Center for Design and Art, PhD in Contemporary Aesthetic Philosophy

– JORDI COMAS
Architect and Founder of Comas – Pont Arquitectes

– GUILA FIDEL
Clinical Psychologist in the Psychiatry Department and Coordinator of “Arts & Health” Activities at Vall d’Hebron University Hospital

– ADRIANA JARRÍN
, Ph.D. in Social and Cultural Anthropology, President of the International Network for Oncology Yoga, Author of “Yoga in Times of Cancer”

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This event is part of the program for Barcelona 2026 World Capital of Architecture, a distinction awarded by UNESCO and the International Union of Architects (UIA) to the city hosting the UIA World Congress of Architects, and transforms it into a global forum for architecture, urban planning, and landscape architecture. From February 12 to December 13, a multidisciplinary program will be presented in collaboration with schools, universities, and professional and cultural organizations throughout Catalonia.

Barcelona 2026 World Capital of Architecture is supported by the Barcelona City Council, the Government of Catalonia, and the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development.