Katharina Grosse in Palma: “Arrels” transforms La Llotja into one of the defining contemporary art exhibitions of 2026

May 28, 2026

Katharina Grosse in Palma: “Arrels” transforms La Llotja into one of the defining contemporary art exhibitions of 2026

Palma once again enters the international contemporary art conversation with “Arrels”, the new site-specific intervention by German artist Katharina Grosse at La Llotja de Palma.

Presented as part of Art Palma Summer 2026, the exhibition transforms one of the Mediterranean’s most emblematic Gothic landmarks into an immersive environment where painting, architecture, light and perception merge on a monumental scale.

MallorcaSite.com attended the official opening of an installation already emerging as one of the most significant cultural events of the year in Mallorca, bringing together figures from the worlds of art, architecture, design and international culture in the heart of Palma.

Co-produced by the Govern de les Illes Balears and Es Baluard Museu, and curated by David Barro, the exhibition will remain open until 31 January 2027.

An immersive intervention inside La Llotja de Palma

Some artists work within a space. Others completely alter the way that space is perceived, experienced and remembered. Katharina Grosse undoubtedly belongs to the latter category.

Internationally recognised as one of the most influential figures in contemporary art today, Grosse has spent more than three decades expanding the boundaries of painting beyond the traditional canvas.

Using industrial spray techniques, her work moves across buildings, landscapes and public spaces through layers of colour that dissolve the boundaries between surface and volume, architecture and viewer.

In Palma, that approach acquires a particularly powerful dimension.

Because “Arrels” does not simply use La Llotja as an exhibition venue. It transforms the historic 15th-century building into an essential part of the artwork itself. The space shifts from being a contemplative monument into a fully immersive physical and sensory experience.

Colour moves through the architecture, altering the perception of scale and redefining the relationship between light, movement and space.

Painting is no longer something visitors simply observe. It becomes something they move through, inhabit and experience physically.

Katharina Grosse, Mallorca and the international contemporary art scene

The dialogue between the intervention and Mallorca is far from accidental. “Arrels” connects directly with La Llotja’s historical identity as a place of Mediterranean exchange, movement and cultural openness.

Even the title itself, “Arrels”, speaks about roots, memory and the invisible connections between territory, architecture and contemporary perception.

Throughout her career, Katharina Grosse has exhibited at major international institutions including Fondation Louis Vuitton, Centre Pompidou-Metz, Hamburger Bahnhof in Berlin, MoMA PS1 in New York and the Venice Biennale.

Which makes it especially significant to see an installation of this scale taking place now in Palma de Mallorca.

Not only because of the ambition of the project or the architectural importance of La Llotja, but because it further positions Palma as one of the Mediterranean’s most compelling cultural and artistic destinations.

“Arrels” is not simply another contemporary art exhibition in Mallorca. It is a temporary transformation of one of Palma’s most important architectural landmarks, where historical heritage and contemporary creation merge through a deeply immersive experience.

La Llotja de Palma

Until 31 January 2027