Seventeen-year-olds break stereotypes in a unique exhibition at the CCCB

Until 17 May, the CCCB is hosting an exhibition created by 300 young people from Catalonia, Lithuania and Romania. The exhibition reveals how they experience adolescence away from clichés. Photographs, videos and personal accounts show their reality without filters.

Adolescence takes centre stage at the Centre de Cultura Contemporània de Barcelona (CCCB), where 300 young people from Catalonia, Lithuania and Romania have created a collective portrait that challenges the usual stereotypes. The exhibition, open until 17 May, invites visitors to discover how these 17-year-old boys and girls see themselves and their surroundings, far from the idealised image they often project on social media.

In the CCCB’s galleries, visitors can immerse themselves in a route alternating close-up portraits, recordings of conversations, images of bedrooms and everyday scenes in neighbourhoods and parks. The young people openly show their concerns, dreams and low moments, setting aside any filter or pose. Friendship emerges as a fundamental pillar at this stage, and that is how they reflect it in every corner of the exhibition.

The creative process has involved the collaboration of filmmakers, photographers and artists, who have guided the participants in telling their own stories through image and word. The project takes as its reference the book by Johan van der Keuken, published in 1955, whose original photographs are being exhibited in Barcelona for the first time. At the same time, the Filmoteca de Catalunya is dedicating a retrospective series to the filmmaker until 4 March.

The exhibition, curated by Asociación Cultural A Bao A Qu and Érika Goyarrola, incorporates sound installations, illustrated murals and a collective film made within the framework of Cinema en Curs. The route culminates in a room where music composed by the young people themselves envelops visitors, who can leave messages on the wall, evoking the atmosphere of nightclub bathrooms. The experience invites viewers to look at youth without prejudice, showing its complexity and authenticity.

The Centre de Cultura Contemporània de Barcelona (CCCB) has established itself as one of the city’s most innovative cultural spaces. Its programme is committed to participatory projects and exhibitions that explore contemporary social and cultural challenges. Located in the heart of Barcelona, the CCCB is a meeting point for those seeking new perspectives on urban reality and the transformations of today’s society.