Elisava Alumni take part in the MCRBCN exhibition during Barcelona’s La Mercè Festival

Alumni Norman Chen, Gonçalo Salgado, Ariadna Sala and Evros Voskarides are among the selected creatives from Barcelona and Manchester participating in the MCRBCN exhibition, which opened on September 25 at OpenBCN Studios.

MCRBCN is a new design exhibition connecting the creative communities of Manchester and Barcelona. Conceived and curated by David Sedgwick, founder of the UK-based StudioDBD, the initiative builds on the success of last year’s BCNMCR event in the United Kingdom. It aims to explore cultural ties and open new perspectives between the two cities.

The project brings together 40 emerging creatives -20 from Manchester and 20 from Barcelona- across disciplines such as graphic design, illustration, typography, and digital media. Each participant was selected for their distinctive thinking and bold visual language, representing the cutting edge of design in 2025.

This edition coincides with Manchester’s official invitation as the first English city to participate in Barcelona’s La Mercè Festival. In this context, MCRBCN is presented as an exhibition and a creative bridge that celebrates local identity while highlighting the international projection of both cities.