It's always 'no' in Malaga

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The cultural institutions' systematic opposition to everything is already suspect - they never approve of anything that’s proposed

Ignacio Lillo

Friday, 16 January 2026, 17:11

I’m not saying whether or not I like the colossal statues that the Port of Malaga plans to place at its main entrance from Plaza de la Marina, donated by artist Ginés Serrán, of Malaga descent. One can always discuss whether the chosen location is the most suitable for such giant pieces that will have such an impact, or the planned duration of the exhibition. But the cultural institutions of this city’s systematic opposition to everything is already suspect. They never approve of anything that’s proposed - not the academics, not the city’s cultural elite.

Moreover, they seem to have special animosity toward the port management, though this possibly stems from the fact that, today, this is one of the few public institutions willing to take risks with urban and aesthetic innovation, and thus gets hammered for it. It happened with the big wheel at Muelle de Heredia, which had notable social and tourist success although they ended up dismantling it. Of course, they objected to the tower project, which has been suspended after almost ten years of controversy. And it’s happening again now with these giant Neptune and Venus statues that, if the idea goes forward, will welcome cruise passengers in a few weeks.

As often happens with film critics, these positions of outright rejection only deepen the growing distance separating local cultural institutions from the citizens they supposedly represent.

While having no statistical validity, this newspaper’s poll shows a technical tie between those for and against the installation. And that’s almost without even having seen them, beyond some rather poor renderings.

So what will happen if they’re finally placed where planned and it turns out many citizens like them and come to see them and take photos with them, which is basically what art is for today? Even more: some will then ask that they remain there indefinitely, as a new symbol of the entrance to Muelle del Palmeral.

From an expert technical perspective, there may be all kinds of arguments about restraint, tradition and scale to analyse the suitability of these pieces in that location. But Malaga residents, and those who visit us, also have the right to see and evaluate for themselves the ideas being proposed and to ultimately decide if this is the decoration they want for their living room.