Mecànic (CLOSED)

Near Place de Clichy in Paris you'll find Le Bal, an independent project backed by Magnum Photography and centred on contemporary photography, with exhibition space, a bookshop and a café. It's a place photography fans know well.

Xènia Gasull, from the Empordà region of Catalonia, and Jean Letellier from Paris, visited Le Bal often when they lived in Paris, and started thinking about how in Barcelona there weren't many spaces as inviting as that one. Gasull comes from the world of design and is a photographer herself. Some years ago, they created Serious Books, self-publishing photography projects that they liked and wanted to share. The idea behind Mecànic, the space they created in Gràcia where there used to be a car repair shop, is similar: to bring to Barcelona photographic works that are hard to see in the city and others that they're personally passionate about, whether they're on exhibition or in fanzines and art books.

Among Mecànic's bookshelves you'll find gems like monographic notebooks from English publisher Café Royal Books and the small art books from Les Éditions de l’Œil alongside local treasures such as the book 'Illa', with photos by Salva López and design by Eloi Gimeno, published by Terranova. The collection will change and grow based on their discoveries and the demand of their clientele. As for the exhibitions, they plan to do about four a year. Plus they've got a wine list, teas, coffees, sandwiches, French pastries and home-made waffles.