The Mercè festival in Barcelona premieres a new Hell Gate this year, a large scenic structure conceived by artist Daniel Esteban. The piece, which will span the entire width of Passeig de Gràcia, measures approximately 14 meters wide by 7 meters high and reinterprets the traditional entrance gate to the correfoc, transforming it into a frame for championing popular culture.
The installation offers a contemporary reinterpretation of the correfoc's access gate, formed by an amalgamation of nearly 1,000 fragmented human body parts (arms, feet, torsos, legs). This structure, weighing 425 kilograms, combines fire-retardant polyester resin with ceramic pieces and is mounted on a 3,000-kilogram base, designed to be accessible for pyrotechnics.
The Taula del Foc, which brings together representatives of the city's fire groups, has collaborated in the creative process through an advisory committee. Traditionally, the Hell Gate is the symbolic element that the devil groups pass through to start the correfoc, a street performance involving fire, devils, and festive imagery that originated in Barcelona in 1978.
Artist Daniel Esteban conceives the piece as a representation of contemporary hell, linked to exhaustion, apathy, and overexposure to violence. In response to this scenario, he proposes popular culture and collective organization as a solution, highlighting citizen participation and community building.
Formally, the work is reduced to a semicircular shape of great visual impact, inspired by natural forms like lava flows and artistic references such as Auguste Rodin's The Gates of Hell and the Romanesque portal of Santa Maria de Ripoll. The piece consists of three parts: the outer arch of bodies, a transitional arch, and a curtain that folds vertically.
The new Hell Gate will be installed on Passeig de Gràcia for the Mercè correfoc on Saturday, September 26. The setup is expected to take approximately six hours and will include lighting and pyrotechnic tests, with the premiere scheduled for 6:00 PM with the children's Correfoc and 8:30 PM with the Ceptrotada and the Mercè Correfoc.
Daniel Esteban Esquina (Barcelona, 2001) is a visual artist specializing in sculpture and photography, with an interest in the body, popular culture, and collective imaginaries. His work explores the capacity of objects to become vessels of rituals and shared human experiences, and his connection with Catalan popular culture stems from his participation in entities such as the Blaus de Granollers and the Xics de Granollers.
