DA2 (DOMUS ARTIUM 2002)

The DA2 is housed in the old provincial prison of Salamanca, built between 1927 and 1930. The rehabilitation of the building, led by architect Horacio Fernández del Castillo and awarded the Regional Restoration Prize and the ARPA award, aimed to highlight the most relevant architectural values of the property and eliminate subsequent low-quality additions.

From the original building, its most characteristic elements have been preserved, such as the corridor with its grille, the cell doors, the courtyards, the load-bearing walls, and the main facade, which maintain the memory of its former penitentiary use. So that visitors can easily identify which parts are original and which are new, contrast in shapes, materials, and colors was used, especially in the windows and exterior finishes. Additionally, the complex was adapted to its new museum function by incorporating spaces such as warehouses, offices, internal work areas, reception, cafe-restaurant, shop, and playroom.

The old perimeter walls were replaced by more open enclosures, allowing the building to be seen from the outside. The walls separating the courtyards were also removed, integrating them into the surroundings and creating a wider access that functions as an entrance plaza.

On the exterior, the differentiated treatment of the facades stands out: the independent building housing the reception retains its original appearance, while the rest of the complex has been painted in an intense red to signal the rehabilitated areas, in contrast to the new, bluish-gray volumes. Inside, light and bright tones were chosen to create neutral and versatile spaces.

The interior was completely emptied, and the floor slabs were renovated to create the exhibition halls. However, the large central gallery with its cantilevered metal walkway and the grille separating it from the lobby, where the twin staircases lead to the upper floor, was maintained. The two wings of the building are joined by an elevated walkway lit by a skylight.

The main spaces of the museum are:

• The detached building acts as the main access and houses the administrative areas.
• The central building and the rooms in the east wing are used for exhibition spaces.
• The west wing houses the old dining room, now transformed into a restaurant, auditorium, and library.
• The aformer women's module was replaced by a new building, with a prismatic volume, which visually stands out within the complex

THE PERMANENT COLLECTION The museum has its own collection and the collection of the Coca Cola Spain Foundation, both showcased through temporary exhibitions.

The DA2 Collection A collection of contemporary, national, and international works, temporarily located from the 90s to the present day, with a special focus on new Castilian-Leonese artists and those based in the city of Salamanca.

The Coca-Cola Foundation Art Collection Since 2023, the Coca-Cola Foundation collection has become a permanent part of the collection funds of the DA2 Domus Artium 2002 art center. The collection, which has been forming since 1993, was already temporarily deposited at DA2 since 2007. It consists of 404 works created by more than 250 artists from all over Spain and Portugal and encompasses all artistic disciplines, such as painting, photography, sculpture, or video art.

Periodically, DA2 organizes large collective exhibitions dedicated to a specific theme such as art and political violence, idyll and nature, the masks of social roles, or even rock music.

DA2 includes in its program the so-called Emerging Space, which is dedicated to organizing exhibitions and promoting cutting-edge artists linked to the city of Salamanca (either because they trained at the Faculty of Fine Arts of the University of Salamanca or because their creative career develops in this city) and also to the Castilian-Leonese area. This commitment to new local creators aims to be a point of reference and promotion for artists, some still in training, giving them an opportunity to exhibit and showcase their work, which is very promising in most cases. Notable artists who have exhibited in Emerging Space include Hugo Alonso, Diego del Pozo, Fernando Malmierca, Paloma Pájaro, and Alfredo Omaña.