As part of the exchange programme with the Master of Arts in Cultural Management at The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK), sixteen students and three lecturers from CUHK, including Benny Lim, the programme director, visited UIC Barcelona from 16 to 20 June for an academic stay organised by UIC Barcelona’s Master’s in Cultural Management.
This visit by CUHK students, from an institution ranked 32th in the QS World University Rankings 2025 and sixth in Asia, aimed to strengthen collaboration between the two programmes and promote international dialogue on cultural management.
Visiting Gran Teatre del Liceu
Over five days, the Hong Kong students followed a busy schedule of academic sessions, institutional visits and collaborative projects, designed by the teaching and management team of UIC Barcelona’s Master’s in Cultural Management. The week began with an opening session on Barcelona’s urban evolution and its cultural impact, featuring the lecture “Ways of Seeing the City. The Role of Culture in the (Re) Making of Barcelona and Hong Kong" by architect and mono office co-founder Miguel Esteban, followed by the guided tour “Barcelona: Capital of the Mediterranean” led by lecturer and Union for the Mediterranean sector head Mohammed Elrazzaz.
Highlights of the programme included visits to institutions such as MACBA, the Joan Miró Foundation, the Museum of Forbidden Art, Casa Amatller, Casa dels Entremesos, Hangar and the Gran Teatre del Liceu, as well as an exclusive guided tour of the Cercle del Liceu. The students also attended lectures by cultural sector experts including Sara Puig, president of the Joan Miró Foundation; Claudia Segura, head of the MACBA Collection; Eva Soria, director of Innovation, Knowledge and Visual Arts at the Barcelona Institute of Culture; and Alba Colombo, professor at the Universitat Oberta de Catalunya, among others.
Lecture by Sara Puig, president of the Joan Miró Foundation
Students worked in interdisciplinary groups to develop projects in collaboration with teaching staff from both universities, tackling challenges focused on the cultural transformation of urban space, the internationalisation of local institutions and the creation of intercultural events.
“This exchange programme between UIC Barcelona and The Chinese University of Hong Kong strengthens the international outlook of the master’s degree,” said Christoph Pasour, academic director of the programme. “Building these connections between programmes and universities allows us to enrich curricula, create networks of collaboration and promote academic dialogue on cultural practices in different contexts.”
Claudia Balboa, coordinator of the master’s and postgraduate studies in Cultural Management, highlighted the value of experiencing other cultural realities. “It is essential for new generations of cultural managers to get to know other cultural landscapes. This two-way exchange broadens professional perspectives and helps us understand the sector better, both locally and internationally.”
As part of the exchange programme, ten students from UIC Barcelona’s Master’s Degree in Cultural Management will travel to Hong Kong from 12 to 20 July, accompanied by Christoph Pasour and Claudia Balboa, to continue this shared experience.
