TEA Tenerife Espacio de las Artes
Worth the visit for the architecture even if the exhibition is not to your taste.
Worth twenty minutes even if the show is not for you
TEA is the contemporary art centre in Santa Cruz, in a building designed by the Swiss practice Herzog and de Meuron and opened in 2008. The design is the draw a…TEA is the contemporary art centre in Santa Cruz, in a building designed by the Swiss practice Herzog and de Meuron and opened in 2008. The design is the draw as much as the programme: a long concrete volume pierced by triangular openings that throw shifting light across the interior.
Features
Entry
$ Budget
Area
Santa Cruz
Schedule
Daily exc. Mon
FAQ
Who designed the building?
Herzog and de Meuron, the Swiss practice, with Virgilio Gutiérrez. It opened in 2008 and is one of a group of buildings that changed how Santa Cruz presents itself.
What is inside?
Changing contemporary art exhibitions, the island's photography collection, and a public library. The library keeping long hours is what turns the building into somewhere people actually use.
Where is it?
In central Santa Cruz beside the Barranco de Santos, the ravine that runs through the city, near the Auditorio and the Mercado de Nuestra Señora de África.
Is it worth visiting if I do not follow contemporary art?
The building is worth twenty minutes on its own, and it costs little. The triangular openings in the concrete produce a light that is the point of the design.
What else is near it?
The Auditorio de Tenerife, Santiago Calatrava's concert hall on the waterfront, and the covered market. Those three plus TEA make a compact architectural walk.
How long should I allow?
An hour to ninety minutes for the exhibitions and the building. Longer if the current show holds you, and the library is a reasonable place to sit afterwards.
Tours and tickets in Tenerife
Whale watching, Teide, boat trips, walking tours and day trips across the island and out to La Gomera, via GetYourGuide.
