Under this title, the exhibition presents a selection of artworks from the area encompassing these three neighbouring districts, during a period of radical transformation that took place on several levels in the final third of the 20th century. The first major change came with the closure of the Mercat del Born in 1971. The second was the political climate affecting the country as a whole: the post-Franco period (1975–1977) and the transition to democracy. Finally, in 1987, Barcelona was nominated to host the 1992 Olympic Games.

All the artists featured in the exhibition had their studios in the neighbourhood, where some of them continue to work today. For most, this area was the setting for their most challenging years: the early stages of artistic careers that would gradually become established and eventually gain national and international recognition. Its Roman and medieval heritage, the close-knit neighbourhood life and the support of local shops and restaurants, among other factors, explain how the area became a hub that brought together an emerging artistic community.

Although visual arts predominate, other disciplines are also represented, including photography, conceptual art and video art. Many of the galleries and exhibition spaces that opened in the neighbourhood are documented through ephemera: Metrònom, Banana Factory, La Santa, and galleries such as Populart, Maeght, Mec-Mec, Artual and Benet Costa, among others. The exhibition also includes magazines launched during those years by artists, architects and intellectuals living in the neighbourhood: Trama, De disseny, Ardi, Àrtics and Artual.