56th Venice Biennale

Spanish Pavilion

“Los Sujetos” (The subjects)

9 May-22 November 2015

Commissioner: Martí Manen

Artists: Helena Cabello & Ana Carceller (París 1963/Madrid, 1964), Francesco Ruiz (Barcelona, 1971) and Pepo Salazar (Vitoria, 1972)

Martí Manen’s project triumphed over the proposals of Juan de Nieves and Gerardo Mosquera, two fellow Spanish independent curators whom the governmental institution AECID (Agencia Española de Cooperación para el desarrollo) also asked to submit ideas last Spring.

Entitled “Los Sujetos” (the subjects), Manen’s exhibition is a group show that takes the figure of Salvador Dalí as starting point. The artists Francesc Ruiz, Pepo Salazar, and the collective Cabello/Carceller will explore the ghost of the iconic artist.

“The project starts like a breath from Dalí,” Manen told El Cultural. “He will be present, not with any of his works, but as subject.”

The choice of curating a group exhibition, rather than a traditional solo presentation, is, for Manen, dictated by the recession. “During periods of crisis, such as the one we are going through now, it’s very important to think in terms of group exhibitions,” he told ABC. “The budget of the Venice Biennale pavilion allows me to present three artists internationally, and it gives them the opportunity to produce new works and build networks.”

Image: Martí Manen. Photo via Flickr.