Iglesia de San Antón, Madrid
February 2023
February 20–26th, 2023
In collaboration with Galería Elba Benitez and David Zwirner gallery, Oscar Murillo presents catarata social - a gestural intervention in the setting of Iglesia de San Antón, a Catholic church in central Madrid. The intervention builds on Murillo's ongoing engagement with sites of social, political and symbolic power, and also probes the ideas of community, social architecture, and societal aid as continued areas of interest.
Oscar Murillo will present Mesmerizing Beauty - a composite work made of white plastic chairs and placards presenting studies for his painted series, Surge (social cataracts). The chair alludes to community or family gatherings, and has strong connotations of something disposable or easily discarded, speaking to a transitory coming-together. Together, Mesmerizing Beauty works to abstract the idea of protest, crisis, and empathy, but here gains further imaginative capital within the context of Murillo's intervention, and the Church of San Antón as a centre for the homeless.
The presentation will be open to the public and coincide with both David Zwirner and Galería Elba Benitez' presentations at ARCOmadrid. Oscar Murillo thanks Fundación Mensajeros de la Paz for hosting the presentation.