Extramural is also conceived from inside the walls of the museum: in this way, Transiting «La Quema» suggests we occupy certain transitional spaces at the Museu Tàpies. These transitional spaces, like stairways and landings, host two large-format pieces by Elena del Rivero, entitled No funciona [Out of Order] and Abierto [Open]. With them, the time and habitat of the museum are modified, as we move through it via spaces not meant for exhibitions.
Both works were developed using fragments of previous pieces, found objects and personal items, many of them charged with deep emotional resonance. Elena del Rivero assembles these materials using her own intuition, a collage process that shows her inner search, constituting an exercise in creative freedom.
No funciona is suggestive of a traditional Galician costume, and seems to set up an anthropological dialogue with the territory it was conceived in. It is composed of a painting from the 1990s, an old picture frame, a Vilar key, glass beads and a poster found in the street. Abierto includes the remains of paintings destroyed in the 1980s, as well as the front page of El País from 3 April 1985, “Health Act Project Approved”, along with feathers, tulle, bells and objects like baby booties and other belongings from her mother, weaving together a narrative that is at once intimate and political.
Extramural is a project led by the Museu Tàpies in coordination and exchange with various creators, structures, and institutions. It envisions the city of Barcelona as a space for reflection and dialogue, as well as for articulating and intervening in public space and the environment.
Artist Elena del Rivero and curator Mateo Feijóo are the guests of this edition of the Extramural project, promoted by the Museu Tàpies in collaboration with the Festival Grec Barcelona, Eina Centre Universitari de Disseny i Art, the Basilica of Santa Maria del Pi, Centre d’Art La Capella, Galeria Senda, Loop Festival, Mescladís, and Tantàgora.
Museu Tàpies
Carrer Aragó, 255, Barcelona
Del 08.07 al 23.11.2025
Tuesday to Saturday from 10 am to 7 pm; Sunday from 10 am to 7 pm
