CCCB Examines Beauty as a Restrictive Ideal in New Exhibition
The 'El culto a la belleza' exhibition is being hosted by the Centre de Cultura Contemporània de Barcelona (CCCB), reinterpreting a project originally from the Wellcome Collection in London, with curation by Janice Li, Blanca Arias, and Júlia Llull. This event will take place from May 21 to November 8, 2026, and it explores the restrictive standards of beauty found in various cultures. The exhibition is organized into three parts: ideals and hierarchies, individual and collective beauty journeys, and bodily subversion. Artists such as Norma Pérez, Lorenza Böttner, and Carlos Motta are featured, alongside 18th-century casta paintings and Orientalist art, ultimately suggesting that the essence of beauty should remain enigmatic.
Key facts
- Exhibition 'El culto a la belleza' at CCCB Barcelona from May 21 to November 8, 2026
- Reformulation of a project by Janice Li at Wellcome Collection, London, three years ago
- Curated by Blanca Arias and Júlia Llull in Barcelona
- Three sections: ideals, personal paths, and subversion through the body
- Features historical artists like Mariano Fortuny, William Hogarth, Josep Llimona, Josep Tapiró, Ramón Martí Alsina
- Contemporary artists include Norma Pérez, Lorenza Böttner, Carlos Motta, Ren Buchness, Marina Vargas, Arvida Byström
- Includes works by collective Ayllú, Angélica Dass, Fundación Ernesto Ventós, Baum & Leahy, Xcessive Aesthetics, Shirin Fathi, Narcissister
- Exhibition argues beauty ideals are restrictive and linked to social, political, and religious factors
Entities
Artists
- Janice Li
- Blanca Arias
- Júlia Llull
- Norma Pérez
- Lorenza Böttner
- Carlos Motta
- Ren Buchness
- Marina Vargas
- Arvida Byström
- Mariano Fortuny
- William Hogarth
- Josep Llimona
- Josep Tapiró
- Ramón Martí Alsina
- Angélica Dass
- Shirin Fathi
- Narcissister
- Zed Nelson
- Colita
- María Alcaide
- The Clueless
- Sandra Gamarra
- Regina José Galindo
- Laura Aguilar
- Lizette Nin Mojica
- Colectivo Ayllu
- blanca arias
- Baum & Leahy
- Amanda Baum
- Rose Leahy
- Xcessive Aesthetics
- Maria Alcaide
- Cecilie Waagner Falkenstrøm
- Joaquim Agrassot
- Nora Ancarola
- Juno Calypso
- Aleix Clapés
- Harriet Davey
- Núria Estremera
- Antoni Fabrés
- Esther Ferrer
- Marià Fortuny
- Paulus Fürst
- Leia Goiria
- Eulàlia Grau
- Frederik Heyman
- Ferdinand Hueppe
- Natalia Iguiñiz
- Jonah Kawri Ramírez
- Yunping Li
- Makeupbrutalism (Eszter Magyar)
- Roberta Marrero
- Josep Masana
- Segundo Matilla
- Ana Mir
- Antoni Miralda
- Robert Miller
- Julio Moisés
- Haley Morris-Cafiero
- Isidre Nonell
- Peliagudas
- Ignasi Pinazo
- Armand Rassenfosse
- Isidre Riera
- Ismael Smith
- Ana Maria Smith
- Sin Wai Kin
- Lesley Yendell
Institutions
- Centre de Cultura Contemporània de Barcelona (CCCB)
- Wellcome Collection
- Fundación Ernesto Ventós
- CA2M
- Museu de Reus
- Tate Americas Foundation
- Artishock Revista
- CCCB (Centre de Cultura Contemporània de Barcelona)
Locations
- Barcelona
- Spain
- London
- United Kingdom
- Rome
- Italy
- Texas
- United States
- Punta Arenas
- Chile
- Munich
- Germany
- Iran