Fernando Sánchez Castillo's 'La Perla Peregrina' at Museo Reina Sofía

The Museo Reina Sofía presents 'La Perla Peregrina', a comprehensive exhibition of Fernando Sánchez Castillo's work at the Palacio de Velázquez, curated by Ferran Barenblit. The show runs from June 25, 2026 to March 8, 2027. Sánchez Castillo explores the relationship between power, memory, and its symbols, focusing on authoritarianism and violence. The title references the Peregrina pearl, a jewel with a storied history—found in Panama in the 16th century, owned by Spanish monarchs, stolen during Joseph Bonaparte's reign, later bought by Richard Burton for Elizabeth Taylor, and recently sold for nearly $12 million to an anonymous buyer. The exhibition includes sculptures, installations, videos, and works in progress created on-site. Key pieces include 'Figuras de memoria expandida'—bronze and wood figures of unsung heroes like a non-white Statue of Liberty, a Plaza de Mayo mother, a Chilean dictatorship victim, Portuguese activist Celeste dos Cravos, Tomiko Higa, Navalny, August Landmesser, and the Tiananmen 'Tank Man'. Also featured are masks from Pussy Riot to Chilean gas masks, crushed fragments of Franco's yacht 'Azor', a barricade made from Madrid monument fragments, reproductions of Civil War bunkers, Carrero Blanco's car after ETA's attack, and 'El hombre de Melilla', a sculpture of a migrant on a fence. The exhibition critiques monolithic historical narratives and proposes alternative monuments.