Miroslaw Balka's 'Los olvidos' at Galería Elba Benítez explores memory through sculpture and public participation

Galería Elba Benítez presents new works by Miroslaw Balka titled 'Los olvidos' through May 8, 2026. The exhibition features sculptures and drawings that poetically examine memory and forgetting from personal, social, and archetypal perspectives. Balka's practice transforms pre-existing objects and historical references, emphasizing layers of meaning accumulated or lost through time. One sculptural installation incorporates doormats contributed by the public, whom the artist calls 'witnesses' rather than spectators, creating a collective work in a transitional space. The Polish artist, who divides his time between Poland and Spain, imbues physical objects and spaces with metaphor and memory to express how history inevitably shapes the present. Primarily a sculptor, Balka also works with video, drawing, and installation using diverse materials often symbolic of his Polish heritage. His installations frequently employ human-scale proportions to activate both temporal and physical presence, creating stagelike environments.