Santa Mònica Exhibition Explores Art's Role in Constructing and Deconstructing Reality

Santa Mònica in Barcelona presents 'El asalto de la ilusión,' a group exhibition curated by Enric Puig Punyet in collaboration with Madrid's Círculo de Bellas Artes. Featuring works by 23 artists, the show examines how representation techniques—from cinema to artificial intelligence—shape perception through biases of gender, race, and class. The exhibition functions as a narrative device, using artworks, ephemeral architectures, and scenography to engage viewers while revealing underlying mechanisms of fascination. Notable installations include pieces by Berndnaut Smilde, Leandro Erlich, Lucrecia Dalt, A.A. Murakami, Aneta Grzeszykowska, Fabian Knecht, Antonio Gagliano with Verónica Lahitte, and Chico Amaral. The immersive layout, designed as a labyrinth of veils and mirrors, encourages critical reflection on how art historically creates and can now expose techniques of deception.