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
Institutions
- Centre de Cultura Contemporània de Barcelona (CCCB)
- Wellcome Collection
- Fundación Ernesto Ventós
- CA2M
- Museu de Reus
Locations
- Barcelona
- Spain
- London
- United Kingdom
- Rome
- Italy
- Texas
- United States