Critic and former union executive Francisco Naranjo Llanos dedicates his column to Fernando Sánchez Castillo, a contemporary artist whose work explores historical memory and symbols of power. The exhibition 'La Perla Peregrina', inaugurated on June 24, 2026, at the Palacio de Velázquez of the Reina Sofía Museum, is presented as a space for reflection on resistance against official narratives.
Sánchez Castillo, known for his critical analysis of collective memory, addresses themes such as Francoist repression, the Civil War, and the fight for freedoms in this exhibition. The show features sculptures, installations, videos, and symbolically charged objects, questioning how power constructs history and legitimizes certain versions of events.
“"The word saved his life"
One of the highlighted pieces is the bronze reproduction of Alejandro Ruiz-Huerta's pen, a survivor of the Atocha Lawyers massacre, which stopped a bullet. The exhibition also references figures like Las Trece Rosas, the Tiananmen Tank Man, or the Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo, as well as forgotten episodes of the Civil War and the anti-Francoist resistance.
The exhibition, open until March 7, 2027, invites visitors to actively contemplate History, understood as a space of conflict and citizen participation, always subject to revision. The author recommends visiting the show without haste to engage with the questions it poses.
Fernando Sánchez Castillo (Madrid, 1970) is a Spanish artist whose career focuses on the critical analysis of memory and symbols of power. His work has been exhibited in major national and international museums.
