Matadero Madrid opens a window into late 20th-century Spanish culture through the lens of photographer Jesús Ugalde and his exhibition Nada espontáneo. Una mirada a los 90. The selection features 22 portraits of emblematic figures from the national music scene of that decade.
The exhibition, visible in the doorways and windows of Nave 15, showcases images from Ugalde's personal archive. He dedicated a significant part of his career in the 90s to working with major record labels. The visual journey captures key moments of artists and groups who defined an era, including scenes from the recording of Sin documentos by Los Rodríguez, the first photoshoot of La Oreja de Van Gogh before their rise to fame, and portraits of Alejandro Sanz taken before his career-defining album Más.
The exhibition route is completed with images of other notable figures from the music scene of those years, such as Rosana, Martirio, Manolo Tena, Raimundo Amador, Christina Rosenvinge, and Lole. A highlight is a previously unexhibited photograph of Carlos Berlanga dressed as Gala, the wife of Salvador Dalí, which has been chosen to illustrate the exhibition's poster.
The exhibition's title refers to an aesthetic marked by image construction and theatricality. "Those were years defined by artifice and posing. Now, in the age of social media, we are all accustomed to posing, but this germ was already present in the 90s," explains Ugalde.
Beyond the music scene, the exhibition reserves a space for Spanish cinema through portraits of figures like Antonio Banderas and Fernando Trueba. A particularly notable piece is an unseen photograph taken during the filming of Mujeres al borde de un ataque de nervios, showing Pedro Almodóvar directing one of the film's most memorable scenes, starring Carmen Maura. This image is being publicly displayed for the first time.
Born in Madrid in 1964, Jesús Ugalde has an extensive career focused on portrait and fashion photography. For over three decades, he has collaborated with media outlets, cultural institutions, and numerous artists. In recent years, he has served as the official photographer for the Teatro Español and Nave 10.
The arrival of this exhibition coincides with an intense cultural program at Matadero Madrid. From June 19 to 21, the venue will celebrate the European Music Day with performances by artists including Maria Arnal and Alizzz. Additionally, the 'Superestrellas' series, which blends cinema and music, will return in July as part of the center's summer cinema activities.
