Sánchez Castillo repeatedly examines how political power survives through statues, monuments and public symbols. Here, objects and histories that appear fixed are repositioned in a fragile glass architecture, making authority look temporary rather than eternal. The exhibition works as much through context as through individual sculptures.

Fernando Sánchez Castillo (b. 1970) is a Spanish contemporary artist known for critically reworking monuments, political imagery and authoritarian history through sculpture, installation and public intervention.

• Architectural dialogue: The airy, iron-and-glass structure of the Palacio de Velázquez provides a transparent contrast to the heavy, often opaque themes of political authority.
• Historical subversion: Witness how Sánchez Castillo repurposes iconic imagery—from Bolívar to the Spanish court—to reveal the fragile scaffolding behind national myths.
• Poetic mechanics: Experience the surreal sight of machinery and weaponry stripped of their function and choreographed into moments of unexpected grace.

Walk slowly through the central nave to feel the shifting scale of the sculptures against your own body. Notice how the artist uses materials like nacre and bronze to mimic the way history covers its wounds with layers of beauty. Afterward, wander through the surrounding Retiro Park; the transition from the manufactured order of the exhibition to the manicured nature of the gardens offers a perfect moment to reflect on how we curate our own environments.