Exhibitions
The Animals: Portraits that look back
Estela de Castro's photographic exhibition, The Animals , has arrived at the Matadero Madrid Contemporary Creation Center, where it will be on display until June. The exhibition proposes a reflection on portraiture as a critical device within contemporary photography, shifting its focus to non-human subjects outside of representation.
The project stems from a personal motivation: to bring to light lives that remain hidden from public view. For two years, the artist traveled to sanctuaries and rescue centers, photographing 122 rescued animals whose lives had been marked by exploitation, abandonment, or experimentation. Far from sentimental, the images are constructed with restraint, granting each subject a unique and independent presence.
The exhibition at Matadero brings together a selection of 22 portraits that encapsulate the scope of the original project. A body of work that combines sensitivity and commitment, where the images invite contemplation, allowing the viewer to confront the individuality of each animal without explicit narrative mediation.
Beyond its aesthetic dimension, The Animals poses an uncomfortable question: how do we look at—and how do we choose not to look at—those beings with whom we share the world? In this sense, the work not only documents but also challenges, proposing a space for recognition that destabilizes hierarchies between species and opens the possibility of a more conscious and ethical relationship.
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