Exhibitions
Greta Alfaro transforms Nave 0 into a space of ritual and observation with 'Offertory'
From June 4 to July 30, artist Greta Alfaro occupies Nave 0 at Matadero with Ofertorio , an installation conceived specifically for this unique exhibition space that invites visitors to explore a territory where ritual, anatomy, and the representation of the body converge. The exhibition, part of the Abierto x Obras program, also marks the artist's first solo institutional exhibition in Madrid.
The exhibition's title alludes to an age-old gesture: offering. Placing something before others, exposing it to the collective gaze, and transforming it, even if only fleetingly, into a shared experience. Building on this idea, Alfaro constructs an immersive experience in which images, sculptures, and installations function as devices for observation and mediation, questioning how we see and relate to what remains visible or hidden.
The intervention transforms Nave 0 into a transit architecture that evokes the symbolic structure of the temple without literally reproducing it. The route is organized around a central nave that leads to a focal point, while the pieces located on the sides act as pauses or stations within an itinerary marked by a logic akin to that of ritual. Rather than reconstructing a vanished liturgy, the exhibition reflects on the persistence of certain forms of symbolic organization in contemporary culture.
One of the most significant elements of the exhibition greets visitors at the entrance: an 18th-century anatomical torso historically used for teaching anatomy. This piece introduces a visual tradition in which science, representation, and artifice coexisted within the same symbolic universe. Devoid of a head and any identifying features, the anatomical model presents the body as a subject of study and contemplation, suspended between scientific precision and a disquieting fragility.
Through videos, sculptures, and installations, Greta Alfaro creates a contained atmosphere in which the viewer moves among fragmented bodies, suspended images, and contemporary forms of visibility. Far from explicit denunciation or immediate impact, the artist opts for a quiet tension where beauty coexists with a sense of strangeness. Her works remain open to interpretation, situated in an ambiguous territory where the images seem to resist a definitive reading.
Offertory thus raises a reflection on transformation, the exposure of the body, and the mechanisms of the gaze. In this context, showing does not necessarily equate to revealing. On the contrary, the images construct a distance that allows us to approach that which would otherwise be difficult to observe. The exhibition becomes an invitation to reconsider the ways in which we contemplate the body and the symbolic systems that continue to shape our perception of the world.
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