The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation, through AECID and in collaboration with Acción Cultural Española (AC/E), presents the details of the project that will occupy the Spain Pavilion at the 61st International Art Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia. The artist Oriol Vilanova, under the curatorship of Carles Guerra, proposes a monumental intervention titled "Los restos" (The Remains).

This edition holds special significance as it will be the first exhibition held at the Spain Pavilion following its comprehensive architectural renovation completed in 2025.

A Pseudo-museum of Memory and Postcards

"Los restos" is conceived as a large-scale intervention that transforms the interior of the pavilion into a pseudo-museum born from accumulation and reiteration. The proposal originates from the practice Vilanova has developed for over two decades: the systematic collection of postcards salvaged from flea markets and second-hand shops.

This personal archive, in constant expansion, challenges traditional modes of cultural legitimation. The postcards—vestiges of global tourism and individual experiences relegated to oblivion—are displayed in an endless wall composition without hierarchies or linear narratives, highlighting the obsessive gesture of gathering and preserving against the instability of today's digital memory.

Collecting as an Act of Resistance

Oriol Vilanova's project invites reflection on the survival of common objects and materials displaced by new communication regimes. Collecting appears here as a sustained action that blurs the boundaries between professional and amateur, between the art system and lived experience.

Complementary Actions and Publication

The proposal is completed with:

Artist's Book: A publication that delves into the project with texts by curator Carles Guerra and collaborators such as Catherine Mayeur, Pedro G. Romero, Joëlle Tuerlinckx, and Oriol Vilanova himself.

Action "El fantasma de la libertad" (2026): An unannounced performative intervention taking place in the Giardini and the Arsenale. In these fortuitous encounters with the public, the body assumes the role of an exhibition support, in a direct reference to Luis Buñuel's film of the same name.

About the Team

Oriol Vilanova (Manresa, 1980), based in Brussels, focuses his artistic practice on archives and collecting, having exhibited in institutions such as CA2M, Fundació Antoni Tàpies, and Centre Pompidou-Metz. For his part, Carles Guerra (Amposta, 1965), an independent researcher and former director of Fundació Antoni Tàpies and MACBA, leads the curatorship of this ambitious international project.

The team also includes Ingrid Sala (Studio Manager), Carolina Ciuti (Curatorial Assistant), Alessandra Biscaro (PR Manager), and Zak Group (Graphic Design).