Iván Zulueta,Through theLooking-Glass
EUROPALIA ESPAÑA
FEATURING WORKS BY MARTA AZPARREN, ESPERANZA COLLADO, JULIO LINARES, BEATRIZ LOBO
As part of EUROPALIA ESPAÑA (7.10.2025 – 18.01.2026), Iván Zulueta, Through the Looking-Glass celebrates the multifaceted oeuvre of Iván Zulueta, one of Spain's most visionary and influential artists. This exhibition marks the first major solo presentation of Zulueta's work outside of Spain, offering a unique opportunity for international audiences to engage with his groundbreaking artistic contributions. It also features a thoughtful dialogue with the work of four contemporary Spanish artists: their artistic interventions for the exhibition deeply resonate with Zulueta’s practice, themes or aesthetics.
Best known for his 1979 cult film Arrebato (1979) – a masterpiece exploring themes of perception, genre (horror) films, and the uncanny – Iván Zulueta (1943–2009) was far more than a filmmaker. His work spanned a diverse array of media, including graphic design, experimental films, photography, television and painting, all infused with his signature blend of surrealism, pop art, and an almost tactile sense of the ephemeral. Rooted in the countercultural movements of the 1960s and 1970s, his art merges avant-garde aesthetics with personal obsessions, establishing him as one of the most innovative figures in 20th-century Spanish art.
The exhibition’s title, Iván Zulueta, Through the Looking-Glass, encapsulates his fascination with the interplay of surfaces and depths. It highlights his ability to transform the ordinary into the extraordinary, challenging perceptions and evoking the ineffable. The exhibition offers a journey through Zulueta’s prolific output, featuring iconic film posters for directors like Pedro Almodóvar, alongside his personal archive, preserved since 2021 at Filmoteca Española. The exhibition situates Zulueta’s work within the sociopolitical landscape of post-Franco Spain, reflecting the transformative energy of the countercultural movement La Movida Madrileña and the era's expanding creative freedom.
All images belong to the Iván Zulueta Collection of Filmoteca Española and have been provided by the institution for this exhibition.
To further enrich the exhibition, contemporary Spanish artists present newly commissioned works that engage in a creative dialogue with Zulueta’s legacy. Author of the essay Cine ciego. Detener el flujo de las imágenes (Blind cinema. Stopping the flow of images, 2023), Marta Azparren works at the intersection of experimental film and live arts, exploring the connections between creator, spectator, and the hidden aspects of imagery. Esperanza Collado’s practice spans site-specific performance-environments, expanded cinema, and critical texts, with recent projects examining the sculptural, political, and choreographic dimensions of cinema beyond its traditional forms. Julio Linares’ symbolic animal portraits and colorful landscapes combine ancient cultural influences with contemporary art to create vivid, dreamlike worlds inspired by Egyptian engravings, Etruscan imagery, and Franz Marc's expressionism. Beatriz Lobo is known for her bold and disruptive approach to art, she uses a variety of media - including painting, illustration, and gifs - to challenge traditional art forms and norms, creating picturesque works that explore freedom, humor, and transformation.
Whether you are a long-time admirer of his work or discovering him for the first time, Iván Zulueta, Through the Looking-Glass offers a rare opportunity to engage with the work of a true iconoclast, while situating it within a broader cultural context that bridges generations, disciplines, and artistic practices.
EUROPALIA ESPAÑA: Iván Zulueta, Through the Looking-Glass. Featuring works by Marta Azparren, Esperanza Collado, Julio Linares, Beatriz Lobo (10.10.2025 – 04.01.2026) is part of Contour Series, a series of visual and audiovisual exhibitions and projects produced and presented by kunstencentrum nona, this time in the context of EUROPALIA ESPAÑA.
Curated by Andrea Cinel.
In collaboration with Filmoteca Española.
With the kind support of Kunsthal Mechelen.
All images belong to the Iván Zulueta Collection of Filmoteca Española and have been provided by the institution for this exhibition.
PRACTICAL
Opening: Friday 10.10.2025, 18:00-21:00
Location: De Garage, Onder-Den-Toren 12, 2800 Mechelen, Belgium
Opening hours: Wednesday - Sunday // 13:00 - 18:00
All images belong to the Iván Zulueta Collection of Filmoteca Española and have been provided by the institution for this exhibition.
