Inside La Casa Encendida, a group exhibition traces how colonial histories still shape bodies, objects and contemporary culture. continentes como semillas brings together three artists working across sound, sculpture, drawing and performance to unsettle fixed narratives around identity and belonging.
What it is
La Chola Poblete (Argentina, 1989), Niño de Elche (Spain, 1985) and Pedro G. Romero (Spain, 1964) approach colonial legacies from different angles. Niño de Elche and Pedro G. Romero present Sadopítna (2023), a sound piece built around the Manila Galleon trade route (1565–1815), tracing embroidered flamenco shawls — the mantones de Manila — from their origins in China through the Americas and the Philippines to their later absorption into Spanish flamenco imagery. The songs move through Spain, Mexico, Thailand, the Philippines, Japan, Indonesia, Aotearoa and Samoa, placing the shawls in dialogue with Robert Morris's 1974 sculpture Voice.
La Chola Poblete works through drawing and performance, using her own body as both subject and material. Her drawings merge matriarchal and religious figures — the Virgin, the Andean earth deity Pachamama — with trans subjectivities and pop-political icons like Che Guevara, drawing on mestizo and Indigenous knowledge to question how bodies are expected to behave under capitalism and patriarchy.
The show is curated by Manuela Moscoso, director of the Center for Art, Research and Alliances (CARA) in New York, where it premiered in spring 2025.
Why it's worth attending
The pairing of a sound-based investigation into colonial trade routes with Poblete's bodily, drawing-based practice gives the show two distinct registers on the same theme, rather than a single curatorial thesis. It's a rare chance to see La Chola Poblete's work in Madrid alongside a new collaboration between two of Spanish flamenco's more research-driven voices.
Practical info
Guided tours and gallery attendants Saturdays 12:00–14:00 and 17:00–20:00, Sundays 12:00–14:00. Opening was 9 September at 19:00. Produced in collaboration with Travesía Cuatro.
FAQ
Is continentes como semillas free to visit?
Yes, entry is free, though tickets/reservation are managed through La Casa Encendida's own booking system.
Who are the artists in continentes como semillas?
La Chola Poblete, Niño de Elche and Pedro G. Romero, working across sound, sculpture, drawing and performance.
When does continentes como semillas run?
From 10 September 2026 to 10 January 2027 at La Casa Encendida, Madrid.
Who curated continentes como semillas?
Manuela Moscoso, executive and artistic director of CARA (Center for Art, Research and Alliances) in New York, where the show premiered in spring 2025.
Are there guided tours for continentes como semillas?
Yes, Saturdays 12:00–14:00 and 17:00–20:00, and Sundays 12:00–14:00.
