The Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza opens the first European solo exhibition dedicated to Chilean Mapuche artist Seba Calfuqueo, bringing more than 25 new works to the museum's basement galleries. Cautín takes its name from the river running through the Araucanía region, using it as a starting point to examine water rights and colonial history from an Indigenous perspective.
What it is
The exhibition gathers ceramics, video performance, 3D animation, embroidered paintings and installation built around the Cautín River in southern Chile, a waterway central to Mapuche cosmology and increasingly affected by privatisation and industrial use. Seba Calfuqueo, born in Santiago in 1991, works across these mediums to question the narratives that have historically framed Mapuche territory and knowledge through a colonial lens.
This is the artist's first solo museum presentation in Europe, staged in the Thyssen's temporary exhibition rooms on the basement level. The show runs alongside the museum's parallel Dalí-Freud exhibition as part of its 2026–27 contemporary programme, extending the Thyssen's collection-based galleries with a research-driven living practice.
Why it's worth attending
Calfuqueo's work is rarely shown in Spain, and this is the first time a European institution has dedicated a full solo exhibition to the artist. The mix of ceramics, embroidery and video performance gives the show a range of formats beyond painting, connecting Chilean water politics to a Madrid audience through a specific, research-backed body of work rather than a broad survey.
Practical info
Free entry applies Mondays 12:00–16:00 (Mastercard promotion) and Saturdays 21:00–23:00 with Uber. The galleries sit on the basement level (-1), reached via the museum's main entrance on Paseo del Prado, with lifts available for step-free access.
FAQ
When can I see Seba Calfuqueo's Cautín exhibition for free?
Free entry is available Mondays from 12:00 to 16:00 through a Mastercard promotion, and Saturdays from 21:00 to 23:00 with Uber. Outside those windows, general admission is €14, reduced €10.
How many works are in the Cautín exhibition?
More than 25 new works, spanning ceramics, video performance, 3D animation, embroidered paintings and installation, all built around Chile's Cautín River.
Is this Seba Calfuqueo's first exhibition in Europe?
Yes. Cautín is the artist's first solo museum exhibition in Europe, running at the Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza from 6 October 2026 to 17 January 2027.
Where in the Thyssen museum is the exhibition?
In the temporary exhibition rooms on the basement level (-1), accessible from the main entrance on Paseo del Prado, 8.
What is the Cautín river and why does the exhibition focus on it?
The Cautín is a river in Chile's Araucanía region, central to Mapuche cosmology and affected by water privatisation; the exhibition uses it to examine colonial narratives and environmental politics from an Indigenous perspective.
