A photography exhibition at the Museo Nacional de Antropología turns the camera over to the people usually seen only from a car window: food delivery riders. Uneasy Riders. La ciudad en ruta gathers images shot by five riders documenting their own working days on Madrid's streets, grown out of an anthropological research project rather than a commissioned photo essay.
What it is
The photographs come from Adán, Carlos, Gledis, Juan and Fernando, five platform delivery riders who photographed their own routes and routines across the city. The project sits inside the museum's Culturas urbanas programme and was developed as anthropological fieldwork carried out with the riders themselves, rather than an outside photographer observing from a distance.
Curated by Montserrat Cañedo Rodríguez (UNED) and Diego Allen-Perkins (Universidad de Santiago de Compostela), the show examines how delivery apps and algorithm-driven scheduling shape daily working life. The museography, designed by Rocamora Diseño y Arquitectura, breaks from static wall-hung display: a temporary architecture of angled panels and lighting turns the south hall and central space into a route of their own, echoing the riders' constant movement through the city.
Why it's worth attending
Few Madrid exhibitions hand the camera to the subject rather than a professional photographer looking in from outside. The result reads less like a social-issue photo essay and more like a first-person record, built from an academic research process involving two universities rather than a single artist's project.
Practical info
The museum sits directly opposite Atocha station, a short walk from Estación del Arte metro. The exhibition occupies the south hall and central space; the rest of the museum's permanent ethnographic collections remain open on the same ticket.
FAQ
Is Uneasy Riders at the Museo de Antropología free?
Yes. Entry to the exhibition and the museum's permanent collection is free throughout its run.
Who took the photographs in Uneasy Riders?
Five Madrid delivery riders — Adán, Carlos, Gledis, Juan and Fernando — photographed their own working routes, rather than an external photographer documenting them from outside.
How long does Uneasy Riders run at the Museo de Antropología?
The exhibition runs from 10 July to 25 October 2026, in the museum's south hall and central space.
What is the Culturas urbanas programme?
It's the museum's ongoing strand of exhibitions and research on contemporary urban life in Madrid, of which Uneasy Riders is the latest instalment, built on anthropological fieldwork rather than a single curator's brief.
Who curated Uneasy Riders?
Montserrat Cañedo Rodríguez of UNED and Diego Allen-Perkins of the Universidad de Santiago de Compostela curated the show, with museography by Rocamora Diseño y Arquitectura.
