Symbols of Struggle & Strife in Spain Favorite 

Across Spain, diverse organizations and collectives seek to address inequality and injustice in many different social areas. This exhibition aims to highlight and examine transformative artwork produced by diverse activists working in the context of Spain. The creators showcased within this exhibition utilize mediums such as visual art, mixed media, public performance, community organization, and civil disobedience in order to increase visibility to the struggles of marginalized groups in Spain. These creative methods of resistance effectively bring about social change by subverting power structures, building solidarity between oppressed groups, and inspiring mass mobilizations. Unlike more conventional forms of activist interventions, art holds the unique power to create transformative change by building emotional connections and creating cultural spaces that are inclusive of all people, regardless of gender, race, or class. Using inequality as a framework of analysis, this exhibition addresses several different topics relating to social struggles occurring in Spain, including income inequality, ecological disasters, gender violence, LGBTQ resistance, trans-feminism, squatter movements, and social class stigmas. Through dérives, gallery visits, class lectures, and archives, we were able to identify these topics as being omnipresent within the Spanish landscape. By drawing attention to these works of art, we hope to uplift the voices and stories of activists and collectives in Spain that have historically and presently fought to bring justice to marginalized communities. This gallery can also serve as a potential model and source of inspiration for other artistic activist expressions across various geographical contexts and groups.

-Undergraduate students of Art & Activism, CIEE Open Campus. Fall 2022, Madrid, Spain.