Bleda y Rosa: A Retrospective Photography Exhibition at Museo ICO

This exhibition at Museo ICO presents the complete body of work by Spanish photographers Bleda y Rosa, showcasing their extensive three-decade investigation into landscape and architecture as sites of history and memory. The retrospective, previously shown at Fundación MAPFRE, is displayed as a video installation.

The Museo ICO is hosting 'Bleda y Rosa', a significant retrospective exhibition dedicated to the work of Spanish photographic duo María Bleda and José María Rosa. This exhibition marks the first time their complete body of work has been fully displayed in Madrid, following its presentation at the Kbr Fundación MAPFRE Barcelona Photo Center. Spanning over three decades, their collaborative practice is recognized for its intense and rigorous investigation into landscape and architecture, framed as spaces imbued with history and memory. The artists critically examine the complex temporalities within a place, with emblematic series such as 'Campos de fútbol,' 'Campos de batalla,' 'Origen,' and 'Prontuario' each delving into the inscription of time onto the territory from a reflective dimension. Their photographs challenge viewers to reconsider how history and its representations shape perception and remembrance, highlighting the poetic power of their work in understanding the present. The artists' engagement with photography extends beyond its traditional boundaries, fostering dialogue with disciplines like cinema, painting, history, and literature. This approach is evident in their documentary-style photographic practice, characterized by compositional rigor, and conceptual interventions. Through techniques such as incorporating text within images, employing unusual framing, and meticulously organizing photographic series, Bleda y Rosa create subtle shifts that disrupt automatic or singular interpretations. This allows for an experiential space where the past can be imagined from new potential perspectives, emerging from the constellations of their projects. For this retrospective, Bleda y Rosa have chosen to present their work as a video installation, a departure from their usual methods. This transformation, where the photographic object recedes to allow for new formalizations and contemplative rhythms, accentuates distinctive aspects of their artistic practice and opens up novel fields of meaning.

This exhibition is organized by Fundación Mapfre in collaboration with Fundación ICO and is part of the PhotoEspaña 2023 festival. Further details regarding admission or booking are not provided on this page; visitors may need to consult the museum's general visit information for ticketing policies.