GHENT.- Resistance. The Power of the Image investigates how Spanish artists have used art as a means of protest to demand new rights and expose abuses – an activism that dates back to the Spanish War and the overthrow of the Second Republic (1931-1939). A crucial moment was the Spanish Pavilion at the 1937 World Fair in Paris, where denunciations of the horrors of the Spanish Civil War gained an international platform through diverse artistic forms. Picasso created ‘Guernica’ for the occasion, a painting that remains an enduring symbol of resistance and art’s role therein.
The exhibition invites visitors to take a renewed look at what democracy means, why it is necessary, and the challenges it faces. At the same time, it provides space for critical reflection on how we, as a society, shape our identity.
Two temporalities
Resistance. The Power of the Image focuses on two pivotal moments in Spain’s democratization process, when art emerged as a political instrument. The first is the 1970s, marking the final years of resistance to Franco’s dictatorship (1939-1975) and the country’s transition to democracy. The second is the past decade (2015-2025), which has been shaped by a fresh wave of protests. Spain has played a leading role in these struggles with, amongst others, the Indignados movement. These protests arose in response to the banking and housing crisis and to a broader erosion of democratic principles. In this contemporary context, the invited Spanish artists continue the visual dialogue with works that, through a variety of media and techniques, address different forms of injustice. In so doing, they take up the baton of protest to highlight the legacy of structural violence and forgotten stories. At the same time, they also question the forms and attitudes of protest itself – whether through new visual languages, silent gestures, or the reworking of existing images.
Each work raises questions about collective identity and links the past with today’surgent societal issues.
The exhibition consists of two parts: the presentation on the upper floors of the museum, and a film section on the ground floor that delves deeper into its themes. This section includes work by María Ruido, Fernando Sánchez Castillo, Núria Güell, and Diego del Pozo Barriuso.
Curators: Marta Ramos-Yzquierdo and Sam Steverlynck
The Power of the Image from 29 November 2025 to 8 March 2026, in which twenty Spanish artists examine the role of the image in the fight for democratic values.
Participating artists: Carlos Aires, Xavier Arenós, Pilar Aymerich, Alán Carrasco, Colita, Lúa Coderch, Eli Cortiñas, Daniel G. Andujar, Ana García-Pineda, Eulàlia Grau, Núria Güell, Agustín Ibarrola, José Ortega, Joan Rabascall, Josep Renau, María Ruido, Avelino Sala, Fernando Sánchez Castillo, Diego del Pozo Barriuso, Darío Villalba.
