Light Spectra, by Naufus Ramírez-Figueroa

The exhibition Light Spectra, by Guatemalan artist Naufus Ramírez-Figueroa, can be visited at the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía from May 28 to October 20, 2025. Curated by Soledad Liaño, this show represents the most comprehensive mid-career review of the artist to date, featuring sculptures, installations, videos, drawings, and performances that explore themes such as memory, childhood, colonial violence, and the cultural history of Guatemala.

Among the standout works is the new series Cuna y Arrullo (2025), an ambitious scenographic installation co-produced by TBA21 and the Museo Reina Sofía. This piece — populated by dreamlike beings such as spiders, bees, or bats — refers to the period when the artist lived in homes for refugee children in Mexico.

In addition, the exhibition includes the performance De espiral en espiral, commissioned and produced by TBA21, which is presented for the first time on September 11. Inspired by the history of playing cards and their use as a colonial tool, the artist incorporates two costumes embroidered by Guatemalan weavers that function as sculptures and performative devices.

Also on view is the series Huertos de los Ch’olti, a set of 21 delicate pencil and watercolor drawings belonging to the TBA21 Collection, which focus on Ch’olti culture and the devastating impact of colonization—recurring themes that strongly resonate throughout his work.

This exhibition marks the first result of the institutional collaboration agreement between TBA21–Thyssen-Bornemisza Art Contemporary and the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía, signed with the aim of establishing synergies between both entities, promoting contemporary artistic production, and encouraging critical thinking.

Manuel Segade, director of the Museum, highlights this first collaboration: “It is a great joy to have the presence of a fundamental artist in Latin America, a spearhead in a country that is crucial for art, whose work brings together political strength, poetic breath, and a very special sensibility.” The founder and chairwoman of TBA21 Thyssen-Bornemisza Art Contemporary, Francesca Thyssen-Bornemisza, recalled her long personal and artistic relationship with Naufus: “Today we celebrate that incredible journey. Naufus began showing works about the Guatemalan civil war at the age of 14, and today he is recognized by a major institution: the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía.”

This alliance opens a sustained path of collaboration that will allow, in the coming years, the continued joint development of exhibitions, artistic commissions, institutional loans, and research projects related to contemporary art and cultural justice.