Public Program
April 5, 2023 – May 25, 2024
Museo Nacional Thyssen-Bornemisza, Madrid

Photo: Juan Millás.
Programming
MNTB Madrid
Exhibitions

EN / ES


Search for Life public program counts with contributions by leading figures of the Philippine and international cultural scene: Mara Coson, one of the most iconic voices of contemporary literature in the Philippines, adn Marian Pastor Roces, an independent curator, cultural critic, and policy analyst based in Manila, Philippines; as well as Feifei Zhou, an architect, artist, and researcher committed to investigating alternative ways of understanding the role and position of nature on our planet;

The contributors will come to Madrid for a talk with Stephanie Comilang and the exhibition curator Chus Martínez, which will also include additional talks, screenings, and workshops featuring international guests as well as local artists and communities of Filipino descent. 


Do We Live in a Stupid World? Social and Artistic Practices in the Era of Artificial Intelligence and Shrinking Democratic Spaces by Marian Pastor Roces 
Online lecture. Link HERE 
Friday, April 5, 4:00-5:30 pm
Language: English

This activity is part of Organismo | Art in Applied Critical Ecologies independent study program, a conjoined initiative by TBA21—Academy and the Museo Nacional Thyssen-Bornemisza. 

The challenges to democracy have only intensified because of the multiple aftermaths of COVID-19, economic transformations, migratory waves, recurring international conflicts, and digital piracy. Attacks on civic space are just one part of this overall trend. This explains why more artists, cultural practitioners and policymakers are calling on the international community to broaden the narrative of shrinking democratic space and present not only disaster scenarios but also methodologies and strategies to regain control. 

Marian Pastor Roces is an independent curator, cultural critic, and policy analyst based in Manila, Philippines. She founded and leads TAOINC, a corporation that curates the establishment of museums and develops exhibitions, parks, and publications. TAOINC recently accomplished the creation of the Cultural Center of the Philippines online museum, for which Roces supervised the creation of a new decolonizing Accession Record System (ARS). 


In the classroom... Stephanie Comilang
Exhibition Hall, floor -1. Museo Nacional Thyssen-Bornemisza. 
Language: Spanish 
Date: 25 April, 17:00-18:00 hours

Organised by: EducaThyssen


What Materials tell about Trading & Colonialism?​: Laura Tripaldi, Mayte Gómez Molina and Chus Martínez, Conversation
Thursday, April 25, 6:30 pm
Auditorium. Museo Nacional Thyssen-Bornemisza

This activity is part of Organismo | Art in Applied Critical Ecologies independent study program, a conjoined initiative by TBA21—Academy and the Museo Nacional Thyssen-Bornemisza. 

Mayte Gómez Molina is a Spanish writer, researcher and new media artist based in Berlin, Germany. Her practice explores political corporeality, perception as a social contract and the difficulty of constructing identity in a world hyper-mediated by power and technology.

Laura Tripaldi is a writer and researcher working at the intersection of science, technology, and humanities. After obtaining her PhD in Materials Science and Nanotechnology, she has taught courses, seminars, and workshops at several cultural and academic institutions worldwide. Her book Parallel Minds. Discovering the Intelligence of Materials was first published in 2020 and translated into Spanish by Caja Negra in 2023.

Search for Life: Migration as a More-than-Human Event: Stephanie Comilang, Feifei Zhou, and Chus Martínez
Auditorium. Museo Nacional Thyssen-Bornemisza
Friday, May 17, 6:30-8:00 pm
Language: English with simultaneous translation into Spanish
Conversation. 90 min

Organized by TBA21 in collaboration with the Canadian Embassy. This activity is part of Organismo | Art in Applied Critical Ecologies independent study program, a conjoined initiative by TBA21—Academy and the Museo Nacional Thyssen-Bornemisza. 

Delving into the intersection of animal migration –taking the case of the Monarch butterflies—with the migrant communities of Filipino seafarers, Stephanie Comilang’s work explores strategies for creating a reflection of how trade routes and exploitation systems are created. The global emergence coincides with a vision of a tamed planet where certain communities feel legitimized to own, build, and transform, displacing masses of animals and other humans. 

Search for Life Film Series 
Auditorium. Museo Nacional Thyssen-Bornemisza
Saturdays, May 25, June 1, 8, 15 - 5:00 or 7:00 pm
Language: Original version with Spanish subtitles
Free entrance

Complete progam HERE

Co-organized by TBA21 and Casa Asia


About... Stephanie Comilang
Exhibition room, floor -1. Educathyssen workshop. Museo Nacional Thyssen-Bornemisza. 
Language: Spanish 
Dates: consult www.educathyssen.org

Organised by: EducaThyssen

We propose a practical workshop, prior to the visit to the temporary exhibition In Search of Life, which aims to share different tools to understand the exhibition and to apply some of the ideas addressed in it.


This public program is kindly supported by the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany in Madrid, the Embassy of Canada in Madrid, and Casa Asia.