The Antonio López hall of the Old Hospital of Santa María la Rica hosts the exhibition ‘Are You Who I Think You Are?’ by Madrid photographer Manuela Lorente until September 6, as part of the PhotoEspaña programme.
The Antonio López hall of the Old Hospital of Santa María la Rica, in Alcalá de Henares, hosts the exhibition ‘Are You Who I Think You Are?’ until September 6, a project by Madrid photographer Manuela Lorente (Madrid, 1992). The exhibition is part of the official section of PHotoESPAÑA, the most significant photography festival in the country with international reach.
The exhibition consists of six independent stories set in the city of Madrid. Through a playful and critical lens, the author combines humour, absurdity, and realism to portray urban life. The images, captured spontaneously on the street, inspire narratives that explore identity, personal relationships, and the everyday gestures that shape the character of the city.
According to the Alcalá de Henares City Council, the exhibition transforms the Antonio López hall into a cutting-edge visual node within the festival's programming. The strategic alliance with PHotoESPAÑA allows the city of Alcalá to host one of the most interesting proposals in its official section.
The stories, narrated with a carefree and ironic tone, serve as a loving caricature of the environment. The project draws on elements of popular culture and shared imaginations, proposing a reflection on how tradition and the everyday shape urban life. Each narrative arises from a collection of photographs taken in public spaces, the result of constant observation.
Additionally, until July 26, the exhibition ‘Maitena. Quevedos 2025’ can be visited at the Capilla del Oidor, an anthology dedicated to Argentine graphic humourist Maitena Burundarena. The artist, the first woman to receive the Ibero-American Quevedos Graphic Humour Award, reviews her career from the late 1980s to the present.
The exhibition journey includes her early cartoons, where an interest in human relationships was already evident, and her most well-known series, ‘Mujeres Alteradas’ (1993), which transformed women from objects of jokes into protagonists of their contradictions. Pieces from her later stages, ‘Superadas’ and ‘Rumble’, addressing aging and contemporary challenges, are also displayed.
The Quevedos Award jury highlighted her innovation in humorous language, her social impact, and the sustained quality of her work, which has redefined the genre in the Ibero-American context. The exhibition is an opportunity to analyse the social chronicle of the last three decades through Maitena's intelligent humour.
Both exhibitions are free to access. The Antonio López hall of the Old Hospital of Santa María la Rica is open from Tuesday to Sunday from 11:00 to 14:00 and from 17:00 to 20:00. The Capilla del Oidor, located on Cervantes Street, has the same hours, although the Maitena exhibition will only be available until July 26.
Residents of Alcalá de Henares and visitors thus have the opportunity to enjoy two top-level cultural proposals during the summer weeks. Manuela Lorente's exhibition, in particular, allows one to immerse in an ironic and critical view of urban life, while Maitena's offers a journey through the evolution of Ibero-American graphic humour.
For more information, you can consult the Alcalá de Henares City Council website or go directly to the exhibition halls.
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