OB Contemporary: art in Carabanchel

Madrid adds a new space to its cultural scene with the opening of OB Contemporary , a contemporary art gallery in the Carabanchel neighborhood. The space was born with a clear vocation: to create a platform for interaction between emerging and mid-career artists from the Caribbean and Mediterranean region, while giving priority to those focused on discourses that emerge from the periphery. OB Contemporary wants to be a meeting point for artistic dialogue and critical reflection, in tune with an environment that favors cultural exchange and community fabric.

This ambitious project is presented in partnership with 'El Món del Яevés', the first solo exhibition in Madrid of the Cuban artist Fernando Rodríguez Falcón, a key name in the Cuban art scene of the nineties. In this exhibition, the artist—accompanied by his heteronym, Francisco de la Cal, a fictional and endearing character who is both blind and long-sighted—questions power structures and our perception of reality through an artistic universe where the traditional and the contemporary are mixed.

'Dar palos de ciego', Fernando Rodríguez Falcón. © OB Contemporary

'El Món del Яevés' aims to make us reconsider our understanding of society and the role we play in it. Drawing inspiration from Flemish proverbs and the works of Pieter Brueghel "the Elder", Rodríguez Falcón invites you to follow a journey full of irony and humor, focusing on the absurdities of everyday life and the contradictions of the human condition . It is clear that the artist is not afraid to delve into the thorniest subjects, such as bureaucracy or hypocrisy, and makes use of an aesthetic that oscillates between tradition and modernity through a meticulous technique on paper and the use of symbols such as sticks, weights and archetypal figures.

Through this double vision, Rodríguez Falcón, together with Francisco de la Cal, presents works that, on the one hand, seem to want to build an ideal society and, on the other, reveal its self-destructive tendencies. The Cuban artist's sculptures, drawings and installations defy expectations, both for their technical precision and criticism.

OB Contemporary's bid also seeks to energize the Carabanchel neighborhood with a cultural project that integrates into the community. With the opening of this gallery, the neighborhood gains a space open to debate and collaboration, dedicated to fostering creativity, research and learning. Its mission is to create a neighborhood through art and build bridges between distant cultures and artistic contexts.

'Unvisual path', Fernando Rodríguez Falcón. © OB Contemporary