This work was originally commissioned by Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía in Madrid. It examines the history of modern medicine in relation to the history of the museum’s building, which was originally a shelter for beggars and later became a general hospital. These histories are linked with certain crucial moments in 20th century Spain, which can be found represented in the museum’s collection. The development of public healthcare in Spain is in this way shown to be interwoven with the narrative constructed by works of the collection that depict bodies in crisis. By doing so, I wanted to examine the ability of representation to pose questions of medicine in direct relation to social and political realities.

Two piles of prints are one the floor. The prints are taken up, one by one, and are attached to the display structure. They have been designed to emphasize the chronological chain of events that they represent.

One series depicts the history of the museum building, from the foundation of the General Hospital to the architectural addition of Jean Nouvel in 2005. The other prints show a series of appropriated images originating from works in the collection of Museo Reina Sofía on display. The works represented all depict bodies in conditions of poverty, hunger, war and exclusion.