CaixaForum Madrid will host exhibitions on Alice in Wonderland, Weimar Republic and Oceania

Gertrud Arndt. Self-Portrait in the Studio, Bauhaus Dessau,1926. — Gertrud Arndt. *Self-Portrait in the Studio*, Bauhaus Dessau,1926.© Gertrud Arndt

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During this 2024-2025 season, CaixaForum Madrid will host exhibitions dedicated to the cultural impact of the world of Alice in Wonderland, in collaboration with the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, the tumultuous years and cultural explosion of the Weimar Republic, and the creativity of the peoples of the Pacific Islands, presented in collaboration with the British Museum.

The director of Exhibitions and Collection of the ”la Caixa” Foundation, Isabel Salgado, and the director of CaixaForum Madrid, Isabel Fuentes have, this Wednesday, presented the new 2024-2025 season of exhibitions of CaixaForum Madrid, under the slogan We grow in culture.

The ”la Caixa” Foundation has designed a multidisciplinary and innovative programme for its centres in the CaixaForum network, the result of experience, rigour and hard work, with exhibitions produced in-house and others in collaboration with leading national and international cultural institutions. This unique model, represented by the CaixaForum network, reflects the ”la Caixa” Foundation’s firm commitment to the dissemination of knowledge, culture and science as drivers of social transformation.

The "la Caixa" Foundation continues working to disseminate knowledge, culture and science as engines of social transformation

In line with the programming of recent years, the ”la Caixa” Foundation continues to work on the dissemination of culture, art and science in a cross-disciplinary and complementary manner. Thus, CaixaForum and the CosmoCaixa Science Museum consolidate their work in a single network and will add exhibitions that can be seen in other parts of the country.

As has become customary in the exhibition programming of CaixaForum centres and the CosmoCaixa Science Museum in Barcelona, the 2024-2025 programme includes a wide range of offerings that include art, history and the dissemination of science.

Sándor Bortnyik, Composición II, Rosa y Azul, c. 1921. — Sándor Bortnyik, *Composition II, Pink and Blue*, c. 1921.© Museo Nacional Thyssen-Bornemisza. Madrid

CaixaForum Madrid will host four exhibitions during the 2024-2025 season

Uncertain Times. Germany between wars

The Worlds of Alice. Dreaming of Wonderland, in collaboration with the Victoria and Albert Museum

Voices of the Pacific. Innovation and tradition, in partnership with the British Museum

Dinosaurs from Patagonia, a collaboration with the Egidio Feruglio Palaeontological Museum (MEF), until 6 April

CaixaForum Madrid will kick off its new season on 16 October with the multidisciplinary exhibition Uncertain Times. Germany between wars, dedicated to the turbulent years of the Weimar Republic (1919-1933), during which the Germanic country sought to rediscover itself through a democracy which, not without tensions, led to an explosion of artistic creativity, thought and social progress.

Through a combination of artworks, archive material, film, music and historical documents, as well as interactive elements, the exhibition shows how uncertainty became the spirit of the age during this period: a circumstance that was exploited by the great figures who lived and excelled then and who shaped the world of today, such as Thomas Mann, Käthe Kollwitz, Otto Dix, Jeanne Mammen and Albert Einstein. The exhibition can be visited at the cultural centre until 23 February 2025.

The Worlds of Alice. Dreaming of Wonderland will surprise visitors at CaixaForum Madrid from 3 April with the largest exhibition dedicated to this Victorian cultural phenomenon, which is now part of the collective imagination, presented in collaboration with the Victoria and Albert Museum.

Alice at the Mad Hatter’s Tea Party, illustration for Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by John Tenniel, 1865. — *Alice at the Mad Hatter’s Tea Party*, illustration for *Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland* by John Tenniel, 1865.© Victoria and Albert Museum, London

Cheshire Cat, psychedelic poster by Joseph McHugh, published by East Totem West. USA, 1967. Purchased through the Julie and Robert Breckman Print Fund. — *Cheshire Cat*, psychedelic poster by Joseph McHugh, published by East Totem West. USA, 1967. Purchased through the Julie and Robert Breckman Print Fund.© Victoria and Albert Museum, London

This exhibition is the first to offer a comprehensive overview of the impact and influence of this Victorian work, a cultural phenomenon in terms of its scope and a source of inspiration for the most creative minds. The display highlights the validity of the character of Alice, almost 160 years after her creation by Lewis Carroll, and presents her from a broad perspective, as the protagonist of these different “worlds” in which the character has been reinterpreted.

The exhibition, which can be visited in the cultural centre until 10 August 2025, explores the background and context of the work and reviews its interpretations from various disciplines: film, visual arts, fashion and science. With a theatrical and immersive staging, it offers a broad vision of the character and includes a playful dimension and a space for reflection that establishes a dialogue between Alice’s world and the one we inhabit.

Another highlight of the season is the exhibition Voices of the Pacific. Innovation and tradition, which arrives at CaixaForum Madrid on 20 May and will run until 21 September 2025, in a grand celebration of the creativity and artistic sensitivity of the peoples of the Pacific Islands.

Oceania is a complex network of islands and cultures united by the Pacific. This ocean has not only been their means of subsistence but has also inspired the development of their creativity. Fans and hooks, clubs and canoes, practically everything is beautifully crafted, with decorations imbued with spiritual meaning.

Ango. Model of a tomoko (war canoe) from Roviana, Solomon Islands. 1900-1920. Wood and shell. — *Ango*. Model of a *tomoko* (war canoe) from Roviana, Solomon Islands. 1900-1920. Wood and shell.© The Trustees of the British Museum

The exhibition presents more than 200 pieces from the British Museum collections, originating from various Pacific islands. It includes historical artifacts as well as works by contemporary artists that reflect the richness of Oceanic art. Among the historical and present-day pieces are ceremonial paddles and exquisitely carved basalt ancestor figures.

Up to 6 April 2025, visitors to CaixaForum Madrid can enjoy the exhibition Dinosaurs from Patagonia, which reviews the evolution and enormous diversity of dinosaurs that inhabited one of the richest regions in terms of palaeontological remains of these fascinating animals. The star of the show, which contains 13 dinosaur specimens, is a life-size replica of the largest dinosaur ever known, the Patagotitan mayorum, a giant from the Cretaceous period that measured 38 metres in length and weighed 77 tonnes.

Passers-by will be able to observe the replica of the Patagotitan majorum from the street. — Passers-by will be able to observe the replica of the *Patagotitan majorum* from the street.© "la Caixa" Foundation

In addition to this behemoth, the exhibition shows more full-scale replicas, such as another of the largest dinosaurs (Tyrannotitan chubutensis); the smallest, measuring just 75 centimetres (Manidens condorensis), and two of the oldest, which lived 230 million years ago (Eoraptor lunensis and Herrerasaurus ischigualastensis).

A programme of activities designed for everyone

The programme of activities invites people to participate in spaces for meeting and exchange that encourage critical thinking, learning, interaction and social cohesion.

We want to connect with the interests of broad and diverse audiences through a plural content in terms of approaches, disciplines and formats. Working with leading professionals and institutions, both local, national and international.

These are some of the concepts that make up the programme of activities, as well as some outstanding projects for the coming season:

Experimentation. We propose meaningful learning environments, in the fields of visual and performing arts, literature, science, design, technology and others, with the help of professionals from the educational, cultural and scientific sectors.

Innovation and creativity. The activities programme supports and promotes national creative talent through various initiatives that bring together art, science and technology in programmes and activities.

Dissemination. Conferences, dialogues and live talks will be organised on history and thought, art and design, film and literature, music, basic science, science and society, the environment, food and health, with leading researchers and thinkers, both national and international.

Participation. We promote projects that invite people to experiment, learn actively and co-create.

New approaches to the exhibitions. A series of proposals enhance the visit to the exhibitions with thematic tours, artistic interventions, spaces for experimentation, dynamic tours and family visits.

Music. Music is approached in the broadest possible way, telling its story, bringing it closer to children, encouraging participatory projects and offering a comprehensive and varied programme of concerts ranging from classical music to electronic, including jazz and world music.