CÁCERES.- Helga de Alvear Museum is presenting My Atlas # Our Atlas: My Atlas, Fake it, Fake it—till you Fake it., Gravity, Mass and Democracy, Power Tools and Power Tools-Workshop, the first major anthological exhibition in twenty years by Swiss artist Thomas Hirschhorn.

This ambitious exhibition, curated by the museum's director, Sandra Guimarães, outlines the trajectory of the artist from some of his early works never previously shown, in dialogue with new works created specifically for the occasion, such as My Atlas (2025) and Gravity, Mass and Democracy (2025). Alongside we are showing Fake it, Fake it—till you Fake it. (2024), a monumental work that is shown for the first time in Europe and for the second time worldwide, as well as Power Tools (2007) and the new Power Tools—Workshop (2025).

The new work My Atlas (2025) is a personal interpretation of the concept of an Atlas, inspired by Aby Warburg’s Mnemosyne Atlas, and it serves as the thread connecting not only the artist’s works but also, with particular relevance today, the way in which the individual is interwoven with the collective. With this work, Hirschhorn reveals the logic underlying his artistic practice. As he states, it will be “a horizontal statement” across forty-five large cardboard panels covered in black plastic, onto which images of his works are juxtaposed, actually numbered 43 with two double panels. Sometimes these are accompanied by display cases containing original works, as well as others arranged on the floor, forming a purely visual “map”.

What characterizes My Atlas, in Hirschhorn’s words, “is that it remains non-chronological, infinite, in constant development, evolving, and open to completion, by me and I hope by those looking at it. The aim of My Atlas is an assertion of what is to be seen and what is given to be seen”.

In one of the museum’s entrance, the site-specific work Gravity, Mass and Democracy (2025) gives shape to the ontological complexity of the concept of “Mass” and its simultaneous relationships with physics and the concept of “Gravity”, with politics and the concept of “Democracy”. Created specifically for this exhibition, the work consists of a net stretched horizontally between the ground floor and the first floor, holding cardboard objects of various sizes, numbered with percentages and taped, or letting them fall through to the floor below. Visitors can walk through the work, passing underneath it and viewing it from the first floor.

In the main Museum entrance Fake it, Fake it—till you Fake it. (2024) acquires new relevance in light of the current political redefinition. This work raises questions about artistic practice in times of war. It explores the thin line between the “virtual” and the “real” worlds, offering a visual response to a pivotal question today: “how to continue to work in today’s digital world?” and confront this with an analog exhibition space. Conceived as a “precarious sculpture” in cardboard, featuring “fake” computers, “fake” credit cards, and more, this work underscores the importance of material choice in its plastic dimension. This work questions the influence of social media, the metaverse, the AI, and the ideology of “fake it till you make it”.

As part of the exhibition, the artist reconfigures Power Tools (2007), belonging to the Helga de Alvear Collection, within a larger gallery space that incorporates Power Tools-Workshop (2025) conceived by Thomas Hirschhorn as a workshop that seeks the implication of the audience , inviting visitors to work with books, materials and tools in order to create and construct new productions. This work not only affirms itself as a form but also expands, fosters active participation and offers us the means to forge our own world.

My Atlas # Our Atlas thus provides a unique opportunity to gain deeper insight into the complexity of Hirschhorn’s oeuvre and his unwavering commitment to formal experimentation and critical thought.

The exhibition is accompanied by a free publication, a guide to the work My Atlas. The museum is also launching the program “Helga Cinema at the Museum: Carte Blanche to Thomas Hirschhorn”, with a series of films chosen by the artist that will be screened at the Museum from January 2026 onwards. Helga de Alvear Museum is also working with the artist on a limited edition that will be available soon.

The exhibition My Atlas # Our Atlas, curated by Sandra Guimarães, is organised by the Helga de Alvear Museum with the support of the Ministry of Culture of Spain, Pro Helvetia Swiss Art Council and Gladstone Gallery New York, and can be visited in Cáceres until May 10, 2026.

Helga de Alvear Museum in Cáceres, Spain, was created to house one of the most significant private collection of international contemporary art in Europe, developed over 40 years by the leading gallerist and collector, Helga de Alvear. Besides the collection, the museum is developing an ambitious temporary exhibition program as well as community engagement projects. Helga de Alvear Museum is free of charge, accessible and open, and a place for experimentation, research and dissemination, where art is a tool for critical thinking.