El Círculo de Bellas Artes presents the exhibition ¡Aquí hay petróleo!
El Círculo de Bellas Artes has presented the exhibition ¡Aquí hay petróleo!This exhibition continues the institution's ongoing strategic programming focus: the critical and multidisciplinary analysis of the climate emergency and ecological crisis. The exhibition, which will remain in the Minerva Room,el Círculo Running until February 8, 2026, and curated by Gemma Barricarte and Jaime Vindel (researchers at IH-CSIC), the exhibition proposes a critical journey through the visible and invisible landscapes of fossil modernity: a world shaped by coal, oil and natural gas, whose infrastructures—pipelines, highways, factories, refineries—have not only transformed the territory, but also our ways of imagining and feeling.
Focusing on the cultural history of fossil modernity in Spain (particularly during the Franco regime) and tracing a genealogical line that connects the past and the present, ¡Aquí hay petróleo! It addresses the relationships between fossil fuels, contemporary forms of power, and the imaginaries of desire.
The exhibition, comprised of extensive archival material and audiovisual pieces, will also feature parallel activities that will help examine how these energy sources have shaped an image of progress marked by speed, exploitation, and combustion. From the origins of fossil fuel aesthetics to its social and ecological consequences, the exhibition engages visitors on two levels: the fascination with their promises and the urgent need to overcome their legacy.
¡Aquí hay petróleo!The exhibition, which takes its title from a 1955 film directed by Rafael J. Salvia, explores how, during the dictatorship, a series of discourses and cultural imaginaries were constructed to project a modern and industrial Spain, attempting to dispel the perception of the country's backwardness. Following the failure of the old colonial projects, large infrastructure projects and energy industries became symbols of progress and tools for reinforcing the regime's image. They were thought to be able to unite the supposed greatness of the national spirit with the need for economic development and well-being, offering the promise of a prosperous future that would overcome the trauma of the Civil War.
The exhibition raises a central idea: so-called fossil modernity —based on the use of fuels such as oil— was not only an industrial strategy, but also a way of creating collective narratives and imaginaries about progress and identity.
Inspired by the research of American scholar Cara Daggett, the proposed tour explores the concept of petromamasculinity, which links fossil fuels to a certain idea of power and virility. This vision originated in the glorification of war and the cult of personality characteristic of fascist regimes. During the Franco regime, the symbols of petromamasculinity were reflected in the image of the tractor, as an emblem of economic self-sufficiency, and later in the private automobile and passenger aviation, associated with development, freedom, happiness, and the creation of new sexual icons. These imagery reinforced the patriarchal values upon which the system was based.
Updating this historical perspective, the exhibition shows how these ideas remain relevant today and how they shape new expressions of what is known as petromasculinity. These manifest themselves in contemporary formats such as digital imagery, social media, and video games, where the relationship between energy, power, and masculinity is reinterpreted in contemporary culture.
Parallel activities
As a complement to the exhibition, a series of activities have been designed that will help us to delve deeper and contextualize the thesis put forward by Gemma Barricarte and Jaime Vindel.
On Saturday, November 15, a guided tour led by the curators will take place, allowing visitors to explore the exhibition from a critical perspective and establish a dialogue between historical archival materials and current issues surrounding the energy transition, the climate crisis, and the persistence of petromaneal cultures.
The Eduardo Torroja Technical Institute for Construction and Cement, part of the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), was a prototypical example of Spanish technoscience in the post-World War II era. On Friday, November 21st, a guided tour will be offered to learn more about the history of the institute and the various architectural spaces designed by Eduardo Torroja.
Petromasculinities and Fossil Fascism in Times of Climate Emergency is the title of a seminar to be held on December 4th. It will explore the reflections raised by the exhibition on how the relationship between fossil fuel use, the rise of fascist political regimes, and the emergence of masculine subjectivities strongly associated with the combustion engine has been shaped.
El Cine Estudio The Fossil Atmospheres series will be presented on January 12, 19, and 26 of next year, exploring diverse aesthetic formats and ideological positions. And on January 24, we can see the art project Enter Fossiltopia, conceived by Gemma.
Barricarte. In it, he explores the legacy of the fossil fuel regime in our lives, bodies, and affections. Through live music, video, and performance, he unfolds an experience that connects history, industry, and sound aesthetics to reveal the brutality and ghosts of the Anthropocene.
Jaime Vindel
Jaime Vindel holds a European PhD in Art History and a Master's degree in Philosophy and Social Sciences. He is currently a Senior Scientist at the Institute of History of the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC). His research has focused on the intersections between art history, culture, and ecology, with particular emphasis on the history of political and activist art, Marxist cultural and aesthetic theory, and the contributions of the energetic humanities. He coordinated the "Cultural Ecologies" module of the Independent Studies Program at the Museum of Contemporary Art of Barcelona (2017-2018 and 2019-2020 editions) and is the author of books such as "Fossil Culture: Art, Culture, and Politics between the Industrial Revolution and Global Warming" (Akal, 2023) and "Fossil Aesthetics." "Imaginaries of Energy and Ecosocial Crisis" (Arcadia, 2020), "The Lavapiés Family: Art, Culture and the Radical Left in the Spanish Transition" (La Bahía, 2019), "Transparent Opacity. Conceptual Art at the Limits of Language and Politics" (Brumaria, 2015, 2016 and 2019) or "Life by Assault: Art, Politics and History in Argentina between 1965 and 2001" (Brumaria, 2014)
Gemma Barricarte
Gemma Barricarte is an architect, having graduated from the Barcelona School of Architecture (UPC), and specialized in urban political ecology at the Institute of Environmental Sciences and Technologies (ICTA-UAB). She has been an artist-in-residence at Medialab Matadero (Madrid) and the Huarte Center (Pamplona) with the project "Fossiltopia." She is also a researcher at the Institute of Humanities of the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), where she explores the relationships between architecture, energy, affect, and politics in the current context of socio-ecological crisis. She studied Fine Arts (UB) and has a long history of environmental and student activism, and is a co-founder of Fridays for Future. Her essays and articles have been published in the Polytechnic University of Catalonia, El País, Climática, and CTXT. She has also been involved in outreach, conducting radio interviews and giving lectures at institutions such as the International University for Peace (UNIPAU), the UPC, and the UB.
Organized by:
Círculo de Bellas Artes Biodiversity Foundation of the Ministry for Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge
Collaboration:
Ramón y Cajal Contract RYC2018-024943-I, funded by the Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities. R&D&I Project “(Post)fossil Culture: Socio-cultural Imaginaries, Global Warming and Energy Transition (CNS2023-143774, KULTUR(P)FOSSIL)”, funded by MICIU/AEI/10.13039/501100011033 and by the “European Union NextGenerationEU/PRTR”