Efrén Álvarez

An artist based in Barcelona, he explores the potential of drawing and diagrams in the construction of political narratives and social criticism, often expressed through cartographies of the social world. His artistic approach is characterised by an explicitly militant ideological stance, bringing together different intellectual and political traditions to explore alternative ways of thinking that consider social conflicts through the lens of the technological revolutions of the new millennium.

His work is distinguished by its outspoken graphic and political approach, recalling the critical and documentary tradition of artists such as Leech, Hogarth, Goya, Crumb and Rius, often imbued with a quixotic and Rabelaisian sense of irony. He addresses issues such as globalisation, transformations in capitalism, the political structures of everyday life, the representation of power and its institutions, and the construction of historical memory.

His work has been exhibited in galleries, museums and independent spaces. His most notable exhibitions include the solo exhibition Económicos (MNCARS, Madrid, 2011) and his participation in La Bestia y el Soberano (MACBA, Barcelona, 2015). More recently, he contributed to the exhibitions Maquinaciones (2023) at MNCARS and Fabular Paisajes (2025) at Museu Habitat, where different stages of his Proyecto Ideología, una genealogia político-institucional del sistema-món occidental were presented.

Profile updated in September 2026.