In ‘Madrid 1940’, Pablo presents different snapshots taken during a walk with his mother in December 2021. During this walk, they discuss both personal and historical narratives in relation to their family history in the aftermath of the Spanish Civil War.

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The year 1939, when Franco won the war and imposed a military regime, marked a drastic change in fortunes for many people. Pablo’s ancestors, supporters of the democratically-elected Republican government, suffered the physical and emotional effects of political repression during Franco’s dictatorship. In this video work, it is exposed how Pablo’s grandmother’s emotional trauma as a result of a violent episode of repression was translated into her emotionally unavailability and self-contained character throughout her life. 

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Family archives are woven together with personal memories about to fade - many only spoken out loud for the first time - to shed light on a still sensitive and highly controversial period of the world’s history.

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This work is the outcome of Pablo's online residency with In Transit between January and February 2022, produced with ongoing support from Arts Council England.

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In Transit 'Nineteen Forty - 2022' exhibition.