CARLOS AMORALES’ BLACK CLOUD SETTLES OVER CASA DE MÉXICO

The Fundación Casa de México in Spain presents Nube negra, one of Carlos Amorales’ most emblematic installations (Mexico City, Mexico, 1970), which unfolds across the institution’s stairways, transforming the exhibition space through thousands of black paper butterflies and moths. Through its symbolic deployment within the environment, the work generates a sense of collective movement that is organic and unstable in nature.

The installation articulates a sustained dialogue between beauty and disturbance. The viewer, immersed in the resulting black cloud, engages in a sensory experience that oscillates between attraction and unease. The simplicity of the material contrasts with the complexity of the visual effect, granting the installation an almost sculptural presence and a perceptual corporeality.

Conceived in 2007, the work forms part of the broader research corpus that the Mexican artist has developed around systems of representation. Installed in numerous international institutions since its creation, its variable scale and configuration—reaching up to 30,000 individual pieces—ensure that each iteration is distinct, reinforcing notions of multiplicity and collectivity within contemporary visual language.

Carlos Amorales: Nube negra can be viewed until 13 September 2026 at the Fundación Casa de México, Alberto Aguilera 20, Madrid, Spain.