Patricia Gómez and María Jesús González win the second Fundación Macba Prize for Espejo del mundo

The winning exhibition

Patricia Gómez and María Jesús González, both born in Valencia in 1978 and working together since 2002, were announced as winners of the second Fundación Macba Prize on Monday, 9 November, in Barcelona. The jury recognised their exhibition Espejo del mundo, shown in 2026 at the Museo Helga de Alvear in Cáceres. The project began in 2017 and examines the former Padre Jofré psychiatric hospital in Bétera, Valencia, and the Old Prison of Cáceres. The artists use photographs, videos, documents and wall-detachment works made with the strappo technique to examine exclusion, collective memory and social heritage.

Prize structure and finalists

The prize is awarded every two years and was created in 2024 to honour contemporary artists working in Spain. The winners receive 50,000 euros, and each of the three finalists receives 10,000 euros, bringing the total endowment to 80,000 euros. Finalists are Dora García, with A Hole in the Real: Dora García, Pablo Picasso and the Legacy of Mining, shown in Sweden in 2025; Patricia Esquivias, with Al puro ver se ve, shown at the Museo de Artes Decorativas in Madrid; and the duo Alegría & Piñero, with De ida y vuelta, shown at the C3A in Andalusia. The prize itself is a reduced replica of Jorge Oteiza's sculpture La ola.

The jury and the foundation's position

The jury included Valentín Roma, director of the Macba, Manuel Segade, director of the Reina Sofía, Manuel J. Borja-Villel, former director of both museums and a professor at New York University, art critic Ángela Molina, and José Roca, director of the 37th Ljubljana Biennial. The jury praised the conceptual and methodological strength of the work and its treatment of memory and human rights as a rigorous, innovative and interdisciplinary artistic practice. Foundation president Ainhoa Grandes said the prize aims to distinguish and make visible the work of contemporary artists.

“The prize is born with the purpose of distinguishing and making visible the work of contemporary artists.”

The artists' reaction

Patricia Gómez said after the announcement that the pair were overwhelmed by the recognition. She described the exhibition as the most complete project they have made on a long-running theme, and said it included many memories and recognised the people who had accompanied the work.

“We are overwhelmed to be here. It is a surprise and amazement for us.”

Background to the project

The research began in 2017 at the former Padre Jofré psychiatric hospital in Bétera. Gómez said the hospital was built in the 1970s as a small city with everything patients needed, and that its pavilions were emptied after the psychiatric reform.

Winners50,000

Each finalist10,000

Winners

50000 euros

Each finalist

10000 euros

Data from the article text