Paco Roca draws on his memory to review his comics: 70 original works and unpublished drawings at the Instituto Cervantes in Madrid.

Starting this June, the Instituto Cervantes becomes a space for illustrated memory with Memory: An Emotional Journey through Paco Roca's Comics , a free exhibition that explores the Valencian cartoonist's most personal and committed work. The exhibition is open until September 28th at the Instituto Cervantes headquarters in Madrid and can be visited Tuesday through Saturday from 11:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. , and on Sundays and holidays from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

The exhibition, organized in conjunction with the Ministry of Territorial Policy and Democratic Memory, features a specially designed installation by the artist himself, who also acts as curator. Visitors will find 70 original pieces , including vignettes, sketches, notes, and reference photographs , as well as four large, previously unpublished murals that serve as emotional maps of his work, designed for this unique occasion. The exhibition is structured into three thematic sections: historical memory, identity, and family memory .

The underlying message of the exhibition is clear: comics not only entertain, they can also be a powerful tool for collective reflection . His works, including Arrugas and La casa , have made Paco Roca one of the most significant voices in contemporary Spanish-language comics , and this exhibition allows us to better understand his work from its narrative and emotional roots.

Trajectory of a work marked by memory

Paco Roca, winner of the 2008 National Comics Award , has built his career on a constant exploration of memory as a form of resistance. From Alzheimer's, which he tenderly addresses in Arrugas (Wrinkles) to the silences of Franco's regime in Los surcos del azar (Furrows of Chance ), his work is a sentimental and political archive that seeks to rescue the forgotten. His style combines the intimate with the collective , exploring the wounds of the past not to open them, but to understand them.

The Abyss of Oblivion , his most recent title, focuses on grave 126 in the Paterna cemetery , a symbol of Francoist repression. The work, created with journalist Rodrigo Terrasa, documents the search for justice and recognition through the testimony of family members and the work of researchers. Roca insists that historical memory is an act of justice , even if it is poetic, and his work acts as a bridge between generations so that the essential stories of the past are not lost.

Paco Roca's exhibition at the Cervantes Institute helps us recover the thread of what we were, to better understand who we are.

The exhibition at the Instituto Cervantes not only celebrates Roca's career but also reclaims the place of comics in the cultural landscape. As he himself noted during the opening, " Spain has become forgetful ," and art, like this exhibition, can help us recover the thread of what we were, to better understand who we are.