Córdoba, Orive Hall and Vimcorsa Hall
Temporary turnkey exhibition
Curated by: Esther Pons Mellado e Isabel Olbés Ruiz de Alda
Technical curator:Maite Mascort Roca
This exhibition project aims to showcase one of the most important stages in the lives of the ancient Egyptians: childhood and the transition to adolescence. Bringing together around 200 pieces from different museums and private collections around the world, we take an innovative look at this stage of life.
The exhibition takes a cross-cutting approach to all social classes, covering a broad chronological span that extends from the Predynastic period through the entire Pharaonic era to the Ptolemaic-Roman period – in other words, some 3,500 years of history.
The variety of objects requested on loan and on display includes a considerable diversity of materials: stone, wood, metal, faience, fabric, papyrus and ceramics, among the most notable.
This proposal is based on the rigorous research carried out by the curators and EULEN ART for the exhibition Hijas del Nilo. Mujer y sociedad en el Antiguo Egipto (Daughters of the Nile. Women and Society in Ancient Egypt), which was held in Madrid in 2022.
Commissioned by the Cordoba City Council, the exhibition is being held at two different venues. The Sala Orive houses a large immersive audiovisual display designed to make an initial impact on visitors and establish a direct dialogue with the pieces on display at the Vimcorsa venue. The content of the audiovisual display acts as a synopsis of what the public will find at the second venue, thus offering an overview of the exhibition through the presentation of these pieces.
The Vimcorsa Room is the central space of the exhibition, where all the original pieces that make up and articulate the exhibition are displayed. The exhibition is organised into different thematic blocks: family, teaching and learning, the world of play, clothing, adolescence and youth, illness and death.
Various textual and graphic resources articulate and illustrate the content and layout of the exhibition. In addition, all the thematic sections feature educational audiovisuals created specifically for the exhibition, as well as a video mapping that reproduces a special piece in the exhibition, the marvellous ivory rod made from a hippopotamus tusk and used as a protective amulet during childbirth. The exhibition also features tactile objects that allow visitors to experience reproductions of key pieces through touch, serving as a resource for universal accessibility.
This significant commission not only forms part of a long-term collaboration between the artist, the Government of Castilla-La Mancha and the Royal Foundation of Toledo, the exhibition’s host organisation, but also consolidates EULEN Art as a leading partner, reinforcing its commitment to the cultural and artistic development of the region.
The exhibition is aimed at a wide audience and is complemented by a series of accompanying lectures featuring leading specialists of international renown in the field of Egyptology. It also features a catalogue containing a list of the exhibits and various academic articles, as well as guided tours led by experts and content designed for social media.
