This exhibition begins with the relationship between chess and the cultural history of Arévalo, taking as a reference the so-called Tower of the Chessboards, part of the Romanesque-Mudejar church complex of San Martín, which now houses Collegium. Built between the 11th and 12th centuries, the tower takes its name from the brick frieze in a checkerboard pattern that decorates its upper sections—an unusual feature in Castilian architecture that directly evokes the chessboard and the strategic tradition associated with the game.

Presented inside the church of San Martín, the exhibition takes the notion of “check” as its starting point: a critical situation that exposes vulnerabilities and forces a reconsideration of the rules of the game. As in chess, historical structures of authority—social, political, or cultural—are challenged by transformations that push their limits and call their legitimacy into question.

The large-scale installations on view approach these issues from multiple angles, using the board as an expanded metaphor to explore dynamics of control, resistance, and negotiation. Poetic or speculative in nature, each piece confronts the viewer with a moment of decision, where the coordinates of power and time are set in motion.

Artists: Akram Zaatari, Alicja Kwade, Cinthia Marcelle, Eduardo Basualdo, Jim Lambie, Kelley Walker, Larry Johnson, Marianna Simnett, Rosa Barba, Wilfredo Prieto.

Curator: Aldones Nino.