“Spain is the perfect place to talk about dictatorships”

The artist Eugenio Merinoauthor of the piece ‘Face washing’, that is exposed in DNA gallery in Arcomadrid 2025says his work refers to “ cleaning that has been done to the extreme right in the last 20 years“And that’s why the dishwasher contains 16 dishes with the face of world leaders, such as Donald Trump, Santiago Abascal, Marine Le Pen or Elon Musk, among others.

“Spain is the perfect place to talk about dictatorships, since we had one and we had the misfortune that it was translated into a monarchy. That was something that was thought from the fascist movement, “Merino said in an interview with Europa Press, during the first day of Arcomadrid 2025.

The artist, whose work is valued at 22,000 euros, says it is a “very direct” criticism to those who have raised or bleached to the politicians mentioned above. “I don’t think there is any controversy. It is a very clear piece that represents the situation and the current state of the world“Defend.

“Normally a sanitary cordon was applied to the extreme right, but now these formations are post-fascism. Before fascism destroyed democracy. The problem is that these extreme right parties have become formations that accept democracy and act from within“He stressed.

Donald Trump, Elon Musk, Giorgia Meloni, Marine Le Pen, Santiago Abascal, Benjamín Netanyahu, Javier Milei, Herbert Kickl (Austria), Mateusz Morawiecki (Poland), Alice Weidel (Germany), among others. “It is the clear image of what fascism is in the West,” he emphasizes.

‘Face washing’ is an original dishwasher and as Merino points out is ready to be used. “Wash occurs in your mind because it is a dishwasher that is really and can be used. The dishes have been manufactured to eat in them“, explains. The work pursues that with the use and passage of time the faces are disappearing.

Eugenio Merino considers that if there is controversy around his work is due to the “way Spain has to see art”, although he adds that he is not worried about the possible criticisms. “Art expresses an idea and opinion of someone and that is called freedom of expression and should not be controversial in a country like Spain“He has influenced.

Merino, creator of ‘Always Franco’

This edition of Arcomadrid is the 25th for Merino, who remembers that it only missed in 2013 “for censorship reasons.” The artist refers to his work ‘Always Franco’exhibited in 2012, in which he put the dictator in a refreshment fridge.

This work aroused the criticism of the Francisco Franco Foundation, which denounced Merino twice. However, justice gave the right to the artist. “They denounced me twice and won both. Although, from IFEMA, the president of that time supported the complaint“He says.

In this regard, he criticizes that this moment was one of those who led him to think that “in Spain there is a lot of fascism.” “Therefore, talking about ‘face washing’ makes sense“, Reitera. Merino is known in Arco for his controversial works, as ‘Fidel Zombi’, exhibited in 2008 when he showed a spectrum of the former Cuban president, or a Ninot of Felipe VI in 2019.” The provocation must be in art. Every work challenges some logic, “he remarks.