Espacio Valverde presents El teatro interior / Theatres of the mind, Alexandra Diez de Rivera’s first solo exhibition at the gallery, as part of PhotoEspaña 2026.

The exhibition brings together photographs of psychologically charged spaces and objects—a confessional, a box seat, a hospital bed, the empty cases of a crucifix or a pair of duelling pistols— scenes and artefacts in which the presence of absence transforms each image into a theatre of the mind.

Theatres of the mind brings together a collection of psychologically ambiguous objects and spaces. Empty, yet steeped in history and meaning, they retain the presence of those who once inhabited them. A confessional, a theatre box, and a wooden hospital bed serve as settings against which complex human experiences unfolded: guilt and absolution, intimacy and spectacle, hope and healing, birth and death.

The work explores not only what behaviours and rituals have taken place in these spaces, but also whether the spaces themselves play a part, shaping behaviour and evoking emotion. Are they merely backdrops to human activity, or do they also play an active role, shaping the moments and gestures that unfold within them? What remains when only the stage remains and the actors have disappeared?

Alongside these spaces lie the empty cases of a crucifix, duelling pistols, a rifle and medals. Symbols of violence and power, faith and devotion. Objects that were once handled and lived with, and which now lie inert, yet remain potent. What do these objects of authority evoke in you, the viewer?

The presence of absence runs through the series, leaving gaps for the viewer to fill, turning each image into a theatre of the mind.