An Alternative Perspective on Death

If you’ve experienced it, you know: death, mourning, and funerary rituals follow an almost automatic process triggered by loss, one that we drift through like sleepwalkers stunned by grief. But is there another way to think about death—one that reconnects us with natural cycles? This is the question posed by multidisciplinary artist Nathalie Rey in “Vivir bien morir bien”. You can see the exhibition at the Pere Pruna Civic Center from September 12 to November 8.

The exhibition is part of Temporals, an itinerant program that brings contemporary art to civic centers across the city within the Barcelona Districte Cultural. Its aim is to bring citizens closer to contemporary artistic practices, dispel fears, and invite reflection and dialogue.

The season opens at Pere Pruna Civic Center with this exhibition by French-born, Barcelona-based artist and architect Nathalie Rey, whose work prompts us to rethink death rituals and their meaning. Is it all just an industry driven by profit? Isn’t our lack of education on death preventing us from imagining alternatives? What if we re-envisioned practices that reestablish our connection to nature and reduce our ecological footprint?

Rey explores these ideas through artworks and activities that include talks, offering workshops, and photographic walks through the neighborhood cemetery (a hidden gem of funerary architecture in Sarrià-Sant Gervasi). In addition to the exhibition itself, complementary activities include the itinerary Paseo mortal on October 18 and 25 at 10 a.m., and a conference-debate on funeral practices on November 6 at 6 p.m.

If you want to explore a different way of thinking about death, don’t miss Nathalie Rey’s “Vivir bien morir bien”. Visit the Pere Pruna Civic Center—and check the website for more details before you go.