The archaeological site of La Alcudia, in Elche, inaugurates this Friday the collective exhibition "The Ladies Return to La Alcudia", featuring works by fifteen artists reinterpreting the iconic Dama de Elche.
The archaeological site of La Alcudia, in Elche, opened this Friday a new collective exhibition that brings together fifteen artists around the figure of the Dama de Elche, the emblematic Iberian sculpture discovered in the same place in 1897. Under the title "The Ladies Return to La Alcudia", the exhibition is displayed at the "Rafael Ramos Fernández" Interpretation Centre and will remain open to the public for the coming weeks.
The initiative, organised by the La Alcudia University Foundation, the University of Alicante, the Elche City Council, Elx Cultura, the Royal Order of the Dama de Elche, Atelieros, and ACAS, aims to bridge the past and the present through contemporary art. Each artist has contributed a personal vision of the Dama, using techniques ranging from figurative painting to symbolic language and more avant-garde proposals.
Among the participants is the painter Alejandro Torres, whose work "A Walk Through La Alcudia" has been selected as the image for the official exhibition poster. The piece depicts a young Dama walking through the archaeological site where the original sculpture was found, in a nod to the history of the place.
The inauguration was attended by the deputy of the Popular Parliamentary Group for Alicante, Juan de Dios Navarro Caballero, and the president of the Royal Order of the Dama de Elche, Mari Carmen Pérez Cascales, along with other institutional representatives, artists, and the general public.
The exhibition, which carries the slogan "Fifteen Views, One Origin", invites visitors to reflect on how a single heritage reference can inspire such diverse interpretations. The Dama de Elche, discovered over a century ago, remains an icon of Iberian art and an inexhaustible source of inspiration for contemporary creators.
For archaeology and art lovers, the exhibition offers a unique opportunity to explore the La Alcudia site, one of the most important in the province of Alicante, and discover how current art dialogues with history. The exhibition is open to the public at the "Rafael Ramos Fernández" Interpretation Centre, a space that complements the visit to the site.
The Dama de Elche, a limestone sculpture dating from the 4th century BC, was found accidentally in 1897 and has since been the subject of study and admiration. It is currently housed in the National Archaeological Museum of Madrid, but its connection to La Alcudia remains very strong, as demonstrated by this exhibition that symbolically returns it to its place of origin.
The exhibition will be available for several weeks, and it is expected to attract numerous visitors interested in exploring the various artistic perspectives on this symbol of Spanish heritage. The organisers have highlighted the importance of keeping the cultural legacy alive and bringing history closer to the public through contemporary proposals.
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