The exhibition "Margarita Azurdia. Margarita Rita Rica Dinamita" is the first exhibition in Europe to be devoted exclusively to one of the most emblematic Central American artists of the 20th century. It will be on view at the Reina Sofía Museum in Madrid until April 17th, 2023.

"Margarita Rita Rica Dinamita" exhibition consists of an extensive production that encompasses many different works such as paintings, sculptures and non-object art, as well as artist's books made of drawings, collages and poems. It allows the viewer to approach and understand the panorama of modern and contemporary art in Guatemala, and especially the artist's process between the 1960s and 1990s, including her many changes of name to sign her works. There were times when she presented herself as Margot Fanjul and at other times as Margarita Rita Rica Dinamita. She also called herself Anastasia Margarita. Her name changes were not unusual for her, a sensitive woman who sought different ways to show her essence.

The exhibition "Margarita Azurdia. Margarita Rita Rica Dinamita" is the first exhibition in Europe to be devoted exclusively to one of the most emblematic Central American artists of the 20th century

The beginnings of her work go back to his excellent way of portraying geometric forms inspired by the indigenous textile designs of Guatemala in the form of paintings. In the 1970s she expanded her work to sculpture, creating the series Homenaje a Guatemala (Homage to Guatemala), which, as the museum explains, "consists of fifty direct wood carvings commissioned from artisans specialising in religious figures, the result is a set of assemblages with handcrafted objects, zoomorphic figures and women dressed in boots, rifles and tropical fruits that evoke the altars of the peoples of the Guatemalan highlands, where the cultural and religious syncretism that permeates the complex history of Guatemala is evident".

When she began to attend circles of women artists she experienced a before and after in her understanding of the female figure in art

It was when she arrived in Paris that she exploded with her revolution of ideas, and when she began to attend circles of women artists she experienced a before and after in her understanding of the female figure in art. Also of vital importance in her artistic career was the beginning of contemporary dance, for which she felt a real passion and which she formed a group called Laboratorio de Creatividad together with the artists Benjamín Herrarte and Fernando Iturbide. 

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The historian and curator of the exhibition Rosina Cazali says: "She has sometimes been overshadowed by her living conditions. I met her in the 1980s and she struck me as a person of indecipherable genius. When she was happy she transformed into a glowing person, but she was breathless when she was worried". 

At the end of her career, Azurdia focused on delving into the concepts of care and healing by linking them to nature and the environment through painting. Seeking to portray the sensations and memories that changed her life. 

There were times when she presented herself as Margot Fanjul and at other times as Margarita Rita Rica Dinamita. She also called herself Anastasia Margarita. Her name changes were not unusual for her, a sensitive woman who sought different ways to show her essence.