From November 15, 2025, to March 7, 2026,
“El Oasis” is an artistic initiative that pays tribute to four women who fought against Franco’s dictatorship from underground. The exhibition recreates an immersive and sensory space inspired by an apartment in the Barceloneta neighborhood, which in 1941 served as a refuge, meeting place, and coordination point for young resistance fighters. This space, known as “Oasis,” was home to three young women who lived there permanently and a fourth companion who, despite not residing there, maintained a close relationship with them.
The four shared a history marked by the defense of freedom during the Civil War, exile, and subsequent repression. In that apartment, bulletins were written, meetings were held, documents were distributed, and political prisoners and persecuted comrades were supported. The noise of the typewriter at night, evidence of intense propaganda activity, seems to have alerted some neighbors, which led to their arrest in September 1941.
The police dismantled this resistance group and the young women were imprisoned and tortured. Now, this almost forgotten episode is being revived through an installation that recreates the original atmosphere, using light, sound, and textures to transport visitors back to that era. The aim is to highlight the anti-Franco struggle from a female and local perspective, focusing on the role of women, who are often invisible in the collective memory. The project seeks to vindicate their courage, resistance, and commitment, and to recover a part of the neighborhood’s silenced history.
On Thursday, February 19, 2026, from 5 to 8 p.m., the History Museum of Catalonia will hold the “Women Against the Current” event around the 8th of March “International Women’s Day”. This year, this event will be dedicated to the theme of the exhibition L’Oasi with the collaboration of CB1761 and the support of EUROM (European Observatory of Memories).
