Beginning this Friday, the exhibition titled We Are Inevitable. Stories of Insecurity invites visitors to reflect on the struggles surrounding workers’ rights and the dynamics of power within the hospitality industry. The display marks the opening of Laura Marte’s project, with participation from members of the Las Kellys collective, the Balearic Islands, Barcelona, and Benidorm. The event features the Kellys’ supporters and a representative from the Alicante Cultural Council who delivered a performance to highlight the cause.
Through this exhibition, Laura Marte’s work emerges from a four-year journey with the Las Kellys collective, a group of hotel chambermaids who advocate for fair labor conditions. The project foregrounds demands for recognition of occupational health concerns, calls for early retirement options, and emphasizes the hotel sector’s responsibility to uphold the welfare and dignity of the women who do the work.
Antonio Manresa urged the public to visit the show at Las Cigarreras, noting that attendees can witness the Kellys’ concerns up close, including the daily realities captured in photographs and the formal statements that have strengthened their claims. He underscored that the exhibit is not only about grievance but also about cultural support and shared empowerment.
Inside the installation We Are Inevitable. Stories of Insecurity, Marte’s work continues to explore a symbolic burden. It evokes the sense of promises that cannot be postponed because of their urgency and scope, reminding viewers of issues that demand attention now rather than later.
The project presents a collaborative perspective that embodies the emotional accompaniment between Las Kellys and Laura Marte. It invites audiences to engage with collective action on pressing issues that affect everyday life, with the aim of improving living and working conditions for a broader community.
Laura Marte and Antonio Manresa at the exhibition are highlighted in the accompanying information credits.
About the sample
Each piece in the touring show interrogates how precarious, female-dominated labor is organized. The display features a stack of around fifty folded sheets that weighs heavily, a visual counterpoint to the lightness of the physical object on display. The contrast underscores the daily burdens carried by workers against the seemingly simple, everyday tools of their trade.
Another highlight is a video titled Cleaning, where Las Kellys interpret daily routines with rhythm and intention, inviting viewers to voice petitions and to amplify the collective call for improved conditions. Every element in the exhibit ties the material to the actions carried out by Las Kellys.
The project concludes with a parallel program, Women Who Don’t Give Up: Rebels, planned for a public reflection on the experiences of women facing precarious work conditions. The event offers space to discuss challenges, resilience, and strategies for collective response.
The works, performances, and viewpoints presented throughout the project honor the women who elevate and renew the world through small, often overlooked acts of solidarity. They tell the daily stories of people who come together with a shared purpose, and they affirm that some lives cannot be ignored. The exhibition suggests that when communities unite, they become inevitable allies, confidants, friends, and heroes.
About the Kellys
The Las Kellys association was formed to unite efforts to advance the profession and to defend the core role played by workers in tourism operations. They stand against outsourcing contracts, multi-service conglomerates, and excessive workloads that strain workers and diminish quality of service.
Through involvement in central feminist discussions on power, care, and resilience, the Kellys project a critical voice about labor, equality, and social care. Laura Marte’s collaboration with the group has turned these conversations into an artistic inquiry that reflects contemporary feminist currents. The resulting work seeks not only to illuminate injustices but also to propose a reimagined political economy that recognizes the value of care and fair labor. The project aims to broaden the dialogue, inviting audiences to consider the slogans the Kellys advocate and to see their experiences through an artistic lens.