If you happen to pass by Plaza del Carmen these days, something will catch your eye: a bronze thoroughbred horse seems suspended in midair, shifted toward one end of its concrete pedestal. It has no rider, no saddle, and no reins. Just a bridle. It stands 6.30 meters tall and is installed in front of the Thompson Hotel, right in the heart of Madrid.
It is titled *El rumor de la discordia* and is the work of Mexican artist Gonzalo Lebrija (Mexico City, 1972). The artist conceived it in 2017. It has now arrived in Madrid on temporary loan to the City Council as part of the urban renewal process for the plaza. Lebrija and Alonso Díaz Etienne, a representative of the Thompson Hotel, presented it today, October 14, at 12:30 p. m.
A horse that breaks the rules of the equestrian statue
Traditional equestrian sculpture constructs narratives of victory or defeat through the horse’s posture, the position of its legs, and its relationship with the rider. Lebrija subverts that code. His horse appears alone, at rest, and off-center, frozen in the moment just before reaching the center of the pedestal. Without a human figure, the animal becomes an autonomous presence, suspended in time and space, at a point of equilibrium and indeterminacy.
Time, at the heart of his work. The piece is part of the artist’s ongoing exploration of time, suspension, and the subjective experience of events. Through photography, video, and sculpture, Lebrija explores fleeting moments and the interval between what has just happened and what is yet to come. In this work, that idea takes on a monumental scale.
A path he was already familiar with. *El rumor de la discordia* follows in the footsteps of his other monumental projects, such as *Condición Suspendida* and the works in *Breve historia del tiempo*, in which he explores balance and the possibility of capturing fleeting moments in sculpture.
By installing it in Plaza del Carmen, one of the busiest squares in the city center, the work enters into a direct dialogue with the city’s daily rhythm. You don’t have to wait for the official unveiling to see it: it’s right out on the street, in plain view of anyone crossing the square.