MAD Artes Digitales will open La odisea, el viaje inmersivo at Matadero Madrid on September 18, 2026, as its fifth major production. The exhibition turns Homer's Odyssey into an interactive journey through virtual reality and digital environments, with 360-degree projections placing visitors inside scenes from the ancient world.
Designed for visitors whether or not they know the original text, the exhibition guides them through the Mycenaean era, recreating palaces and city-states while showing daily life in detailed digital scenes. Nacho Ares, who curated the exhibition and wrote its script, says the Odyssey’s themes of migration and loss, along with questions of identity and nostalgia, still resonate today. Marketing director Alfonso Segura says the aim is for visitors to explore a digital world physically, blending ancient storytelling with new technology.
Scenes from both the Odyssey and the Iliad are reimagined in different formats. In one, visitors wear VR headsets and experience an arrow’s flight from Troy’s walls. In another, they become a Trojan pushing the wooden horse into the city or join those hidden inside. Guests also enter scenes from the underworld and the land of the lotus-eaters, with the sirens’ song woven into the experience. Each room has its own visual style and original soundtrack. The exhibition combines hyper-realistic 3D recreations with animations inspired by Greek art.
A holographic screen brings the Cyclops Polyphemus to life in a way that feels almost physical. Throughout the experience, Homer’s voice guides visitors from one myth to the next, keeping the story connected. The installation also explores Greek polytheism and the social codes shaped by religion, giving visitors context for the world behind the myths.
Reports by 20minutos and the official Madrid Destino portal say the experience lasts approximately 90 minutes. Standard tickets start at 19.90 €, while family packages cost 16.90 € per person. Special rates are available for groups and select categories. The venue operates from 10:00 to 20:00 on weekdays and Sundays, and until 21:00 on Fridays and Saturdays. Tickets are available online and at the box office.
The production is available in Spanish and English, with the aim of reaching visitors from outside Spain as well. The team behind the exhibition has previously created immersive shows including Tutankamón and Los últimos días de Pompeya, as well as La leyenda del Titanic and Cleopatra, la Exposición Inmersiva. Those productions have attracted more than five million visitors in 24 cities and won more than 20 international awards. Segura says the current challenge is to make the Odyssey’s legendary voyage a personal experience for each guest.
Basic to the exhibition is the longing for home, expressed through Odysseus’s desire to return to Ithaca after years away. Ares believes this emotional thread connects ancient myth with people today. The show lets visitors experience nostalgia and the search for identity firsthand, as they take on the role of the story’s protagonist.
Elsewhere in Spain, debates about public engagement with art and technology have made headlines, including the recent cancellation of a politically charged art show in Valladolid. The Odyssey installation at Matadero Madrid takes a different approach, using digital tools to bring new life to classic stories while retaining their complexity and cultural meaning.
As immersive exhibitions become more advanced, expectations for quality and accessibility are rising. MAD Artes Digitales has paired historical detail with interactive technology, giving visitors a chance to experience Homer’s epic firsthand. The approach gives cultural institutions another way to connect with audiences: visitors can step inside the myth and take part in the adventure.
