This year Art Madrid wants to highlight the work involved in designing and installation the booths. Thus, the effort and dedication by the gallerists and artists participating in this edition will be recognized with two special awards for two of the best booths granted by the organizers of the fair.

Samuel Salcedo

Peace 1/2/3 (cada pieza), 2018

Resina de epoxy

70 x 60cm

Many visitors would be surprised to know the great work hiding in "the booth installation", work prior to the celebration of the fair that also requires updating in the event of purchases of the artworks that form it. While it is true that it is an ephemeral work, since it only lasts the days of the fair, it is also true that the exhibition design determines the way in which we perceive the pieces. In addition, and with the exception of stands dedicated to the One Project program, designed for each artist having his space, the works of different artists coexist in the General Program booths, between three to twelve creators. Creating dialogues between these works, composing the spaces in a harmonious or pleasant way, getting the best lighting, arranging the pieces in such a way that the audience can circulate without involving any danger to the booth... Many details that define the style of the gallery and condition the way in which the public approaches the expository proposals.

Gorka García

Art 58, 2018

Mixed technique

200 x 200cm

Jordi Alcaraz

Untitled, 2018

Mixed media

80 x 100cm

Leticia Felgueroso

Gran Vía edificio Rolex amarillo, 2018

Photography

108 x 130cm

This year, some of the displays especially stand out. These are 3 Punts Galeria, which presents works by Alejandro Monge, Gerard Mas, Kiko Miyares, Samuel Salcedo, Silvio Alino, Nick Veasey, Ramon Surinyac and Okuda San Miguel; the Gallery BAT Alberto Cornejo, with pieces by Gustavo Díaz Sosa, José Ramón Lozano, Lantomo, Mária Švarbová, Carlos Albert, Leticia Felgueroso, Marta Sánchez Luengo, Rafael Amorós, Fernando Palacios, Carlos Iglesias Faura and Rubén Martín de Lucas, Guest Artist of this edition. Equally, we also can outline the display of the gallery directed by Aurora Vigil-Escalera, which offers in its booth a selection of works by Juan Genovés, Herminio, Pablo Armesto, Gorka García, Ismael Lagares, Rafael Macarrón, David Rodríguez Caballero, Santiago Picatoste and Marcela Lobo. Also, the Miquel Alzueta booth (Barcelona) stands out and in their space you can find works by the artists Jordi Alcaraz, Edgar Plans, Maria Yellletisch, Hugo Alonso, Andrea Torres and Lídia Masllorens.

Javier Victorero

En el jardín VI, 2018

Acrylic on canvas

310 x 294cm

Outstanding booths are also those of MH Art Gallery, with works by Joo Eun Bae, Monica Dixon, Estefanía Urrutia and Thilleli Rahmoun; those of the Cornión Gallery, which presents works by Miguel Calano, Javier Victorero and Amancio; as well as the Luisa Pita gallery new selection with the works by María Ortega Estepa, Maríajosé Gallardo y Darío Basso.

Likewise, the space designed by the Zielinsky gallery is one of the most interesting, and in its booth you can see the work by the artists Joaquín Lalanne, Yamadú Canosa, Eduardo Marco, Pachi Santiago, Daniel Orson Ybarra and Juan Fielitz; the booth of the Bea Villamarín gallery, with works by the artists Mònica Subidé, Carlos Tárdez, Patricia Escutia, Candela Muniozguren and Alejandro Quincoces; or that of Víctor Lope arte Contemporáneo, a booth in which spectators will be able to see the pieces by Kepa Garraza, Jacinto Moros, Patrik Grijalvo and Dirk Salz. This gallery has also been responsible for the design of one of the spaces of the One Project program, where it represents the artist Alejandra Atarés. Within this program, the booth designed by RV Cultura e Arte and the artist Manuela Eichner is worth mentioning, as well as that of the About Art Gallery and Nuria Mora or the Contour Art Gallerybooth with Rūta Vadlugaitė.

Guim Tió Zarraluki

Capvespre, 2017

Oil on linen

65 x 81cm

Ernesto Rancaño

Aire, 2018

Printed photography and charcoal on canvas, LED light

114 x 114cm

As for the foreign exhibitors, the Yiri Arts proposals stand out, a Taiwanese gallery that exhibits works by Chen Yun, Guim Tió, Lai Wei-Yu and Mònica Subidé; as well as that of his neighbour at the Galería de Cristal, Collage Habana, gallery which presents a selection of Cuban creators: Andy Llanes Bultó, Daniel R. Collazo, Ernesto Rancaño and Roldán Lauzán Eiras. Other outstanding installations of foreign galleries are those of the North American Lola & the Unicorn, with pieces by Fernando Daza, Bosco Sodi, Isabelita Valdecasas, Juan Genovés and Miguel Vallinas; or the Portuguese Paulo Nunes-Arte Contemporânea, where the works by Ana Pais Oliveira, Manuel Patinha, Mário Macilau and Rui Dias Monteiro are exhibited. In addition, those visitors really interested in buying a piece, have the possibility to discover those works that gallerists also keep in their small and ephemeral warehouses. Also, the organisation highlighted the Robert Drees visual proposal (Hannover), composed by Pepa Salas, Markus Fräger, Michael Laube, Sun Rae Kim and Jürgen Jansen's works.

Patrik Grijalvo

Veles et Vents (Serie Gravitación Visual), 2018

Photograph on Hahnemühle paper

150 x 150cm

Patricia Escutia

Page 51-52, 2018

Wire on canvas

81 x 124cm

This year, the Art Madrid organization awards two special prizes to the two best booths. In addition to this recognition, the prizes consist of a special communication and promotion campaign within the Art Madrid Market, an online sales space where curated virtual exhibitions will be held. Art Madrid has decided to reward the booths of the galleries Víctor Lope Arte Contemporáneo and Bea Villamarín galleries.

Víctor Lope is a Catalan gallery founded in 2009 and located in the centre of Barcelona. From the beginning, it has opted to launch and consolidate the careers of emerging and mid-career artists who have a unique vision of contemporary art. Another feature that defines this gallery is its international character, and in this sense, they make a great effort to consolidate their artists in the European and international art market. In Art Madrid features a thoughtful selection of the wood sculptures of Jacinto Moros, the photomontages by Patrik Grijalvo, the mysterious resin pieces by Dirk Salz and a large drawing by Kepa Garraza, "a Louis XIV" portrait with which the artist appropriates the vision codes of power to launch critical and ironic messages.

Candela Muniozguren

Acid Bang 08, 2018

Lacquered steel

48 x 17cm

Jacinto Moros

FMK100, 2017

Maple wood and formica

132 x 70cm

For its part, the Bea Villamarín Gallery is located in Gijón, one of the Spanish cities with the greatest creative tradition, as well as gallery and collect tradition. This gallery stands out for its involvement in the promotion and promotion of young artists, both national and international. Specialized in advising corporate collectors, the gallery directed by Beatriz Villamarín and Daniel García presents in Art Madrid an interesting dialogue between the abstract writings of Patricia Escutia, the geometric and colorful sculptures by Candela Muniozguren and the much more realistic ones by Carlos Tárdez, together with the paintings of Mònica Subidé and Alejandro Quincoces, natural scenes in the case of the first and urban in the case of the second.

If you want to see these and the rest of the artistic proposals of the more than 40 participating galleries, you can still visit the fair today from 11 a.m. to 9 a.m. in the stunning Crystal Gallery of the Palacio de Cibeles. Today, we celebrate the last day of Art Madrid'19!

The artistic practice of Chamo San (Barcelona, 1987) revolves around a poetics of attention, in which the seemingly insignificant acquires a singular reflective intensity. His works emerge from a persistent observation of everyday life, understood not as a narrative repertoire but as a field of shared experience. Within this framework, the minimal gesture becomes a form of sensitive knowledge, placing the viewer before scenes that are both recognizable and, at the same time, estranged by their temporal suspension.

The progressive shift toward a more atmospheric painting has allowed the environment to cease functioning as a mere support and become an active agent of meaning. Restrained color ranges and carefully constructed spaces generate a sense of stillness that evokes a pictorial tradition attentive to duration and waiting. The human figure—a constant presence in his work—is presented immersed in contexts that amplify its affective and existential dimension.

The silence permeating these images is not absence but condition; it constitutes a space of resonance in which the time of doing and the time of looking converge. Situated between compositional control and openness to the contingent, Chamo San’s work affirms painting as a territory where planning and accident coexist.

Bathtub. 2018. Ballpoint pen on notebook. 14 x 18 cm.

Many of your works show meticulous attention to the smallest gestures and seemingly trivial moments. What interests you about these micro-choreographies of everyday life?

The seed of my work always comes from the sketches I make from life in small notebooks that I can carry with me at all times. Later, I either transfer them to another format so I can work on them more calmly, or they become the final piece in themselves.

Composition, staging, and perhaps those micro-choreographies are what I allow myself to bring to the scene as an artist. For me, these everyday moments are the most direct and honest way to connect with the audience because—even though they are intimate—they reflect universal experiences.

Feet. 2023. Oil pastel on paper mounted on board. 30 x 30 cm.

In your pieces, the presence of sober tones seems to generate a particular type of atmosphere. How would you describe the way that atmosphere emerges during your work, and what role does it play in the overall construction of the image?

Atmosphere and colour are relatively recent additions to my work. Previously, I focused exclusively on the figures as the central element, and they were often left floating in a kind of void. It was when I realised the need to provide context—especially as I began working more closely from the notes in my notebooks—that I came to understand the importance of the environment for the character.

The human figure will always remain the main element for me, as it is through its representation that I find the greatest enjoyment. However, little by little, I have become interested in exploring what surrounds it. I see the creation of an environment and an atmosphere as essential in order to situate the figures within a more complete and fully constructed scene.

Mamant. 2025. Colored pencils on notebook. 14 x 18 cm.

Are the silences in your works inherited from real experiences, or do they emerge during the painting process?

The silences in my work are inherited from real experiences. When I capture those small moments of everyday life—which is essential for me—I tend to be focused and quiet. At the same time, I also believe that the contemplation of artworks naturally invites this kind of calm. In that sense, for a brief moment, both the artist—throughout the entire creative process—and the viewer, when engaging with the work, can meet in the same state of tranquillity and silence.

The Kiss. 2024. Oil pastel on notebook. 14 x 18 cm.

To what extent do you plan your works and how much space do you leave for the unexpected to happen?

Some of my works are very planned, even excessively so, with lots of sketches. On the other hand, I always have that starting point that appears in my notebooks, and I leave experimentation and the unexpected for the end. Although it's also true that when I've thrown myself into improvisation from the beginning, wonderful things have happened, so now I try to combine those two worlds as organically as possible.

Cinema. 2025. Ballpoint pen and oil pastel on notebook. 14 x 18 cm.

Although your work has shifted towards the pictorial—with an aesthetic closely linked to cinema—echoes of illustration can still be seen in your visual language. Which elements would you say remain, and which have undergone a radical transformation?

For me, illustration has been an intense learning process. I deeply admire artists who have combined commissioned illustration with studio work for galleries, such as Ramón Casas and James Jean. I believe these two worlds can connect on a technical level, but their language and purpose are fundamentally different.

The existence of a unique, original work allows for accidents to occur—things that are very unlikely to happen in illustration. It is this condition of uniqueness, and above all the intention behind it, that makes the two practices radically different.