Art Madrid'25 – Arte Santander celebrates its 24th edition

 

 

It seems that the "solo project" format has curdled in the latest editions of ArteSantander and has managed to consolidate and differentiate a fair with great participation. ArteSantander turns 24 and demonstrates that, in a delicate situation, the involvement of the institutions is essential to perpetuate the projects.

 

 

 

In the edition of 2015, the selection committee made up of professionals like Alicia Ventura, Benjamin Weil, Moises Perez de Albeniz and Juan Gonzalez Riancho, have had to decide which of the 90 submitted projects are the best for the 42 stands of ArteSantander. Finally, 39 spanish galleries and 3 from Germany will display their proposals but have received proposals also from Portugal, France and Italy.

 

 

Along with veteran galleries in Santander as Canem, Angeles Baños, Blanca Soto and Rafael Ortiz, they land for the first time young as Galería Alegría, Espacio Valverde, Javier Lopez or La Gran, from Valladolid, and other, as The Twin Gallery, comes for second time. Six spaces are reserved for Cantabrian galleries.

 

 

 

 
 

ArteSantander runs parallel to the art collectors forum organized by the Menendez Pelayo University, Asoc. Of Collectors 9915 and IAC / Institute of Contemporary Art, with the help of the Banco Santander Foundation, which ensures that the visits be rich and specialized.

New this year, led by The Latamuda, is the program Curator's Talk!, a meeting and discussion event with curators about "different conceptions, models and strategies for the artistic practices" and that will serve as a platform of reflection and exchange between the guests and the audience. In an interview format, the participants are: Gema Llamazares with the project "necessary and possible" by the artist Irma Alvarez-Laviada, curated by Nicolas Combarro/ Guillermina Caicoya gallery with 'sun_moon: the logic of perception' of Nicholas Word, curated by Alfredo Aracil / L21 Gallery with 'Brikoexposición' Alvaro Gil, curated by Francesco Gisveri / and Jose de la Fuente with 'mortis causa' by Antonio Diaz Grande. We can listen to all of them on July 28 at 18 at the Palace of Exhibitions and Congresses of Santander where the fair takes place.

 

 

 

Galerías y proyectos ArteSantander 2015:


A del Arte (Zaragoza) Roberto Coromina “Tiza sobre pintura”
Adora Calvo (Salamanca) Fernando Renes
Alegría (Madrid) José Ramón Ais y Raúl Domínguez “Fuera de campo”
Ángeles Baños (Badajoz) Javier Arbizu
Artizar (Santa Cruz de Tenerife) Amparo Sard “Sombras”
Astarté (Madrid) Olalla Gómez “Por.venir”
ATM (Asturias) Kepa Garraza
Blanca Soto (Madrid) Ruth Quirce y Manuel Saro
Cànem (Castellón) Antonio Alcaraz “Espacios industriales. Carbó i acer poética d´una memoria”
Carolina Rojo (Zaragoza) Iñaki Bergera “Twentysix (Abandoned) Gasolined stations”
Cavecanem (Sevilla) Atin Aya “Memoria inmediata”
Collectiva (Alemania) Edith Kollath
Espacio Marzana (Vizcaya) Edu López, “Input”
Espacio Valverde (Madrid) Alfredo Rodríguez “Limbo”
Espai Tactel (Valencia) Ana Barriga y Javier Palacios “Visual storytelling”
Espai Visor (Valencia) Bleda y Rosa, “Campos de batalla. España”, “Campos de batalla. Europa” y “Origen”
Ethall. Dibujo Contemporáneo (Barcelona) Aleksandra Kopff vs Ignacio Sáez Palacios
Gema Llamazares (Asturias) Irma Álvarez-Laviada “Lo necesario y lo posible”
Greusslich Contemporary (Alemania) José Noguero + Vanesa Farfán
Guillermina Caicoya (Asturias) Nicholas Wood “Sun_Moon: la lógica de la percepción”. Comisario: Alfredo Aracil
Javier López (Madrid) Todd James
JM (Málaga) Carlos Miranda y Tete Álvarez
Kir Royal (Madrid) Keke Vilabelba, “Landshapes”
L21 Gallery (Madrid) Álvaro Gil “Brikoexplosión”
La Gran (Valladolid) Marina Nuñez
La New Gallery (Madrid) Simon Arrebola “Itinerancias espirituales”
Mäss (Alemania) Lucía Simón
Moisés Pérez de Albéniz (Madrid) Miren Doiz “See attached file”
My name’s Lolita Art (Madrid) Paco Pomet “Un entrenamiento para futuros cuadros”
Paz y Comedias (Valencia) Manuel Blázquez “Albarim”
Rafael Ortiz (Sevilla) Nico Munuera
Rafael Pérez Hernando (Madrid) Joan Hernández Pijuán
Set Espaid’art (Valencia) Juan Olivares “La sostenida fuga de Olivares hacia el espacio”
Sicart (Barcelona) Eulália Valldosera
Twin Gallery (Madrid) Marla Jacarilla, “Anotaciones para una eiségesis”
Yusto-Giner (Málaga) José Luis Puche “Presente de lo ausente”
Espacio Alexandra (Santander) Sonia Higuera
Espiral (Santander) Juan Carlos López Davis
Estela Docal (Santander) Juan Manuel Fernández-Pinedo
Josedelafuente (Santander) Antonio Díaz Grande
Juan Silió (Santander) Cristina del Campo
Siboney (Santander) Fernando Martín Godoy

At the most recent edition of Art Madrid, artist Luis Olaso (Bilbao, 1986), represented by Kur Art Gallery (San Sebastián), received the Residency Prize of the Art Madrid Patronage Program. This award, the result of a collaboration between Art Madrid, DOM Art Residence, and the Italian association ExtrArtis, enabled him to undertake an artistic residency in Sorrento (Italy) in August 2025.

Through initiatives like this, the fair reaffirms its support for contemporary creation—a commitment aimed at increasing artists’ visibility and strengthening art collecting through concrete actions such as acquisition prizes, recognition of emerging talents, and international residencies.


Artists in Residence. DOM & ExtrArtis. Image courtesy of Agata D’Esposito.


The DOM & ExtrArtis 2025 Residency Program took place in Sorrento from August 1 to 31, 2025. The artists lived together at Relais La Rupe, a 16th-century villa surrounded by cliffs and centuries-old gardens, which became an ideal setting for experimentation and exchange.

In this edition, residents worked around the theme “Reimagining Genius Loci”, an invitation to reflect on how the movement of people and traditions transforms the “spirit of place.” During the residency, DOM organized two public group exhibitions: the first to present the artists’ previous work, and the second to showcase the projects developed in Sorrento.


Work by Luis Olaso. DOM & ExtrArtis. Image courtesy of Agata D’Esposito.


Luis Olaso’s work moves between expressionist figuration and abstraction, always employing a pictorial language charged with strength and emotion. Initially self-taught, he later graduated in Fine Arts and has developed a solid international career, with exhibitions at venues including JD Malat (London) and Makasiini Contemporary (Turku, Finland), and participation in fairs such as Untitled Miami, Estampa, and Art Madrid itself.

His work is part of prestigious collections, including the Tokyo Contemporary Art Foundation, Fundación SIMCO, and the Provincial Council of Bizkaia, and has been recognized in competitions such as the Reina Sofía Prize for Painting and Sculpture and the Ibercaja Young Painting Prize.

In Sorrento, Olaso found a unique context to expand his pictorial research, engaging in dialogue with the Mediterranean landscape and the region’s historical heritage. The residency provided him with time, resources, and a framework for exchange with other international artists, fostering the production of new works that were later presented in the group exhibitions organized by DOM.


Luis Olaso working on his project. DOM & ExtrArtis. Image courtesy of DOM.

Luis Olaso’s experience at DOM Art Residence concluded with a public showcase of the works produced, reinforcing his presence on the international circuit and consolidating his position as one of the most prominent Basque artists on the contemporary scene.


Through initiatives such as this, Art Madrid demonstrates its active role as a platform for direct support of contemporary creation, creating opportunities for research, production, and intercultural dialogue that extend beyond the fair itself and accompany artists in their professional development.