Art Madrid'25 – ART AND FRESH AIR FROM LEVANTE TO ART MADRID\'17

Calo Carratalá. Jungle Study 1. Pencil composed on paper. 122 x 181 cm. 2016

 

 

The Alba Cabrera gallery began its activity in 1987, and since then has been holding temporary exhibitions and participating in national and international fairs, with the clear objective of promoting and publicizing the work of its artists. In recent years it has focused mainly on the diffusion and promotion of young values, without neglecting the exhibition of its most consecrated artists. Victoria Santesmases, José Juan Gimeno, Cristina Alabau and Calo Carratalá.

 

Among the artists that will be exhibiting at the Alba Cabrera gallery stand, the novelty of Art Madrid Cristina Alabau and Calo Carratalá stands out as the first interlacing of the natural and abstract, Mediterranean light takes on the most prominence. While, Carratalá bets on more suffering and neutral works. Two very new bets in this edition.

 

 

Juan Uslé. Submerged Word. Vinyl, dispersion and pigments on canvas. 198 x 112 cm. 1993

 

 

The Benlliure Gallery was founded in 1984 and has been developing its activity towards a quality line in preference to consolidated values, without leaving aside young artists living with the School of Paris, Grupo El Paso, historical avant-gardes, Spanish landscaping Of the 20th century and modern and contemporary artists. They participate in our fair with works by Fernando Zóbel, Rafael Canogar, Esteban Vicente, Juan Uslé and Carmen Calvo.

 

Carmen calvo, an experienced artist in the field of contemporary conceptualization of the fragment and Juan Uslé who bets on a practically abstract painting with figurative resonances that starts from a specific motive: the maritime and romantic landscape of shipwrecks or mythical voyages. They are two of the strongest proposals of this gallery.

 

 

Angel Mateo Charris. The question. Oil on canvas. 75 x 150 cm. 2013

 

 

The La Aurora Gallery, in Murcia, opened its doors in 1994 and works with over 350 artists, making a total of 7,000 works of art, eminently original graphic work of some of the great names of art such as Picasso, Dalí, In Art Madrid 17 we can enjoy a proposal made up of the artists Ángel Haro, Ángel Mateo Charris, Gonzalo Sicre, and Marcos Salvador Romera.

 

Gonzalo Sicre, in particular is one of the most interesting figurative artists in Spain. Together with Ángel Mateo Charris, previously mentioned, Joel Mestre and Dis Berlin, formed the collective The Dock of Levante in the early 90's.

 

 

Andrés Ferre. Gynaika II-020. Photography, technique of the artist. 131 x 98.26 cm. 2013

 

 

Galería Leúcade, founded in 2013 has wanted to innovate the art world in Murcia and offers diverse styles within contemporary art, cultural activities and workshops with new artists, helping them to make their way in the artistic world. It is a living space in which you can enjoy the art every week in a different way than usual and there are those who have compared it with The Factory, since it is a meeting place for many artists of all disciplines, in addition Of being used as space of creation for some of them. Lucas Brox, Andrés Ferre, Óscar FERRENAVARRO, Celia Reche and Jean Carlos Puerto are the artists with whom they participate in our fair.

 

One of the main characteristics of the Leúcade gallery is its commitment to local art, since all its artists are from Murcia. Although there is no direct thread between them, eclecticism and variety are strong.

 

 

 

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.