There are places where art breathes differently, where every piece finds the space to whisper into the viewer's ear. Art Madrid has become, edition after edition, a highly anticipated event for contemporary art—an encounter where innovation intertwines with human connection. In 2025, we celebrate our 20th edition, adhering to the guiding principles that have always defined Art Madrid: an approach that remains close to the public and attuned to the realities of the art world, conscious of future challenges and the positive impact of events like this, which often bring fresh air and break the insularity that tends to permeate the sector.

Milija Cpajak Thorn. Bronze sculpture. 2021.

It is often thought that the success of an art fair is measured in square meters. In truth, its true value lies in the audience's motivation to return year after year and to recommend it to others. In our case, being a "small" fair is a statement of principles. Here, there is no rush, no crowds to stifle conversation.

At Art Madrid, galleries, artists, and collectors have time to meet, to unravel the stories behind the artworks. It is a place where the intimacy of dialogue takes precedence over the grandiosity of numbers. Over these twenty years, we have seen galleries grow that began this adventure with us, sharing and shaping their journeys in the same spirit of closeness and authenticity. At the same time, each edition is enriched by the incorporation of new projects and visions that inject fresh air and broaden our artistic horizons.

Veljko Vuckovic. Suspended State. Oil on canvas. 2024.

The year 2025 brings us a selection of artists who are shaping the future of art. Guided by the thirty-four galleries participating in this edition of Art Madrid, we will discover artists whose passion for visual expression redefines the boundaries between abstraction and figuration; bold proposals that explore texture, color, and the symbolism of “other” visual narratives; and new voices and perspectives that confront the challenges of creation in a globalized world. This wealth of perspectives invites visitors to witness a constant dialogue between contemporary creation and the tensions that permeate it.

A clear example of how contemporary artists are weaving threads between the past and the present, thereby reshaping our understanding of art as a dynamic practice in continuous dialogue with history. In this context, artists challenge the conventions of visual language and invite us to rethink the meanings, textures, and symbols that saturate our perceptions.

The fair has remained true to its identity as a close, human-centered event—modest in scale but significant in impact—allowing it to offer a unique and personalized experience to everyone involved. The questions we pose are clear: How is contemporary art understood in the 21st century? How can a fair be not just a marketplace, but also a space for debate, critique, and discovery? And, above all, what does it mean to celebrate twenty years of contemporary art in a world transforming at breathtaking speed?

Iyán Castaño. Corrientes circulares. Mixed Media. 2024.

In 2025, Art Madrid emerges as a call to action: an invitation to pause and reflect on the role that art plays in our lives and society. Rather than offering a quick response to market dynamics, the fair creates a moment of reflection, a space where artworks can engage in deeper, more meaningful dialogue with the viewer. This approach is not only necessary but becomes an act of resistance against the immediacy and superficiality that often characterize the consumption of art in the digital age.

In an era where the acceleration of the market and consumer-driven trends shape the creation and exhibition of art, Art Madrid remains faithful to a model that values thoughtful reflection, personal encounters, and profound dialogue. This critique of speed is particularly relevant in a historical moment where digital platforms, algorithms, and globalization are redefining our interactions with culture.

Joana Gancho. ST. Oil on table. 2024.

In this edition, we tackle the challenge of balancing the need for relevance in a globalized market with the preservation of authenticity and creativity. In this effort, we have successfully struck a balance where the quality of the artistic offering is prioritized over the mass scale of events. This principle is essential to understanding how the fair has, over two decades, evolved into an international showcase while remaining true to its local essence and its strong connection to Madrid’s artistic community.

The inclusion of disciplines such as painting, sculpture, photography, and video art reflects the plurality of approaches that define Art Madrid. This diversity of artistic expressions offers the public a broad and multifaceted perspective on today’s contemporary art landscape, demonstrating art’s power to transform perceptions of urban spaces, integrating technology into the creative process, and reshaping the relationship between the viewer, the artwork, and the context that embraces it.

Richard García. Me peleo con las bestias de mi propia fantasía. Mixed Media. 2024.

Art Madrid returns this year, celebrating twenty years of contemporary art and reaffirming its commitment to remain an open space for galleries and artists striving to stand out in an increasingly fragmented and image-saturated world. With this in mind, we aim to ensure that the galleries' exhibitions resonate with the public, enhancing the experience by proposing new ways of engaging with contemporary art and tackling complex issues such as climate change, identity, collective memory, and global politics. In 2025, the works on display at Art Madrid will undoubtedly reflect the most pressing concerns and questions of our time.

The work of Julian Manzelli (Chu) (Buenos Aires, Argentina, 1974) is situated within a field of research in which art adopts methodologies close to scientific thinking without renouncing its poetic and speculative dimension. His practice is structured as an open process of experimentation, in which the studio functions as a laboratory: a space for trial, error, and verification, oriented less toward the attainment of certainties than toward the production of new forms of perception. In this sense, his work enters into dialogue with an epistemology of uncertainty, akin to philosophical traditions that understand knowledge as a process of becoming rather than closure.

Manzelli explores interstitial zones, understood as spaces of transit and transformation. These ambiguous areas are not presented as undefined but as potential—sites where categories dissolve, allowing the emergence of hybrid, almost alchemical configurations that reprogram the gaze. Geometry, far from operating as a normative system, appears tense and destabilized. His precarious constructions articulate a crossing between intuition and reason, play and engineering, evoking a universal grammar present in both nature and symbolic thought. Thus, Manzelli’s works do not represent the world but rather transfigure it, activating questions rather than offering closed answers.

Avícola. Escultura magnética. Madera, imanes, laca automotriz y acero. 45 x 25 cm. 2022.

Science and its methods inspire your process. What kinds of parallels do you find between scientific thinking and artistic creation?

Science and art are two disciplines that I believe share a great deal and are undoubtedly deeply interconnected. I am interested in that point of intersection, and although they are often placed in opposition, I think they share a common origin. Both involve a continuous search, a need for answers that stems from curiosity rather than certainty, and that often—or in many cases—leads both artists and scientists into uncomfortable, uncertain positions, pushing them out of their comfort zones. I believe this is a fundamental and very compelling aspect shared by these two disciplines, which in some way define us as human beings.

In this sense, both share experimentation as a core axis of their practice. Trial and error, testing, and the entire process of experimentation are what generate development. In my case, this applies directly to the studio: I experience it as a laboratory where different projects are developed and materials are tested. It is as if one formulates a hypothesis and then puts it to the test—materials, procedures, forms, colors—and outcomes emerge. These results are not meant to be verified, but rather, in art, I believe their function is to generate new modes of perception, new ways of seeing, and new experiences.

Receptor Lunar #01. Ensamble de Madera Reciclada torneada. 102 x 26 x 26 cm. De la serie Fuerza orgánica. 2023.

You work within the interstices between the natural and the artificial, the figurative and the abstract. What interests you about these ambiguous zones, and what kinds of knowledge emerge from them?

I have always been quite restless, and that has led me to immerse myself in different fields and disciplines. I believe there is a special richness in interstitial spaces—in movement back and forth, in circulation between media. These spaces have always drawn my attention: ambiguous places, hybrid zones. There is something of an amphibious logic here—amphibians as entities that carry and transmit information, that share, that cross boundaries and membranes. In my case, this is closely linked to what I understand as freedom, especially at a time marked by categorization, labeling, and a profound distortion of the very concept of freedom.

On another level, more metaphysical in nature, it is within the mixture—within that blending—that the living energy of creating something new appears, which is undoubtedly a fundamental aspect of what it means to be human. It is as if “one thing becomes something else outside the mold.” This interaction is necessary to break structures, to build new ones, to transmute—to undergo something almost alchemical. I believe fixation is the enemy. In a way, ambiguity is what allows us to reprogram our gaze and generate new points of view.

De la serie Naturaleza orgánica. Madera torneada recuperada de podas de sequía y rezagos de construcción. 2025.

Movement, repetition, and sequence appear as visual strategies in your work. What role does seriality play in the generation of meaning?

Movement, repetition, and sequence are very present in my work. I have a long background in animation, and in some way that interest begins to filter into the other disciplines in which I work. Thus, movement also appears in my visual art practice.

Seriality is a way of thinking about time and of introducing a certain narrative and sense of action into the work, while at the same time conditioning the viewer’s experience. It invites the viewer to try to decipher repetition as a kind of progression. I am particularly interested in more abstract forms of narrative. In this type of narrative, where there is no clear figuration, repetition begins to establish a pulse, a “beat” that marks the passage of time. What is interesting, I think, is the realization that repetition is not exactly duplication, and that what seems identical begins to mutate over time, through rhythm, or through its own unfolding history.

De la serie Naturaleza orgánica. Madera torneada recuperada de podas de sequía y rezagos de construcción. 2025.

You work with geometric and constructive systems. What role does geometry play as a symbolic language within your practice?

Geometry is present in my work in multiple forms and dimensions, generating different dynamics. Generally, I tend to put it into crisis, into tension. When one engages closely with my works, it becomes clear that constructions based on imprecise and unstable balance predominate. I am not interested in symmetry or exactness, but rather in a dynamic construction that proposes a situation. I do not conceive of geometry as a rigid system.

I believe this is where a bridge is established between the intuitive and the rational, between playfulness and engineering—those unexpected crossings. At the same time, geometry functions as a code, a language that connects us to a universal grammar present in nature, in fractals, and that undoubtedly refers to symbolism. It is there that an interesting portal opens, where the work begins to re-signify itself and becomes a process of meaning-making external to itself, entirely uncertain. The results of my works are not pieces that represent; rather, I believe they are pieces that transfigure and, in doing so, generate questions.

WIP. Madera torneada recuperada de podas de sequía y rezagos de contrucción. 2022.

To what extent do you plan your works, and how much space do you leave for the unexpected—or even for error?

In terms of planning, it depends greatly on the project and even on the day. Some projects, due to their scale or complexity, require careful planning, especially when they involve the participation of other people. In many cases, planning is undoubtedly essential.

That said, in the projects I do plan, I am always interested in leaving space for improvisation, where chance or the unfolding of the process itself can come into play. I believe this is where interesting things begin to emerge, and it is important not to let them pass by. Personally, I would find it very boring to work on pieces whose outcome I already know in advance. For me, the realization of each work is an uncertain journey; I do not know where it will lead, and I believe that is where its potential lies—not only for me, but also for the work itself and for the viewer’s experience.