ART MADRID'25: TWENTIETH BIRTHDAY

The rain did not prevent the twentieth anniversary of Art Madrid from being celebrated in style at the Galería de Cristal of the Palacio de Cibeles. From the 5th to the 9th of March, the headquarters of the fair opened its doors to artists, galleries, collectors, art lovers and professionals of the sector to welcome us in an edition marked by a greater presence of women artists, more than 50% of debut artists, the presence of 34 galleries and around 1100 works produced between 2022 and 2025.

Art Madrid'25. Photo by Lucas Amillano.

Art Madrid'25 opened its doors with a gallery program that included 34 exhibitors, 22 national, 12 international and 7 for the first time at the fair. More than 200 artists exhibited their most recent works, representing the latest artistic trends on the national and international scene. Painting with a relevant presence in all its forms of expression and representation; sculpture, photography, drawing, video and installation.

During these five days, Art Madrid'25 welcomed around 20,000 visitors, including collectors, professionals, the general public and new buyers.

Art Madrid'25. Photo by Lucas Amillano.

The celebration of this edition was accompanied by a parallel program focusing on the conceptual axis: Territorio Ciudad. In the run-up to the fair, from 28 February to 2 March, the following projects took place in the city of Madrid: Arquitecturas Imaginadas, Dialoga Ciudad and the second edition of La Quedada: Arquitecturas Imaginadas, Dialoga Ciudad and the second edition of La Quedada, a tour of studios and spaces for artistic creation. Arquitecturas Imaginadas transformed the metro into an ephemeral art gallery; Dialoga Ciudad filled the streets with poetry, establishing a direct dialogue with passers-by; while La Quedada opened the doors of artists' studios, allowing visitors to get a closer look at their creative processes. The week of the fair was also preceded by the Interview programme: Conversations with Marisol Salanova.

Art Madrid'25. Photo by Lucas Amillano.

After the opening of the fair, the programme continued with innovative proposals such as Open Booth, a space created in collaboration with the University of Nebrija and Liquitex, which invited students from the university's Fine Arts department to present their work in a professional context. Similarly, the Raíces Afuera** cycle explored concepts of identity and belonging through performances that proposed different points of view and an extended reflection on rootedness and mobility in contemporary society.

Art in motion also played a prominent role in this edition, thanks to Cartografías de la Percepción, a video art programme curated by PROYECTOR that analysed the relationship between inhabitants and their urban environment through immersive audiovisual works. There was also 20 Grados**, developed at Espacio Tectónica, where ten artists used augmented reality, sound and performance to explore the interaction between architecture and its inhabitants.

Art Madrid'25. Photo by Lucas Amillano.

One of the most innovative proposals in the edition was Ciudad Sutil by Susi Vetter, which transformed Montalbán Street into an interactive digital installation. This initiative transformed the public space and raised new questions about the relationship between people and their environment, inviting viewers to reflect on their impact on the urban landscape.

Around 30 artists were invited to participate in the parallel program of Art Madrid'25. An initiative that the fair's organisers intend to continue in future editions, with the aim of incorporating into the event other ways of supporting creation and encouraging dialogue between artists, the public and professionals in the sector, thus enriching the cultural experience of the fair.

Art Madrid'25. Photo by Lucas Amillano.

PATRONAGE, PRIZES AND RESIDENCIES: PROMOTING CONTEMPORARY CREATION

One of the fundamental pillars of Art Madrid is its commitment to promoting art and supporting creators. Through its Patronage Program, the fair has consolidated its role as a platform for the promotion of emerging talent and the consolidation of artists in the market.

The Acquisition Award has enabled selected works to enter important private collections. This year, the Studiolo Collection, E2IN2 Collection and Devesa Law have chosen the works of Armando de la Garza (Acquisition Award. Studiolo Collection), represented by DDR Art Gallery; Fernando Suárez Reguera (Acquisition Award. E2IN2 Collection), represented by the Luisa Pita Gallery, and Moisés Yagües (Acquisition Award. Devesa Law), represented by the Aurora Vigil-Escalera Gallery; an initiative that ensures the dissemination and preservation of the works of the winning artists within the national collecting circuit.

Art Madrid'25. Photo by Lucas Amillano.

For its part, the Emerging Artist Award, granted by One Shot Hotels as part of the One Shot Collectors program, has recognised the talent of Ana Cardoso, represented by Galería São Mamede. This recognition provides an important economic boost for the consolidation of artists in the development phase.

Finally, the Residency Award, organised in collaboration with DOM Art Residence and ExtrArtis, has been awarded to Luis Olaso, represented by Kur Art Gallery. Thanks to this award, the artist will enjoy an artistic residency in Sorrento, Italy, in August 2025, a unique opportunity for experimentation, cultural exchange and expansion of his artistic practice.

Art Madrid'25. Photo by Lucas Amillano.

COLLECTING: THE ART OF ACQUIRING WITH CRITERIA

With the One Shot Collectors Program, sponsored by One Shot Hotels, the fair sought to promote the acquisition of works of art through a space for specialised advice. Under the guidance of expert Ana Suárez Gisbert, participants received guidance on how to start buying art or expand their collections with knowledge and criteria. This programme has made a significant contribution to strengthening the contemporary art market and strengthening the link between artists and collectors.

Art Madrid'25. Photo by Lucas Amillano.

The twentieth edition of Art Madrid leaves behind sales figures that exceed those of the 2024 edition, with a total of 675 works acquired. Of these, 39 were acquired through the Art Madrid'25 Collecting Programme, led by art advisor Ana Suárez Gisbert. Ten per cent of the works exceeded the price of 20,000 euros; 15 per cent were pieces between 10,000 and 20,000 euros; 30 per cent were between 3,000 and 10,000 euros; and 45 per cent were works acquired for less than 3,000 euros. This confirms Art Madrid's role as a key event for those wishing to enter the world of collecting. In this latest edition, the fair has seen a greater influx of international visitors, as well as visitors from different regions of Spain, which confirms the growing interest of foreign collectors in adding works by Spanish artists to their collections. Once again, the galleries participating in Art Madrid have noticed an increase in the number of visitors and the interest shown by buyers, both experienced collectors and new enthusiasts who want to start collecting art.

Art Madrid'25. Photo by Lucas Amillano.

AN EVENT MADE POSSIBLE BY ITS NETWORK OF PARTNERS

The success of Art Madrid'25 was made possible thanks to the support of its official sponsors: Liquitex, Lexus, One Shot Hotels, Safe Creative, Universidad Nebrija and Cervezas Alhambra. Their support has been fundamental in the celebration of Art Madrid's twenty years of contemporary art.

In addition, the fair has enjoyed the collaboration of cultural platforms and institutions such as **PROJECTOR, CRU Cultural Platform, Contemporary Art Collectors Association 9915, Colección Studiolo, E2IN2, DOM Art Residence, Devesa, Enviarte, Vanille Bakery Lab & Café and Pago de Cirsus.

It has also received the support of public institutions such as the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía, the Madrid City Council, the Ministry of Culture and Sports, and the Madrid Community, strengthening its presence in the cultural scene.

In the field of dissemination, the media partners are: PAC, Gráffica, Cultura Inquieta, ArtPrice, Arte al Límite, Arte por Excelencias, VEIN, Art Facts and Bonart Cultural have contributed to the global project of the event.

Art Madrid'25. Photo by Lucas Amillano,

ART MADRID: A FUTURE FULL OF POSSIBILITIES

After two decades of development, Art Madrid reaffirms itself as a dynamic, accessible and constantly evolving event. With more than 100,000 visitors in the last five editions, the fair has established itself as an essential reference in the national and international art scene.

The Galería de Cristal of the Palacio de Cibeles is once again the ideal setting for this celebration of contemporary art, a meeting place for galleries, collectors and artists from all over the world. With an innovative program and an increasingly open approach, Art Madrid'25 has shown that, after twenty years, its role in the artistic ecosystem is more relevant than ever, and its future is full of possibilities and new artistic explorations.

Art Madrid'25. Photo by Lucas Amillano.

Thank you for joining us in this 20th edition of Art Madrid. Your trust and support are essential to continue promoting contemporary art and culture.

See you at Art Madrid'26!

The pictorial work of Sergio Rocafort (Valencia, 1995) is articulated as a field of questioning rather than a system of closed visual statements. His paintings do not seek to close off meaning, but rather to activate an open perceptual experience, in which the viewer participates in a critical exercise of reconsidering the ways of seeing, interpreting, and conceiving painting in the present. The image thus presents itself as an unstable territory, where perception constantly oscillates between the visible and the imagined, and meaning is constructed in a provisional and shared manner.

One of the structural axes of his work is the tension between scale and intimacy. The format functions as a relational device, alternating physical immersion with concentrated attention, generating an expository rhythm that prompts the viewer to move around, approach, and withdraw. This spatial dynamic engages with a painting situated on the threshold between figuration and abstraction, sustaining a reflection on painting as both window and physical object, while emphasizing its material and spatial condition.

Rocafort’s creative process is also grounded in a dialectic between intuition and control. Far from a romantic notion of chance, the unexpected is understood as guided pictorial thinking, in which every decision—even those that appear accidental—responds to a critical awareness of the act of painting and a progressive refinement of the means of expression.

Untitled. 2024. Oil on panel, 30 x 45 cm..

Questioning seems to inhabit your painting. What kind of questions do you want your work to pose to the viewer?

Generally, my intention is for the work to provoke more questions than answers. Ultimately, I believe my work refers to shared spaces that nevertheless remain open to interpretation. I think that this interplay of questions—questions that arise for me as an artist in the studio—is interesting when it is later transferred to the viewer in the exhibition space. These questions usually concern the way we look, the way we interpret, and the way we conceive painting. It is a constant game between what we see and what we imagine.

Untitled. 2025. Oil on linen. 32.5 × 22.5 cm.

Your works seem to constantly stretch scale, moving from the intimate to the immersive. How do you decide what format each investigation requires?

I believe the main reason I choose one format or another depends on the exhibition installation. Beyond how each individual work functions, I think it is the overall vision that completes the project and gives it coherence and meaning. In many cases, these contrasts arise because a small work encourages an intimate approach, while a large work can have a stronger impact. Ultimately, this play of tensions causes the viewer to move closer, step back, and generates an interesting dialogue within the exhibition space itself.

In my case, I tend to work quite a lot with large formats because of the impact they produce. I believe there is a kind of translation that takes place—one that extends to the tools themselves—and this allows for greater expressiveness and a stronger impact on the viewer.

Untitled. 2015. Graphite on paper. 80 x 65 cm.

Critics often highlight your attention to proportion and detail. How do these concepts operate in a painting that resists figuration?

I do not think my painting resists figuration; rather, it constantly plays at its edges. Most of my references are figurative, but I seek to continually tension the relationship between volume and classical notions of pictorial construction, without losing the idea of the painting as a window—or rather, as an object. This relationship between painting-as-window and painting-as-physical-object is fundamental in my work; both aspects share common ground.

The result would be very different if one of these elements were set aside. But the game is not only formal: it is about generating ambiguity, creating a point at which the viewer must complete the work. I believe this operates both in hyperrealist figuration and in geometric abstraction, which is what I have been working on recently.

Abstraction allows me to detach completely from the image. In fact, I do not work with photographs or a predefined imaginary; instead, I generate my own notion of volume and space without relying on a prior model. Ultimately, even if I do not start from a figurative reference, this freedom coexists with the basic principles of painting. Neo Rauch, for example, does not need a maquette or a photograph, and I believe that same freedom is present in my work without abandoning those fundamental notions of painting.

Untitled. 2025. Oil on linen. 32.5 x 22.5 cm.

In your relationship with black, contrast, and chromatic vibration, how do you decide when a chromatic tension should be restrained or emphasized?

I think something similar happens here to what occurs with formats—it largely depends on the exhibition space. A painting can be small yet possess great chromatic force and a high level of contrast; even if it alludes to intimacy, it can generate a strong visual impact. In a larger format, the opposite may occur: low contrast or subtle nuances may function better. Everything depends on the relationship established between the works in the exhibition space and on how we want to bring the viewer closer or push them back in order to generate visual tension. In my work, synthesis, clarity, and the depth offered by color and material have always been present. I increasingly try to limit my resources so that the work functions with the bare minimum. Lately, for example, I have been drawing a great deal and working almost entirely with monochromatic ranges, because within that simplicity I believe many nuances can be explored and revealed—transparencies, density, contrast. This is, in essence, the chromatic game in my work.

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

I have always thought that I leave a great deal of room for error and chance, but lately I believe less in that version of the creative process. I think there is always a reflection and a guiding hand behind these “accidents.” I do try to allow unforeseen things to happen, but what emerges I would call intuition rather than chance, and I try to embrace it and guide it. This is, essentially, my way of understanding painting.

As for how I manage the timing of my projects, toward the end of this year I have a solo exhibition planned at Shiras Gallery, which will be a good moment to consolidate the works I have been developing and their visual impact. Recently, I have also been focusing on Art Madrid, which is approaching, and I am seeking for the exhibited works to have a cohesion, coherence, and clarity that some earlier works lacked. This time, the luminosity and saturation present in parts of my work shine more than ever, and I trust that the gallery will achieve a very successful exhibition installation at the fair.