The road to the virtual is a fact. The entry into the new millennium has meant a change in many of our habits, and much of the novelties come from technology. It is not necessary to remember that we develop our day to day with an open window to an infinite world, which we access through our phones and computers. It is the closest that exists to the gift of ubiquity.

“Psychological Morphology “ de Roberto Matta© Matta, VEGAP, Madrid, 2019

This reality has also had an impact on art. The proposals that bet to give more visibility to the artists and their work through virtual accessible projects are only at their beginnings. The possibilities are increasing and the richness of the initiatives too. Technological investment in the sector is on progress and the exploration of the connection with the digital sphere opens many doors to the future. Many galleries organise virtual tours of their exhibitions, the fairs strive to leave a record of the event so that people can relive the experience, and the artists themselves enter this area to accommodate new works.

“La Belle Société “ de René Magritte© René Magritte, VEGAP, Madrid, 2019

In this context, many people ask: is the experience of living art possible in the virtual world? What other sensations may arise? These questions are the starting point of the “Intangibles” project that the Telefónica Foundation opens this week simultaneously at its headquarters in Mexico City, Mar de Plata, Montevideo, Bogotá, Quito, Santiago, Chile, Lima and Madrid. The exhibition is presented as an initiative that wants to break physical barriers, overcome the limitations imposed by physical space and open a window to digital art and technology, with works from the foundation's own collection that can be enjoyed simultaneously in a shared experience.

“La fenêtre aux collines”, Juan Gris, 1923 ©ColecciónTelefónica

Among Joaquín Torres García, Roberto Matta, Juan Gris, René Magritte, Paul Delvaux, Eduardo Chillida, María Blanchard and Antoni Tàpies, the exhibition brings together a set of digital projects explicitly designed for each of the venues and using diverse techniques, from the VR, 3D design or photogrammetry, video mapping or digital painting. The objective is to investigate the potential of the digital art experience for the viewer, so it has not only innovated in the incorporation of these techniques, but also in the study of the sensations and perception of the visitor, with several tests oriented to improve the project.

With this proposal, it is intended to reflect on how the experience of approaching art is lived and what new possibilities technology offers for knowledge, visibility and dissemination of artistic creation, overcoming traditional barriers such as space and time.

From July 7 to 9, 2025, the Balsera Palace will host the First Course on Collecting and Contemporary Art, an intensive 15-hour program that will explore the complex and fundamental question of taste in contemporary art. Organized by the Nebrija Institute of Arts and Humanities at Nebrija University and the Avilés City Council, in collaboration with 9915 — Association of Private Collectors of Contemporary Art and the Institute of Contemporary Art, the course offers a unique opportunity for analysis and debate on the dynamics that shape aesthetic and symbolic value in today’s art scene.

First Course on Collecting and Contemporary Art. Avilés, Asturias

The notion of taste, intrinsically tied to aesthetic judgments and power relations, has played a decisive role in the historical prominence of artists and artworks. However, contemporary art—marked by its breaking of conventions, diversity of media and techniques, and critical stance toward traditional canons—raises fundamental questions about the continued relevance of this concept.

This course will explore how the decisions made by key players in the art system—institutions, private collections, galleries, curators, and artists—continually redefine a field of taste shaped by aesthetic, symbolic, cultural, social, and political logics.

"¿But does it exist, and what is the prevailing taste of our time—so seemingly confused, fragmented, indecipherable?" - Omar Calabrese, The Neo-Baroque Era.

The academic program, directed by José Luis Guijarro Alonso, Director of the Master’s in Art Market and Related Business Management at Nebrija University, and Pablo Álvarez de Toledo, Head of the Department of Arts at Nebrija University and the Nebrija Institute of Arts and Humanities, will bring together a distinguished group of national experts—including collectors, critics, curators, gallery owners, and artists—whose contributions will address key issues in shaping aesthetic, symbolic, and market value in today’s art world.

PROGRAM

MONDAY, JULY 7

9:30 AM Registration.

10:00 AM Course Opening Nebrija University Avilés City Council Presented by Rosario López Meras – President of the Association of Contemporary Art Collectors, 9915, and Adrián Piera – President of the ICA, Institute of Contemporary Art.

10:30 AM Course Presentation By José Luis Guijarro Alonso – Art Historian and Anthropologist, Researcher, and Director of the Master’s in Art Market and Related Business Management at Nebrija University.

11:00 AM Coffee Break.

11:30 AM Panel Discussion The Taste of Private Collecting as a Prelude to History. Speakers: Candela Álvarez Soldevilla – Entrepreneur and Collector; Javier Quilis – INELCOM Collection; José Miguel Vegas Valle – Collector. Moderator: Luis Feás – Critic and Curator.

1:00 PM Lunch Break.

3:30 PM Individual Lecture On Good Taste in Contemporary Art. Speaker: Marisol Salanova – Curator and Art Critic, Director of Arteinformado.

4:45 PM Panel Discussion The Influence of Galleries in Shaping Contemporary Taste. Speakers: Elba Benítez – Gallerist; Ricardo Pernas – Gallerist (Arniches 26); Aurora Vigil-Escalera – Gallerist. Moderator: Rafael Martín – Coleccion@casamer.

6:00 PM End of Day.

6:30 PM Activity and Cocktail Visit to the Exhibition Asturian Artists in the Pérez Simón Collection – Avilés.

TUESDAY, JULY 8

10:00 AM Individual Lecture Contemporary (Bad) Taste: Kitsch, Camp, and Tacky. Speaker: Julio Pérez Manzanares – Autonomous University of Madrid.

11:00 AM Coffee Break.

11:30 AM Panel Discussion Institutions and the Formation of Contemporary Taste. Speakers: Virginia López – Artist, Founder of PACA_Proyectos Artísticos Casa Antonino; Julieta de Haro – Artistic Director of CentroCentro; Carlos Urroz – Director of Institutional Relations, Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía. Moderator: Laura Gutiérrez – Director, School of Art of Oviedo.

1:00 PM Lunch Break.

3:30 PM Panel Discussion Beyond the Eye: The Taste for Ethical, Ecological, Social, or Political Concerns in Contemporary Art. Speakers: Semíramis González – Independent Curator; Eugenio Ampudia – Artist; Claudia Rodríguez-Ponga – Independent Curator. Moderator: Bárbara Mur Borrás – PhD in Fine Arts.

5:00 PM End of Day.

5:30 PM Activity Visit to the Studiolo Exhibition – Candela Álvarez Soldevilla Collection.

WEDNESDAY, JULY 9

9:30 AM Meeting with Asturian Artists Speakers: María Castellanos – Artist; Avelino Sala – Artist; Consuelo Vallina – Artist. Moderator: Pablo Álvarez de Toledo – Nebrija University.

11:00 AM Activity Visit to the Niemeyer Center – Avilés.

Course Closing Ceremony.

This course is designed for art professionals, collectors, researchers, and students seeking an in-depth analysis of the dynamics that shape taste and collecting practices in contemporary art. Adopting a critical and multidisciplinary perspective, it provides a unique opportunity to rigorously examine the aesthetic, symbolic, and structural factors that underpin the legitimization of contemporary art.