Art Madrid presents the interview section by cultural journalist Carlos del Amor. With his careful way of approaching the infinite worlds of creativity, Carlos del Amor reveals the artistic universe of ten creators participating in the 19th edition of Art Madrid. With this action, Art Madrid expands and consolidates its interest in bringing contemporary art closer to the public, this time through the voice of the artists who will be accompanying us during the most important event of Spanish contemporary art.

These conversations on inspiration, visual poetry, artistic commitment, imagined stories and art as a vehicle for the construction of a more fertile and humane society are intertwined in words and forms. The uniqueness of each artist has served as inspiration for Carlos del Amor to construct different ways of discovering what happens around the figure of the artist and his or her practices, in everyday life and also in the national art market.

Artists invited to the interview section: Arte y Palabra. By Carlos del Amor.

Guest Artists. Interview section. Art Madrid'24:

Manu Iranzo. CLC Arte; Nacho Zubelzu. Galería Metro; Carla Effa. Kleur Gallery; Richard García. Galería BAT; Francesca Poza. Galería Alba Cabrera; Alejandro Monge. 3 Punts; Suncityboy. Dr. Robot Gallery; Juan Miguel Quiñones García. Pigment Gallery; Evans Mbugua. OOA Gallery; Daniel Schweitzer. Shiras Gallery.

ABOUT THE ARTISTS

The production of Manu Iranzo (Teruel, 1983) moves in that intangible plane that borders the existing frontier between what we think we have seen and what we have really seen. His immaculate precision in drawing reminds us of his origins in design, although, as in the famous riddle, we will never know which came first, drawing or design. What is certain is that in his drawings, the graphite technique goes hand in hand with a sense of timelessness and permanency, as if he wanted to keep all the moments for himself. Nacho Zubelzu (Reinosa, 1966) is an artist who loves nature, lives it and filters it in all his works. The respect and interaction with the environment make Zubelzu's work delicate, deep, virtuous and emotional, because the earth is an emotional experience, but to be excited you have to live it. He does it and he transmits it to us. Carla Effa (Santiago de Chile, 1988) creates on the basis of architecture. Wood in different planes, bright colors, paper, acrylic and repetition provoke that intoxication that has something magical about it, when, for example, a piece of the work suddenly hides and capriciously reappears, surprising the viewer with its own game of masks.

In the work of Richard García (Madrid, 1995) the asphalt jungle seems to be brewing. The color, the recognizable but undefined landscape creates layers of reality in which it would be worthwhile to get lost and then find ourselves, free and relieved of the burden that appearances generate. His work seems to be full of mirrors, mirrors that reflect the infinite details in which we can linger. Francesca Poza (Mataró, 1965) combines the written word with the real or imagined meaning that the yarns she works with have, among their many virtues. One of the most apparently fragile materials in existence, and still the artist presents us with a combination of threads that can become indestructible. It is the triumph of fragility over brute force. Her work is exactly that: poetry, literature and time; creations of beautiful originality, as subtle as they are powerful. Alejandro Monge (Zaragoza, 1988) considers the future to be a place full of questions, but he is not worried, he is rather optimistic. His sculptures are very realistic and yet they have something that separates them from what we know and places them in an alien terrain. They exist, but they are not part of this world, they seem to come from another and they seem to know more than we do about what awaits us. They are the protagonists of the chronicle that has bequeathed their time to posterity. Suncityboy (Tver, Russia, 1984) has invented a world inhabited by characters from fairytales and cultural icons that, despite their initial strangeness, instantly provoke empathy and familiarity. Everyone stops being themselves to enter a new life where humor, irony, acidity and a huge dose of energy renew our view of things, theoretically very seen.

Juan Miguel Quiñones (Cádiz, 1979) is a self-taught artist who sculpts those memories in stone so that neither air nor maturity can take them away. He works and studies with vehemence the materials with which to recreate them, and with the ingenuity that can only be achieved through the control of language and technique, he manages to make everyone who comes across his creations breathe a sigh of nostalgia. The work of Evans Mbugua (Kenya, 1979) is composed of fragments of what he has lived and collected; his entire life in an imaginary suitcase that he has been able to transfer to canvas. Past and present meet in his festive and colorful compositions, celebrating and reminding us that life is in many ways a journey, that time is not linear, and that to define what we will be, we must keep in mind what we have been and not be afraid to build ourselves a little each day. Daniel Schweitzer (Germany, 1988) uses geometry to control the emptiness that surrounds us. Using repetition as a means to reach an unattainable infinity, he is able to make sense of this concept and activate our sensory mechanisms. Schweitzer's works reach the infinity of a perfect fractal in the innumerable sensations that the human eye can have in front of one of his sculptures.

Carlos del Amor.

ABOUT CARLOS DEL AMOR

(Murcia,1976) Journalist, writer, scriptwriter and presenter. With more than 20 years of professional career, he is currently Deputy Head of Culture of RTVE News and presenter of the program "La matemática del espejo". He has a degree in Journalism from the Carlos III University of Madrid and a degree in Library and Information Science from the University of Murcia.

Since the beginning of his professional career, he has always been linked to cultural journalism. He teaches at different Spanish universities and has collaborated with numerous national and international publications. He has received the Vitoria Television Festival Award for his career. His reports have been awarded at festivals such as Cannes and the London Television Festival. He was recently awarded the Premio Ondas Nacional de Televisión in the category of Best Presenter.

Author of the books Retratarte. Cuando cada mirada es una historia (2022), Emocionarte. La doble vida de los cuadros (2020), Confabulación (2017), El año sin verano (2015) and La vida a veces (2013).

ABOUT SAFE CREATIVE

Arte y Palabra. Conversations with Carlos del Amor with the collaboration of Safe Creative.

Safe Creative allies with artists on the Internet to protect their rights. Today, with Generative Artificial Intelligences and NFTs, the challenges multiply and we respond to creators and artists of all kinds. Safe Creative offers a convenient and cost-effective online system that allows any creator to obtain the necessary evidence to prove their copyrights from home, using their computer, and to register all their works instantly.

ART MADRID '26: 21 YEARS OF CONTEMPORARY ART

In 2026, Art Madrid will celebrate its 21st edition, further consolidating its position as a leading contemporary art fair in Spain. From 4 to 8 March, the fair will bring together thirty-five national and international galleries at the Galería de Cristal of the Palacio de Cibeles. Returning to its date during Madrid Art Week, Art Madrid reaffirms its pioneering role by expanding the fair calendar and offering an open and enriching dialogue in which diverse artistic proposals coexist.

Throughout its history, Art Madrid has established itself as a leading presence in the contemporary art scene. It is renowned for its commitment to promoting both emerging and established galleries, and for its dedication to making contemporary art accessible to a diverse range of audiences.

Far from being a fair curated under a single curatorial line, Art Madrid promotes diversity in its offering, respecting the identity of each exhibitor and promoting a plural creative ecosystem that reflects the richness and differences of the current art scene.

Art Madrid '25. Photo by Lucas Amillano

GALLERY PROGRAM: AN ACTIVE MAP OF CONTEMPORARY CREATION

The Gallery Program is at the heart of Art Madrid’26. For this edition, thirty-five national and international galleries will participate in a space that celebrates experimentation, hybrid languages, and the latest artistic production. The selection of proposals constitutes a representative mosaic of the aesthetics, discourses, and contemporary practices that are shaping the present of art in Europe.

The Galería de Cristal of the Palacio de Cibeles will once again be transformed into a dynamic space where the exhibitions interact with each other, inviting the public to explore visual narratives that show the evolution of contemporary languages. Works that experiment with new media, formal investigations that reformulate traditional techniques, pieces that reflect on the links between technology and humanity, and poetic approaches that explore territory, identity, or memory make up a plural, stimulating journey open to multiple interpretations.

Art Madrid also continues to strive to become a platform for discovery, allowing both professionals and visitors to identify new voices and consolidate relationships with artists who are already emerging as leaders within the contemporary cultural landscape.

Art Madrid '25. Photo by Lucas Amillano

NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL EXHIBITORS

Thirty-five galleries are participating in this edition, twenty-seven of which are returning after finding the fair to be a favourable environment in which to strengthen connections, increase visibility and promote their artists' work on an international scene.

Twenty-six of these are Spanish galleries from various regions of the country: 3 Punts Gallery (Barcelona), Alba Cabrera Gallery (Valencia), Aurora Vigil-Escalera (Gijón), CLC ARTE (Valencia), DDR Art Gallery (Madrid), Est_ArtSpace (Madrid), g • gallery (Barcelona), Galería Arancha Osoro (Oviedo), Galería BAT alberto cornejo (Madrid), Galería Beatriz Pereira (Plasencia), Galería Carmen Terreros (Zaragoza), Galería Espiral (Noja), Galería La Mercería (Valencia), Galería Luisa Pita (Santiago de Compostela), Galería María Aguilar (Cadiz), Metro Gallery (Santiago de Compostela), Rodrigo Juarranz Gallery (Aranda de Duero), Sigüenza Gallery (Sigüenza), Gerhardt Braun Gallery (Palma de Mallorca | Madrid), Inéditad Gallery (Barcelona), Kur Art Gallery (San Sebastián), LAVIO (Murcia | Shanghai), Moret Art (A Coruña), Pigment Gallery (Barcelona), Shiras Galería (Valencia) and Uxval Gochez Gallery (Barcelona). This selection of galleries highlights the importance of the Spanish scene and its contribution to the development of the contemporary cultural ecosystem.

Art Madrid '25. Photo by Lucas Amillano

The nine international galleries participating in this edition are: Banditrazos Gallery (Seoul, South Korea), Collage Habana (Havana, Cuba), Galeria São Mamede (Lisbon, Portugal), Galerie ONE (Paris, France), KANT Gallery (Copenhagen, Denmark | Palma de Mallorca, Spain), Loo & Lou Gallery (Paris, France), Nuno Sacramento Arte Contemporânea (Ílhavo, Portugal), Trema Arte Contemporânea (Lisbon, Portugal) and Yiri Arts (Taipei, Taiwan). Their participation broadens the fair's international reach, promoting creative and conceptual exchange between diverse artistic perspectives.

In addition, eight new galleries have been added to the list of exhibitors:

Banditrazos Gallery (Seoul, South Korea), Est_ArtSpace (Madrid, Spain), g • gallery (Barcelona, Spain), Galería Beatriz Pereira (Plasencia, Spain), Galerie ONE (Paris, France), Galería Sigüenza (Sigüenza, Spain), Gerhardt Braun Gallery (Palma de Mallorca | Madrid, Spain) and KANT Gallery (Copenhagen, Denmark | Palma de Mallorca). These additions reinforce Art Madrid's commitment to continuous renewal and openness to spaces that are exploring new approaches to contemporary art.

Art Madrid '25. Photo by Lucas Amillano

PARALLEL PROGRAM: A REFLECTION ON THE ‘SPECIES’ OF SPACES

One of the great attractions of Art Madrid is its Parallel Program, which this time delves into the notions of: ‘Fragments, relationships, and imaginary distances.’ This approach turns the fair into an expanded space, where art, audience, architecture, and memory converge. Thus, the Parallel Program proposes a critical approach to the container of the event itself. Taking as a reference the reading of Species of Spaces by Georges Perec (Perec, Georges. Species of Spaces. Montesinos, 2004), it adopts a marked interest in the everyday, that which usually goes unnoticed, the infra-ordinary, giving each corner of the venue its own narrative value.

Another of the conceptual references of this edition is based on an analysis of Édouard Glissant's Poetics of Relation (Glissant, Édouard. Poetics of Relation; Prologue by Manuel Rebón. - 1st ed. - Bernal: Universidad Nacional de Quilmes, 2017.), which advocates the coexistence of differences and the importance of non-totalizing links, which are extrapolated to the art system, proposing an understanding of it as a network of exchanges and connections that respect the uniqueness of each cultural practice and actor.

‘Imaginary distances,’ understood as subjective journeys and affective cartographies traced by visitors, thus become the conceptual axis that articulates this program. This perspective transforms the Fair into an experience that goes beyond visual contemplation, turning it into a territory that can be collectively reconstructed, without losing sight of the paths travelled by the individuality of each voice.

In this edition, the Parallel Program encourages visitors to engage with the space and its projects, turning contemplation into an opportunity to question and interact with things that might otherwise go unnoticed in everyday life.

Art Madrid '25. Photo by Lucas Amillano

In the preview and during Art Week, Art Madrid'26 offers a range of experiences that allow the public to get closer to the creative process and practices of the participating artists. Among the returning initiatives are the Interview Program, Curated Walkthroughs, the third edition of Open Booth, dedicated to emerging creation, the presentation of Espacio Nebrija, a university project in collaboration with Nebrija University, alongside the fair’s established Performance Cycle.

In addition, the One Shot Collectors Program and the second edition of the Patronage Program are back. These initiatives seek to strengthen the bond between collectors, artists, and the public, promoting ethical, informed, and responsible practices in collecting and patronage.

Art Madrid '25. Photo by Lucas Amillano

Art Madrid'26 has established itself as a dynamic meeting place, where diverse experiences, discourses, and practices converge. Far from being a fair curated under a single curatorial line, Art Madrid promotes diversity as a structuring principle, respecting the identity of each exhibitor and fostering a plural creative ecosystem. This plurality is not merely formal, but translates into a network of practices, languages, and perspectives that reflects the complexity, richness, and tensions of the contemporary art scene, consolidating the fair as a catalyst for cultural relations, an observatory of emerging trends, and an international reference point for the Spanish art scene.