Manu Iranzo. Courtesy of the artist.

ARTE & PALABRA. CONVERSATIONS WITH CARLOS DEL AMOR

There is a strange sensation when you stand in front of a work by Manu Iranzo (Teruel, 1983), you don't know if what you have in front of you is real or if it is some kind of intermediate layer between what we think we see and what we really see. It is as if his meticulous graphite drawings came out of the dream from last night. His work, I feel, moves in that diffuse plane that borders the existing boundary between what we think we have seen and what we have really seen.

Do the test, look at a sea, a flower or a cloud, then close your eyes tightly, that sea, that flower and that cloud remain, but in a different way, they are already a very close memory, but impossible to return, nothing will be the same when we open our eyelids. What we see when, paradoxically, our eyes are closed is very similar to Iranzo's drawings. It is the moment frozen and remembered of something that will never exist as we saw it. Its origins in design can be appreciated, although I feel that this is like the famous riddle, we will not know which came first, the drawing or the design. I say that the influence of this other facet is evident because a designer must be specific and observant, and this capacity for observation is often carried out far from the terrain on which he will later work, and it must be something like closing one's eyes and catching the moment, a step before sharpening the pencil.

ST. From the Botanical series. Graphite pencil on paper. 2023.

If you had to define your art in one sentence, what would it be?

The affirmation of balance, order and detail.

Looking at your social media, it says: "drawing and design", is that the right order?

There is no fixed order, I see it more as an indivisible, inseparable whole. It is the same look for the one who draws as for the one who designs, as both are completely complementary creative disciplines. The working environment/ecosystem may change, whether digital or analog, but the perception is the same.

I am aware that in design there are problems to be solved with a purpose/function for a specific client and specific needs. Drawing, on the other hand, enjoys a greater autonomy, in addition to being an emotional and personal expression, it also requires a final viewer with whom a conversation is established. I think that both fields drink from each other, sharing resources in both directions.

It is said that art poses questions and design offers answers. Drawing is subjective and can evoke different interpretations, while design has to communicate its message in a more direct and specific way.

I mean, how does your facet as a designer influence the drawing?

The way I approach the project. When I approach the work, I try to ask myself questions as if it were a client's briefing; to see what needs I have to cover. I try to answer these questions from the conceptual to the technical part, the possible route of the series, the technical complexity or the estimated time of execution.

I also consider that this designer's point of view has a direct influence on the way I compose the elements in the work. There are similarities when I layout a poster or a book, how the typographic compositions interact with the images, how they "stain" in short.

On a technical level, all the sketches that precede the final work are done in the digital environment. It is on the computer where I begin the sketching phase, where I establish formats and dimensions, so that when I move on to drawing, I already have a clear idea of how it will look. On the computer I can see very well how the work will look as a whole, if it will work. I don't usually improvise at the last minute, although I do improvise on some details of tonal evaluation or finishing in certain parts of the work. I try to be concise. I think that discipline in the process comes directly from the design world. It helps me to be more specific, to eliminate the superfluous.

Another aspect I would like to emphasize is how the trend in design influences the artistic work, as an inevitable consequence of the context that surrounds us.

Interrupted sea. Graphite pencil on paper. 2023.

Where does reality begin and where does fiction begin in your work? Where does the tangible begin and the dreamlike begin?

Reality begins with nature itself, the recognizable image. Fiction comes from the fusion of these identifiable natural elements with subjective interpretations. In my work Mar Interrumpido or in the Botánica series I experiment with the formation of the image, an effective treatment of blur creates an atmosphere that leads the viewer into the realm of interpretation, into a more psychological section.

Another element that I think influences and plays an important role in this concept of reality/fiction is the scale, the actual dimensions of the work. Introducing a sea with a diameter of eight centimeters or making clouds in a vertical format of more than two meters high. There is a different degree of intimacy, of contemplation of the work, one invites the approach and the other needs an inevitable space.

The dreamlike result is also linked to the monochrome technique itself. The absence of color leads us into the realm of imagination, into a sense of unreality. I also think that my way of drawing is pictorial in terms of treatment, sometimes the contours are lost, which helps and enhances the character of unreality.

What does the graphite of a pencil give you to trust it with everything?

The graphite pencil on paper is the medium in which I feel most comfortable when it comes to expressing myself and presenting my work. The cleanliness, the simplicity, the versatility, the speed of preparation, the finish, its slight shine, the black tone has a special light... the warmth, in short. The process based on layers, the different treatments, the meticulousness of the detail. Seeing the drawing and being able to observe a new nuance each time. Achieving a sense of reality only through chiaroscuro.

In earlier works I started with charcoal and colored pencils, but over time I concentrated exclusively on graphite pencils. In my drawing there is only graphite, keeping the natural white of a fine-grained paper, not very textured for the light areas or of maximum luminosity, without adding material white. The graphite technique goes hand in hand with the feeling of timelessness, of permanence. To be able to create a work that is relevant and transcendent.

A sea can be gray and look like a sea, a plant can be gray and look like a plant... Does it all depend on the eyes with which we look?

The absence of color implies that the viewer is the one who has to make an exercise of imagination and complete the image. It is a subjective and personal process, an individual perception. In any case, we are in the field of figurative representation and we can approach reality itself, since these elements are recognizable.

Continuing the game of questioning, a sea can be gray and look like a cliff, as happens in the Prisms series. Fragments of the sea are manipulated as a collage in which their union forms a new landscape. The very relief of the waves, together with their strong contrast, creates another different geographical feature; what was once liquid and light now changes its appearance to solid and rocky. A new nature emerges from common elements.

It has always been said that the origin of all art is drawing. Is drawing the essence?

By definition, drawing is the graphic expression of an idea or emotion. It is the artist's first contact with the work, the first approach. It is considered the precursor to painting, sculpture and architecture. Giorgio Vasari himself describes drawing as the most intimate and direct way an artist can work. This means that drawing comes from the intellect, it is the common link between knowledge and practice, contour - line - shade. Drawing is truth, it captures the essence of representation. It has more to do with touch than with sight. In my case, the drawing does not work as a sketch or as a prelude to the canvas, the drawing is the final work. As I said, the preliminary stage of ideas and sketches comes from the computer. Personally, in a more symbolic context, I see the drawing process itself as a liturgy, both for its structure and for its introspective exploration.

ST. From the series Three Seas. Graphite pencil on paper. 2023.

Do you think about colors?

At the moment I think more about form than color. It is the direct consequence of using a monochrome technique that determines the need to focus on other aspects. By abandoning color, I focus on structure, composition, and the search for formal balance.

I also think that an important point comes back into play, which is the concern for permanence, the concern for how the work will be perceived in the future. I spoke earlier about the trend in design (typographies, visual effects, graphic means, color...) and the risk in the creative contribution, the fear of the possibility of a very specific fashion. I am aware that the realization of a work can take several days or months and that uncertainty can be there.

Coming back to the question, I have no objection to the use of color. It was present in earlier works, I even combined it with the graphite itself, but my work has moved away from it.

Where is your art going?

I believe that the future of my artistic creation is to continue to explore ways of using drawing as the main technique along with the incorporation of emerging technological solutions. One example is augmented reality, which I have experimented with in some of my recent work. Again, I emphasize the union of digital and analog, where the tangible physical element is combined with virtual elements.

In the same way, continuing the relationship between design and drawing, I can extend the creative range by incorporating animation or text that complements and enriches the work, giving the viewer a more complete experience and allowing them to participate in a more personal way.

An example of this is my work Nubes en degradado, where augmented reality was implemented to add an animation to the drawing. This function was activated by focusing directly on the drawing with a mobile phone, adding movement and taking the work into another dimension. Here I want to emphasize the importance of the creative process: the work begins in the computer environment, moves to the physical format of paper, and culminates on the mobile screen. You could say that the drawing "jumps" from paper to screen, expanding its scope and path.

Each edition of Art Madrid is, above all, an exercise in observation. Rather than a closed declaration of intent, it functions as a space where different artistic practices coexist and enter into dialogue, reflecting the moment in which they are produced. In 2026, the fair reaches its 21st edition, consolidating an identity grounded in plurality, close attention to artistic practice, and the coexistence of diverse languages within a shared curatorial framework.

Simone Theelen. Dream Botanic. 2023. Mixed media on leather. 160 × 140 cm. Uxval Gochez Gallery.

In this context, Art Madrid’26 does not present a single dominant aesthetic or a unified narrative. What unfolds in the Galería de Cristal of the Palacio de Cibeles is a broad and varied landscape, shaped by the proposals of national and international galleries working with artists whose practices respond—each from very different positions—to shared questions: how to continue producing images, objects, and discourses in a saturated context; how to engage with tradition without becoming trapped by it; and how to make the contemporary visible without falling into the ephemeral.

This text offers a reading of the aesthetic currents running through the fair, understood not as closed categories but as lines of force. These currents help to clarify what visitors will encounter and from which coordinates a significant part of contemporary artistic production is emerging today. This approach is rooted in one of Art Madrid’s core principles: respecting the DNA of each exhibitor while fostering a plural creative ecosystem capable of reflecting the richness and diversity of the current artistic landscape.

Sergio de la Flora. La cena. 2022. Oil on canvas. 120 × 120 cm. Inéditad Gallery.

One of the most consistent features of Art Madrid’26 is the attention paid to materiality. Painting, sculpture, and works on paper are presented as spaces where material is not merely a support, but an active element within the discourse itself. Many of the works draw on traditional techniques—oil, acrylic, graphite, ceramic, or wood—but are approached with a fully contemporary awareness. Surfaces become sites of accumulation, erosion, sheen, or density. Gestures remain visible, and the construction of the work is embraced as an essential part of each artistic language.

This emphasis on materiality does not stem from nostalgia for craftsmanship, but from a desire for presence. In contrast to the relentless circulation of digital images, these works demand time, close viewing, and physical attention. Rather than seeking immediate impact, they invite a slower and more sustained relationship with the viewer.

Ana Cardoso. Ser Casa #2. 2025. Acrylic on MDF. 78 × 100 cm. Galeria São Mamede.

Painting occupies a central place within the fair, though it does so from highly diverse positions. This is not a return to academic models, nor a rejection of contemporaneity, but an expanded understanding of painting—open to the incorporation of other materials and visual languages. Works appear in which oil coexists with spray paint, collage, resins, or graphite; surfaces where the pictorial merges with the object-based; images that move between abstraction, fragmented figuration, and symbolic reference. Painting is understood here as a flexible field, capable of absorbing influences from urban art, design, photography, and archival practices. For visitors, this results in a journey where painting is not presented as a homogeneous language, but as a territory of constant exploration shaped by varied and enriching formal decisions.

Mario Soria. My Candy House. 2024. Oil on canvas mounted on panel. 59 × 50 cm. Aurora Vigil-Escalera.

Rather than fading away, art history emerges at Art Madrid’26 as an active working material. Some proposals engage directly with classical iconographies or traditional genres such as portraiture, still life, or historical scenes, but do so from a critical and displaced perspective.

These works do not aim to reproduce past models. Instead, they place them under tension by altering context or scale, introducing unexpected elements, or foregrounding aspects that today appear problematic or revealing. Tradition is approached not as a fixed canon, but as an open archive—one that can be revisited, questioned, and rewritten. This dialogue resonates both with viewers who recognize historical references and with those who encounter them through a contemporary lens, aware that images of the past continue to shape how we understand the present.

Yasiel Elizagaray. From the Liminal series, No. 1. 2025. Mixed media on canvas. 170 × 150 cm. Nuno Sacramento Arte Contemporânea.

Another defining thread of Art Madrid’26 is the dissolution of boundaries between disciplines. Many works resist classification within a single category, operating simultaneously as painting and object, sculpture and drawing, image and structure.

This hybridity reflects a contemporary context in which artistic languages no longer function in isolation. The resulting works call for open-ended readings, where form, material, and idea interact without fixed hierarchies, encouraging viewers to navigate meaning through experience rather than predefined frameworks.

Faustino Ruiz de la Peña. Lope. 2025. Oil, pencil and pigment. 31 × 27 cm. Galería Arancha Osoro.

Drawing and works on paper hold a significant presence in this edition. Far from being understood as preparatory or secondary, many of these pieces function as autonomous works—precise, deliberate, and conceptually robust.

Through lines, grids, voids, and repetitions, artists construct images that explore territory, memory, architecture, and the body. An economy of means does not diminish complexity; instead, paper becomes a space for visual thinking, where the passage of time and the trace of gesture are clearly registered. These works introduce a slower rhythm into the fair, inviting moments of pause and attentive observation.

Prado Vielsa. Haz de luz 2502. 2025. Digital print on folded transparent cast acrylic. 29 × 27 × 23 cm. Carmen Terreros Gallery.

Sculpture occupies an especially meaningful position at Art Madrid’26, situated between the organic and the structural, and between artisanal processes and industrial solutions. The use of recycled wood, ceramics, metals, and synthetic materials is not merely technical, but conceptual—prompting reflection on materiality, time, and transformation.

These pieces emphasize form, balance, and spatial relationships, understanding sculpture as a body that engages in dialogue with its environment and with the physical presence of the viewer. Often presented as symbolic objects rather than narrative devices, they activate open fields of association where meaning emerges through experience rather than explanation.

Reload. Blond Ambition. 2025. Pink, black and white marble. 62 × 32 × 12 cm. LAVIO.

Alongside more gestural and material-based approaches, the fair also includes works grounded in geometry, pattern, and structure. Built upon precise visual systems, these pieces employ repetition, symmetry, and modulation to generate rhythm and tension. They offer a counterpoint of restraint and formal control within the broader context of the fair, expanding the aesthetic spectrum and underscoring the diversity of contemporary artistic approaches.

Many of the works presented articulate non-linear narratives composed of symbols, cross-references, and deliberately ambiguous spaces. Rather than offering closed stories or singular interpretations, they function as open images—points of activation that invite interpretive engagement.

This approach reflects a contemporary sensibility that challenges the notion of fixed meaning, shifting part of the responsibility for interpretation onto the viewer. The artwork becomes a space of negotiation, where memory, experience, and perception actively shape understanding.

MINK. CRISTATUS – Ambition. 2025. Spray paint on wood. 120 × 106 cm.La Mercería.600:800

The body of work brought together in this edition reveals a sustained engagement with matter as a site of reflection and meaning-making. In the face of increasingly rapid and dematerialized modes of production, these works reaffirm the value of material support, process, and time as fundamental elements of artistic practice. This shared orientation does not define a single aesthetic, but establishes a common ground where diverse practices converge around the need to anchor artistic experience in the tangible and the constructed. Within this context, Art Madrid consolidates itself as a meeting space where contemporary art is presented with critical awareness, rigor, and clarity—fostering an active relationship between artwork, artist, and audience.