After an intense year of work, visits to galleries, meetings with artists, transatlantic trips to learn about other possible ways of thinking about a fair, we can see that the future of Art Madrid continues to be linked to the initiatives and desires of those who are trying to build a sustainable value proposal for the reality of the cultural context and specifically for contemporary art in Spain.

We return once again to the Galería de Cristal of the Palacio de Cibeles to welcome gallerists, artists, audiences, curators, critics, collectors and all the people who make Art Madrid a place to encounter each edition. This ephemeral home that our fair becomes for a week will celebrate its nineteenth anniversary in 2024. On the eve of our twentieth, a reminder is needed to catapult us towards the celebration.

Work by Katya Scheglova. Dr Robot Gallery. Image courtesy of Christian Monsalve of Too Many Flash.

After the first fifteen editions of Art Madrid, we began a curious obsession with numbers and the month of February. Since then, each time we begin the organizational season for the next edition, dates, days, and hours are turned into tiny goals to be achieved, in an attempt to ensure that the fair continues to be a source of vitality; that it does not lose its approachable and accessible essence; that the galleries risk more on their exhibition proposals; that the artists continue to feel part of this call that we are, and understand that without them, nothing would make sense. In other words, we allow ourselves to dream of a better contemporary art fair in the midst of a scenario that is sometimes difficult, but for us definitely hopeful. For the first time since the pandemic, Art Madrid, an event conceived for Art Week in February, is moving its calendar to March. This closes an infinite cycle of plans for the second month of the year and opens up new opportunities for March to orbit in our favor.

Art Madrid. Edition 16. Image courtesy of Christian Monsalve. Too Many Flash.

The preamble to the 19th edition was also a time to reflect on our obsession with editions, special editions, and special editions... And we understood that our Roman Empire of numbers and editions, that rare thing, is one we think about more than we should; it is not the fear of age, it is not because the years are weighing us down, or because we continue to be defined as a satellite fair. And here we open parentheses, (It is so beautiful the definition of a natural satellite: "A natural satellite is a celestial body that orbits around a planet. The satellite is usually smaller and accompanies the planet in its orbit around its mother star. Contrary to the fragments that orbit in a ring, the natural satellite is the only body in its orbit"). In fact, our Roman Empire is to ensure that the prestige that Art Madrid has achieved along the way is maintained in all the facets that an event of this magnitude touches: at the behest of the contemporary art market, in the eyes of our audience, and that we continue to be the first choice of galleries that bet on our project.

Work by Rodrigo Romero. 3 Punts Gallery. Image courtesy of Christian Monsalve. Too Many Flash.

Under the symbol of a satellite with a natural orbit, Art Madrid'24 opens with a General Program made up of thirty-six galleries and around two hundred artists representing the latest artistic trends on the national and international scene. And it presents a Parallel Program of activities that will take place in the pre-fair and during the week of the event. With the objective of encouraging new generations of artists and offering them a space for promotion in the contemporary art market circuit, the program is composed of Arte y Palabra. Conversations with Carlos del Amor; OPEN BOOTH featuring guest artist Marina Tellme; Intercessions X Tara for Women; Lecturas. Curated Walkthroughs; La Quedada. Art Madrid'24 Studio Visits and the Collecting Program: One Shot Collectors, which includes a consulting service for the acquisition of works by Ana Suárez Gisbert.

Art Madrid. Edition 18. View at Uxval Gochez Gallery. Image courtesy of Ricardo Perucha.

The program - a small celestial body - is a space dedicated to artists who transcend the established, who dream of new forms of expression, and who, through their art, contribute to the evolution and transformation of the artistic context. It is a living showcase for those who not only imagine, but also materialize their visions, turning the fair's stage into a fertile ground for change and creative innovation.

On this 19th anniversary of Art Madrid, we would like to remind ourselves that the future belongs to the dreamers. It is for those who have the ability to dream, to imagine and to create; for those who actively work to turn their aspirations into tangible reality, even against all obstacles. After an intense year of work, we continue to dream of a new Art Madrid for each special edition.

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.