Art Madrid'26 – BENE BERGADO AND THE PERSON

BENE BERGADO. Detail of Garbage Eggs, 2015

 

 

Bene Bergado, Salamanca 1965. She is a “salmantina” artist, who began her career in the nineties. Her work, almost exclusively dedicated to delving into the behaviors of the human condition, helps us to understand the strange mutations between truth and suspicion. Her sculptures, created by complex techniques and difficult to guess, accentuate the mystery of the inspiration to which he submits. These tensions, to which the human being is subjected, are shaped by personal metaphors and external conventions.

 

 

View of the exhibition

 

 

The pressures between the individual and the group, are externalized in this sample treated in an unconventional way. His curator, Manuel Olveira, has not followed an order based on chronological test, since most of the work has been created specifically for the exhibition at MUSAC. The exhibition, presented as a great installation dedicated to the human, places the viewer in micro contexts (home, family, unusual and shocking) that help us to understand the dependencies and interactions in their most primary dimensions.

 

 

BENE BERGADO. Homo capitalensis, 2010

 

 

The series, refer to the measurement of dependence we have on certain objects, such as "junk eggs", which shows us the amount of garbage we generate in a short period of time. The waste, are part of the day to day of the human being, and this artist makes us reflect on it. Environmental and economic concerns are a topical issue, but we seldom stop to assimilate those concerns.

 

 

BENE BERGADO. Leaves of Gaia, 2016. From the series MAPAS, 2015

 

 

The collective way in which we relate contrasts with our innermost being. Each individual is different, but at the same time we all behave in a very similar way. The cultural and the social, condition us when it comes to knowing and behaving. Other facilities, such as "Family plot" created with personal objects of people close to the artist, make us reflect on all of the above. You can enjoy this exhibition until 8 January. If you are in the area, do not hesitate to visit it.

 

 

 


ART MADRID’ 26: 21 YEARS OF CONTEMPORARY ART


Discover all the information about the artists and galleries participating in the 21st edition of Art Madrid. The catalog features a curated selection of the works presented in this edition, along with the most relevant details of the event, making it an essential tool for engaging with the fair’s key figures and exploring the defining elements of today’s art scene.


In 2026, Art Madrid celebrates its 21st edition, further establishing itself as a leading event within Spain’s cultural sector. From March 4 to 8, the Galería de Cristal of the Palacio de Cibeles will once again become a meeting point for galleries, collectors, artists, and contemporary art enthusiasts.


Over the past twenty-one years, the fair has evolved into a dynamic and ever-expanding platform, fostering diversity in artistic languages, techniques, and discourses. In this edition, the Galleries Program brings together around 35 exhibitors from more than seven countries, offering a representative overview of the most recent developments in contemporary creation.


The Art Madrid ’26 catalog serves as a key publication for discovering the work of this edition’s galleries and artists —marked by experimentation and a plurality of perspectives— while also documenting the conceptual axes that shape the fair. As part of the Parallel Program, INHABITING THE EPHEMERAL: A Reflection on the “Species” of Spaces proposes a reflection on space, relationships, and shared experience, expanding the understanding of the fair beyond its commercial dimension and highlighting its cultural and experiential significance.


In addition, the catalog presents the initiatives that complete the program, such as the Open Booth dedicated to emerging creation, the Nebrija Space in collaboration with Nebrija University, the Performance Series “Open Infinite. What the Body Remembers,” the One Shot Collectors Program, and the Patronage Program, reaffirming the fair’s commitment to supporting, mediating, and accompanying contemporary art at every stage.

We invite you to discover more about Art Madrid ’26 through the catalog of its 21st edition — a publication that, beyond serving as documentary memory, becomes a cartography of the present artistic moment and an open door to new ways of inhabiting contemporary art.