Art Madrid'25 – CRISTINA GARCÍA RODERO AND THE LAND OF DREAMS

Work by Cristina García Rodero “Land of dreams”

 

 

Cristina Garcia Rodero, (Ciudad Real, 1949) is a Spanish photographer who began her career in the late 60's, portraying traditions and cultures in their national beginnings and later around the world. Her reports are stained with a very personal and human vision that captures the essence of those he portrays. It was the first to enter the prestigious agency Magnum and she has received a large number of awards such as the World Press Photo in 1993 or the National Photography Award in 1996.

 

 

Work by Cristina García Rodero “Land of dreams” 

 

 

The exhibition reveals the daily life of women from all sectors and classes of Anantapur in the state of Andhra Pradesh, one of the most disadvantaged areas of India, where marginal communities live. With 80 photographs of varied format Cristina, wants to raise awareness and give visibility to the international cooperation actions carried out by the Vicente Ferrer Foundation in collaboration with the "La Caixa" Obra Social. 

 

 

View of the exhibition

 

 

An initiative narrated through images that address contemporary sensibility and highlight the role of those people who, like the photographer from La Mancha, show their particular vision of seeing the world. Some of the photographs show the hard face of the region, and in fact, the project was not easy to start, as the artist herself says: "When I accepted the commission I thought it would be easy, but when I arrived in the city, I saw it was Horrible, horrible landscapes and the frightful light, and I did not get people to stop chasing me for what I thought, how I'm going to do a good job. "

 

 


Work by Cristina García Rodero “Land of dreams”

 

 

Land of dreams, is the result of a month and a half of experiences that told under the astonished look of the artist, have managed to capture the attention of the observer. The warm and close feeling transmitted by these snapshots makes these mothers, seamstresses, peasants, teachers and students take their leading role in transforming the communities of Anantapur. Its assembly meetings show a memorable activism that together with a solid network of solidarity have made possible protection centers for battered women among other issues.

 

View of the exhibition

 

 

The exhibition can be visited until May 28. Around the exhibition there is an educational workshop entitled "Namasté. A look at India "aimed at middle school and upper elementary school students and ESO. This action helps to bring the young people to a reality different from the one they are familiar with.

 

 

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.