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DIALOGA CIUDAD. PARALLEL PROGRAM TERRITORY CITY. ART MADRID'25*

Dialoga Ciudad is an initiative that forms part of the parallel program of Art Madrid’25. Curated in collaboration with CRU, this project of poetic actions in the city aims to transform the urban environment into an artistic stage, integrating itinerant poetry as a vehicle that turns public spaces into platforms for reflection and interaction. Through ephemeral interventions in strategic points of the city, participants will explore the potential of poetry as a tool for emotional and social communication. This project highlights the role of art as a catalyst for meaningful dialogues within the urban fabric, redefining the relationship between citizens and their surroundings.

Lucas, Pez Mago, Celia BSoul, Ajo, and Peru Saizprez will traverse the city with performative interventions that invite reflection on contemporary artistic practices. Their journey will take them to key cultural landmarks in the capital, where encounters with passersby will evolve into poetic dialogue..

Lucas. Pez Mago. Courtesy of the artist.

Lucas. Pez Mago

Street Poetic Action with Pez Mago

Location: Plaza de Pedro Zerolo. Chueca. Madrid Centro, 28004 Madrid.

Time: 12:00 - 13:00h

Standing on a chair in the middle of the street, Pez Mago transforms into the spokesperson of the words born from his two poetry books, Esto antes tenía música (This Used to Have Music) and A la velocidad del deseo (At the Speed of Desire). With an old brass megaphone in hand, he projects poetry into the open air, without barriers or filters, letting the vibration of the moment be the guide. He recites verses that reflect the essence of his being, both from his poems and the lyrics of some of his songs, stripped of musical accompaniment, making the word the only bridge between the soul and the crowd.

This poetic act can be performed either by looking directly at the passersby, challenging them to connect with the echo of his words, or by gazing up at the sky, adopting the posture of a street preacher offering his truth to the wind, like someone casting a seed without knowing if it will germinate. The street is his stage, the megaphone his amplified voice, and the passersby are involuntary witnesses of an action aimed at awakening something deep inside each one.

The purpose is not only to share poetry but to create an ephemeral moment, an atmosphere filled with intentions, emotions, and reflections, where each step of the passersby can be touched by the power of words, even if only for an instant.

ABOUT THE ARTIST

Pez Mago is the artistic name of Lucas Álvarez de Toledo (Madrid, 1971). He has performed on all five continents over the last twenty years, particularly in Argentina, Colombia, Mexico, Chile, Uruguay, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Peru, Brazil, Panama, Germany, Italy, Equatorial Guinea, Kenya... In 2018, he received the Piero Ciampi Award for Best International Artist. He was also a musician and instrumentalist in the band Depedro for five years (2010-2015), performing in Europe, the United States, China, South Korea, Australia, and New Zealand.

Pez Mago has released eleven albums since 2000 and has also published two poetry books: Esto antes tenía música (2015), A la velocidad del deseo (2018), and a travel book titled El mundo también se dobla (2016). Over these twenty years of touring, he has played over 1,500 concerts in small cafes and alternative theaters. He has combined his career as a live musician with other important roles, such as being an author. His songs (both lyrics and music) have been performed by a variety of artists, many of whom are far removed from him musical style: Depedro and Leiva recorded "Noche Oscura," Malú and Melendi recorded "Amigo," Sergio Dalma recorded "Con la boca por delante," Raphael recorded "Qué tendrá que ver," Clara Montes recorded "Luna," and so on.

Celia BSoul. Courtesy of the artist.

Celia BSoul

A body is a city

Place: Plaza de Pedro Zerolo. Chueca. Madrid Centro, 28004 Madrid.

Time: 13:00-14:00h

A body is a city presents a poetic journey through the imagery of intimacy and violence, exploring the line that separates cities from bodies, and imagining bodies as cities through which other elements pass, generating an impact in their wake, altering their structure, and building an "architecture of damage and memory."

This performance incorporates poems from the book Ciudad de los otros (Ed. La Imprenta), published in 2023, along with a cappella songs, engaging in dialogue with the space and its passersby. The piece revolves around a question: what differentiates a city from a body, and if our bodies are cities, how do we remain safe from the violence that comes from both outside and within them?

ABOUT THE ARTIST

Celia Fernández Escobar (Celia Bsoul) is a journalist, rapper, and poet from Madrid, whose work merges rap and poetry, addressing gender issues from an intimate perspective. She has released her album Estacciones and several singles and collaborations, exploring the bridges between both genres. Currently, she is working on her EP Pobre dios, focused on the imagery of violence. She has participated in festivals such as VOCIFERIO (Valencia), La Noche de los Libros (Madrid), FELISA (Cantabria), and Ruby Sessions (Dublin), among others. Her first book, Ciudad de los otros, was published in 2023 with the La Imprenta publishing house, presenting a multidisciplinary proposal that combines poetry and dance.

In addition to her artistic career, Celia was a finalist for the II Premio Poesía Viva in 2021 and has been published in various anthologies, such as Última poesía crítica. Jóvenes poetas en tiempos de colapso (Lastura Ediciones) and in the Nayagua magazine. In 2023, she participated as a text creator and performer in the stage proposal Antes que caiga la noche, a contemporary reinterpretation of The Iliad through hip hop culture. Her career also includes content creation for public television programs and films, as well as teaching rap and poetry with a gender perspective in workshops.

Ajo y Peru Saizprez.Courtesy of the artists.

Ajo and Peru Saizprez

Crossing the Traveler with a Poem. A reading of their own micro-poems on the street, interacting with the public and inviting them to read some verses.

Location: Plaza de Pedro Zerolo. Chueca. Madrid Centro, 28004 Madrid.

Time: 16:30-18:30h

The activity Crossing the Traveler with a Poem consists of a performative reading by poets Ajo and Peru Saizprez at Plaza de Pedro Zerolo, Chueca, with a maximum duration of two hours and a short intermission. Unlike conventional readings, this proposal directly involves passersby, who can voluntarily participate in a sensory and immersive experience. Each person who accepts the challenge will choose a poem and allow the poet to approach their ear to whisper it verse by verse. As the words travel through their mind, the poem will be processed internally and then emerge once more, this time spoken aloud by the volunteer, sharing it with the rest of the audience.

Before participating, each person will receive a detailed explanation of the dynamics and sign an authorization acknowledging the risk of being transformed by poetry. This intervention seeks to turn words into a living experience, blurring the boundary between spectator and protagonist, while exploring the power of poetry to penetrate, resonate, and transform those who hear it.

ABOUT THE ARTISTS

Peru Saizprez. Courtesy of the artist.

Peru Saizprez (Lima, Peru), poet and performer born in Lima, has developed his career in Europe, standing out with books such as Sexo Satélite and Un Corazón con Pelos. Co-author of theatrical works, he conceives his readings as concerts without music, bringing poetry to unexpected spaces. He is the creator of Universal Poem, an infinite poem with over 60,000 verses, and co-founder of the POETAS festival, which since 2006 has been spreading poetry beyond traditional formats. In 2025, he will publish his fifth book with Arrebato Libros.

AJO. Courtesy of the artist.

AJO, a key figure of Madrid's counterculture, transitioned from experimental music to micropoetry, exploring wordplay as a way of life. She directed the Yuxtaposiciones and Experimentaclub festivals at La Casa Encendida in Madrid for over a decade and has published several volumes of Micropoemas, becoming one of the most widely read poets in Spain. Her poetry has graced stages worldwide alongside musicians such as Julieta Venegas and Judit Farrés. A cultural agitator and underground figure, she continues to seek the essence of absolute brevity in her poetic creation.

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ART MADRID CLOSES ITS 21ST EDITION AS A KEY EVENT OF MADRID ART WEEK

The Galería de Cristal of the Palacio de Cibeles hosted the 21st edition of Art Madrid from March 4 to 8, once again consolidating its role as one of the must-see events of Madrid Art Week. Over the course of five days, the fair brought together 35 national and international galleries and more than 200 artists, turning the venue into a meeting point for gallerists, collectors, professionals, and lovers of contemporary art.

Throughout its trajectory, Art Madrid has built a distinct identity, with a constant focus on giving visibility to both emerging and established galleries and on opening contemporary art to diverse audiences. Rather than being structured around a single curatorial line, the fair embraced a plural proposal, respecting the unique DNA of each exhibitor.

Art Madrid’26 presented a Gallery Program distinguished by the diversity of artistic proposals and languages, encouraging dialogue between different generations and contemporary practices. Painting, sculpture, photography, drawing, installation, and new hybrid forms coexisted in an edition that once again confirmed the dynamism of today’s art scene

During the days of the fair, nearly 20,000 visitors explored the booths of the participating galleries and enjoyed a parallel program that expanded the experience beyond the traditional exhibition format.

The Parallel Program: An Expanded Art Fair

The Parallel Program once again took center stage in the Art Madrid experience, activating the fair space through projects that explored new forms of interaction between artworks, artists, and the public.

Among the most notable initiatives was the performance series Open Infinite: What the Body Remembers, which presented a daily performative action at the fair featuring works by Colectivo La Burra Negra, Rocío Valdivieso, Amanda Gatti, and Jimena Tercero. The pieces incorporated the body as a critical device and a space of memory, reinforcing the presence of performance within Art Madrid’s programming.

The third edition of Open Booth presented Despiece. Protocolo de mutación, by Daniel Barrio, a site-specific project that transformed the booth into a landscape constructed from urban remnants and industrial materials. The installation invited visitors to physically engage with the work, creating an immersive experience within the exhibition space.

Meanwhile, Espacio Nebrija hosted the project Estancias transitorias (NotanIA SipedagogIE), a proposal by Nebrija University that reflected on Aesthetic Intelligence in the face of the growing dominance of algorithmic logic. The installation proposed a reclamation of gesture, materiality, and the time inherent to the creative process as dimensions that cannot be reduced to automation.

Lecturas. Curated Walkthroughs also returned, with itineraries designed by Zuriñe Lafón and Marisol Salanova that offered curatorial insights for exploring the fair from specific critical perspectives and expanding the visitor experience.

Patronage, Awards, and Acquisitions

Support for contemporary creation once again stood as one of the fair’s central pillars through the second edition of the Art Madrid Patronage Program, which recognizes the work of artists and strengthens the connections between galleries, collectors, and private entities.

On this occasion, the following awards were presented:

Cervezas Alhambra Emerging Artist Award Iyán Castaño, represented by Galería Arancha Osoro

One Shot Hotels Breakthrough Artist Award Joost Vandebrug, represented by KANT Gallery

In the Acquisition Awards category, several private collections incorporated works presented at the fair into their collections.

Studiolo Collection Roger Sanguino — DDR Art Gallery

Devesa Law Kim Han Ki — Banditrazos Gallery

E2IN2 Collection Albert Bonet — Inéditad Gallery

dn2 Collection Iván Baizán — Galería Arancha Osoro

These acquisitions reflect the private sector’s commitment to the development of contemporary art and contribute to advancing the professional trajectories of emerging and mid-career artists.

Collecting and Support for the Artistic Ecosystem

The promotion of collecting once again played a prominent role in this edition thanks to the One Shot Collectors program, which offered personalized advice to both new buyers and more experienced collectors, facilitating access to the contemporary art market and fostering direct relationships between artists, galleries, buyers, and collectors.

This program, together with the Patronage Program, continues to strengthen the professional ecosystem surrounding the fair and reinforce Art Madrid’s commitment to supporting contemporary creation.

Among the most notable sales were works by Antonio Ovejero, represented by CLC ARTE; Leticia Feduchi and Ángela Mena, represented by Galería Sigüenza; Idoia Cuesta and Iyán Castaño, represented by Galería Arancha Osoro; and Yasiel Elizagaray, represented by Nuno Sacramento Arte Contemporânea. Likewise, the proposals presented by Inéditad Gallery were very well received, with notable sales of works by artists Albert Bonet and Eduardo Urdiales, as well as Carmen Mansilla, who debuted at Art Madrid'26 and achieved a sold out.

The overall balance of the edition has been particularly positive, with sales reported by all 35 participating galleries, confirming the strong interest from collectors and the dynamism of the market throughout the fair. Among the galleries that recorded notable commercial activity are La Mercería (Valencia), LAVIO (Murcia–Shanghai), 3 Punts Galería (Barcelona), Galerie One (Paris), Shiras Galería (Valencia), Galería Rodrigo Juarranz (Aranda de Duero), Galería São Mamede (Lisbon), Yiri Arts (Taiwan), and Trema Arte Contemporânea (Lisbon), among others.

A Fair made possible thanks to Its network of Partners

The success of Art Madrid’26 has been made possible thanks to the support of its official sponsors: Cervezas Alhambra, One Shot Hotels, Liquitex, Universidad Nebrija, and Posca, as well as the trust of its collaborators: Asociación 9915, Colección Studiolo, E2IN2, Colección dn2, Devesa Law, Enviarte, Cova 13, and Vanille Bakery Lab & Café. The fair also benefits from the involvement of its media partners and the support of various cultural organizations, private collections, and institutions that contribute to strengthening the contemporary art ecosystem.

Art Madrid: A Future Full of Possibilities

After 21 years of history, Art Madrid continues to consolidate its position as a key event in the contemporary art calendar, both nationally and internationally. Its ability to bring together galleries, artists, collectors, and institutions reinforces its role as a space for encounter, exchange, and discovery. The fair maintains a steadily growing outlook, driven by a program that evolves each year and increasingly opens up to more innovative proposals.

Thank you for being part of the 21st edition of Art Madrid. Your support is essential for continuing to promote art and culture.