The activities program that Art Madrid carries out every year always reserves space on the agenda to organise a meeting with professionals in the sector. The goal is to provide a vision more linked to institutional and work practice around the topic that linchpins the set of activities, and in this past edition we had the opportunity to focus on the evolution of the use of the image, video art and the entry on stage of technological art and new media. With these meetings, the renowned voices of curators, directors of creative centres, critics, academics or cultural agents opens up a forum for debate in which to overpass the plane of artistic production to focus on that of exhibition or presence by the exhibition spaces, what invites to reflect on how the process of institutionalization of contemporary art takes place.

Within the framework of the program on video art, new media and performance, the subjects that underpinned the proposal, we were fortunate to have the participation of Rafael Doctor, Karin Ohlenschläger and Berta Sichel in a round table conducted by Miguel Álvarez-Fernández. The professional background of these three curators, cultural agents and historians over the years adds to their experience in charge of departments or institutions of great prestige in the national territory. This allowed them to lead an encounter in which they shared their theoretical knowledge, but also contributed their vision from the management of art centres, identifying gaps and strengths of the system.

It is also remarkable that the most recent professional experience of the speakers has been linked to distant geographical areas within the country, which also offers a more enriching panorama, close to the cultural reality of the whole territory, on a northern-southern axis that portrays the socio-political circumstances to which the contemporary creation sector is sometimes subject.

Photo by Romer Ramos

Rafael Doctor is a historian, independent curator and cultural manager, specialising in the History of Photography and contemporary art. In his role as director, he has been in charge of the Andalusian Photography Center (CAF) between 2017 and 2019, he directed the programming of Canal de Isabel II (1993-2000), the Espacio Uno of MNCARS (1997-2000) and the department of Plastic arts from Casa de América (2001), and was also the first director of MUSAC (2002-2009). Thanks to his long career, Rafael summarised the history of photography from its origins to get to deal with the moving image, a somewhat later discipline that, however, was in the pulse of creative interest since technology made it possible the capture of the image on fixed supports. The transition from a purely documentary interest to an artistic one occurred early, and all of them led to a series of creative movements that marked the great milestones of video art throughout the 20th century. Today we speak of this discipline as something new, when the novelty is the updating of technique and the easy access to the modes of creation, but not so much the creative impulse or the discursive concerns that underlie this type of work.

Photo by Romer Ramos

For her part, Berta Sichel, a cultural agent, curator and director of the Bureauphi Art Agency project, took advantage of her experience in charge of the audiovisual department of the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía in its early years, to tell us how the museum built up its video art collection. Berta was responsible for curating the selection of pieces for the collection. She aimed to tackle a wide window of time that truly represents world video art, although this objective had to be reduced to adapt to the budgetary conditions that the museum was going through, which is why there is more presence of works in the first years of the movement (1960s) than later decades. During her speech, Berta emphasised one of the characteristics of the beginnings of video creation as a phenomenon: that it was art made mostly by women. The rise of traditional disciplines along with the trend of prevailing male roles in public artistic life as well as in the market made video art an accessible resource for the women authors, who approached their works many times from the seclusion of their own homes. This is also one of the reasons why video pieces very often have a denouncing component around gender issues and capture environments or realities more connected to family, domestic settings.

Photo by Romer Ramos

Karin Ohlenschläger is also a curator, critic and contemporary art theorist. From 2002 to 2006 she was co-director of the MediaLab Madrid program at the Conde Duque Cultural Center in Madrid, and has been in charge of numerous festivals and projects connected with new media and technology. Today she is the director of activities for the LABoral Center for Art and Industrial Creation, in Gijón, an exhibition space specifically dedicated to art, science, technology and the visual industries. Karin has specialised in action art, postmedia art and new transversal creation projects that merge languages, taking references from fields such as communications or science. Thanks to her experience in these years, she offered us an overview of the hybridization of art since the last decade of the 20th century, a period in which many processes initiated during the 70s-80s culminate and which originate collaboratively based creative processes that aspire to break the barriers between branches of knowledge (biotechnology, programming, artificial intelligence) to generate another form of knowledge, materialised in works of art. Today we have gone from the digitisation of creations to the materialisation of digital proposals. Karin's talk leaves a door open to the future of art to come, knowing that the paths to explore will be almost infinite.

Foto de Marta Suárez-Mansilla

The conference was moderated by Miguel Álvarez-Fernández, a jurist, musician, music theorist, and composer, who, in addition to working as a curator and expert in sound art, has directed the radio weekly program Ars Sonora since 2008. Miguel's knowledge of the topic of debate and of the speakers facilitated an easy and friendly conversation in which many people in the audience wanted to participate during Question Time.

The round table took place in the auditorium of Sala Alcalá 31 on Thursday 20th of February. We want to thank the space for its support and, in particular, Antonio Sánchez Luengo for his excellent reception of the proposal to host part of the “Art Madrid-Proyector’20” program.

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.

See You at Art Madrid’27!