Art Madrid'23 presents the section of interviews conducted by the art critic and curator Alfonso de la Torre in which he discovers, in greater depth, the artistic universe of the eight most outstanding creators of the following Art Madrid edition. The section, which presents the artists from private conversations and with its own content, will be included in a common theme around the figure of the artist and their practices in the national art market.

Starting on January 13, we will enjoy two weekly interviews that can be read in full on the Art Madrid website or viewed on video on the fair's Instagram channel.

About Alfonso de la Torre:

Alfonso de la Torre (Madrid, 1960) theoretician and art critic. Specialist in contemporary Spanish art. He has curated more than a hundred exhibitions; He has published essays and poetry and taught courses at various universities and institutions: MNCARS, Museum of Teruel, University of the Andes, Menéndez y Pelayo International University, University of Córdoba, University of Granada, University of Castilla-La Mancha, UIMP, UNIA, Nebrija University or the University of La Sorbonne. He belongs to the International Association of Art Critics (AICA).

Alfonso de la Torre, photo by Carlos Schwartz ©

Perceval Graells, (Elche, 1983) (Alba Cabrera Gallery) seeks, through her works, to provoke a personal reflection in viewers about how we face the process of overcoming pain throughout our history; turning that pain into a space of peace and calm where we can recreate ourselves and reflect. In the work of Martínez Cánovas (Murcia, 1980) (Inéditad) we will find, through a surreal and symbolic imaginary, a direct connection with the philosophical thought of antiquity in philosophers who, like Aristotle, argued that death is the most terrible of all things and that fearing this and other truths is even fair and noble. The works of Cristina Gamón, (Valencia, 1987) (Shiras Galería) are distinguished by a visual freshness that the artist manages to achieve through a complex technique of unreal images, capable of transporting us to the oceanic abysses in which our mere presence is astonished before the magnitude of the color.

The works of Nicolás Lisardo (Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, 1978) (Manuel Ojeda Gallery) aim to assess existential limits, adding a metaphysical tonality to those eroded facades of the city. It is an anti-picturesque scenario, which has the firm intention of moving us to the perception of the idea (eidos forme).

Isabela Puga's (Caracas, 1997) (BAT Alberto Cornejo Gallery) interest in architecture and urbanism make these disciplines a substantial part of her creative process, from which she drinks and adopts, especially her own geometric style. - pictorial. Starting from opposites: the shine of gold and the darkness of black, the artist questions and investigates essential elements such as depth, color, light, and space in her works. She intends to foster the relationship between subject-object and space. The paintings by Francisco Mayor Maestre, (Madrid, 1990) (Aurora Vigil-Escalera Gallery) flood the set with color, excessive vegetation, and impossible planes that break the figuration of the work. Outstanding in his conception of shared spatiality are curtains, awnings, laundry, and air conditioning units... In an investigation of the freedom of painting, the exploration of spaces, and the claim of individuality. The plastic works that Pedro Peña Gil (Jaén, 1978) (Metro Gallery) has carried out in recent years, constitute a return to the attitude of those explorers who wanted to extract the light qualities. Although, in his case, adding the element that best presents him: color. The experimentation of these works, like the first photographers, leads him to take the images of the world as a metaphor for the anonymous Petri dishes. Mario Soria (Barcelona, 1966) (Gallery N2) is a profound connoisseur of the western pictorial tradition and its techniques, and he uses them to subvert them with his particular sense of humor. His works mix American pop art and the European tradition he calls “interstellar pop surrealism.”

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.