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.”

ABIERTO INFINITO. LO QUE EL CUERPO RECUERDA. CICLO DE PERFORMANCE X ART MADRID'26

Art Madrid, committed to creating a discursive platform for artists working within the field of performance and action art, presents Abierto Infinito: lo que el cuerpo recuerda, a proposal inspired by Erving Goffman’s ideas in The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life (Amorrortu Editores, Buenos Aires, 1997).

The project unfolds within a theoretical framework that directly engages with these premises, conceiving social interaction as a stage of carefully modulated performances designed to influence others’ perceptions. Goffman argues that individuals deploy both verbal and involuntary expressions to guide the interpretation of their behavior, sustaining roles and façades that define the situation for those who observe.

The body — the first territory of all representation — precedes both word and learned gesture. Human experience, conscious and unconscious alike, is inscribed within it. Abierto Infinito: lo que el cuerpo recuerda departs from this premise: representation inhabits existence itself, and life, understood as a succession of representations, transforms the body into a space of constant negotiation over who we are. In this passage, boundaries blur; the individual opens toward the collective, and the ephemeral acquires symbolic dimension. By inhabiting this interstice, performance simultaneously reveals the fragility of identity and the strength that emerges from encounter with others.

PERFORMANCE: OFF LINE. JIMENA TERCERO

March 7 | 7:00 p.m. Galería de Cristal of the Palacio de Cibeles.

OFF LINE is a performance piece that reflects on the fragility of the body in the digital age. Our relationship with the outside world is mediated by a screen, which distances us further and further from physical contact and interpersonal relationships. Focusing on creating a digital identity causes the body to distance itself from the physical world and lose its memory.

Hyperconnectivity and fragmented attention lead to a more passive physical existence, characterised by reduced spontaneous movement and less direct sensory interaction. This raises fundamental questions: how is the concept of presence redefined when our relationship with the world relies on technological mediation? What will the experience of the body be like in a future where virtuality predominates over the physical? There is a risk of progressive bodily passivity: bodies that remain still, whose activity is determined by devices and whose memory is stored digitally. The fragmentation of physical experience and the primacy of technological representation create a scenario in which, although the body is visible, it is displaced from its original function as an agent of perception and action.

This conceptual framework invites reflection on the impact of digitisation on corporeality, memory and social relationships, and on the vulnerability and inertia experienced by bodies in environments that are increasingly mediated by technology.

ABOUT JIMENA TERCERO

Jimena Tercero (Madrid, 1998) is a multidisciplinary artist whose work explores the boundaries of the female body, identity, and the subconscious. She uses performance, video, and painting to address concepts such as memory, tangibility, and play. Tercero trained in painting with Lola Albín and in analog photography at Cambridge in 2014. She studied audiovisual direction from 2018 to 2020 with renowned figures such as Víctor Erice and the production company El Deseo. She is currently pursuing a Master's degree in Creative Direction at ELISAVA. She completed her performance training at La Juan Gallery. In 2011, she was part of the children's jury at the Isfahan Film Festival in Iran.

Her directed works include Private (2016) and Paranoid (2021), which were exhibited at the Aspa Contemporary Gallery. She has also worked on projects such as Yo, mi, me, conmigo (2023, Teatros del Canal), Inside Voices (2021, Conde Duque with Itziar Okariz), and La última regla (La Juan Gallery). She has directed fashion films for publishers and brands such as Puma, Dior, and Dockers. She has also provided art direction for artists such as Sen Senra and Jorge Drexler. Additionally, she directed the documentary Also Here for ArtforChange–La Caixa. She presented Out of View (Nebula Gallery), EDEN (White Lab Gallery), and Navel Bite (Sinespacio). She participates in residencies such as Medialab with Niño de Elche and Miguel Álvarez Fernández. In 2025, she will be part of the Special Jury of the Asian Film Fest in Barcelona and the International Cultural Museum of Assilah Art Residency in Morocco).