For another edition, Natalia Alonso Arduengo (Madrid, 1984) will be the curator in charge of carrying out the program, which will revolve around the theme of IDENTITY, taking as its starting point the verses of the poem Otherness by Mario Benedetti:

They always advised me to be someone else / and they even suggested that I had / notorious qualities to be someone else / that's why my future was in otherness the only problem has always been / my congenital stubbornness / I foolishly didn't want to be someone else / therefore I continued to be someone else same.

Otherness. Mario Benedetti.

The concept of identity will be analyzed in a contemporaneity marked by alienation, the uses of technologies and the keys of gender, class and race. How do we see ourselves? What image do we project? Who do we want to be? What social conventions impose a particular way of being in the world? Can we generate a new conception of the self?

Art Madrid'23 Curated Program will be dedicated to young artists as a platform for visibility during Madrid Art Week, an event par excellence for contemporary art at a national level. It is proposed as institutional support from the fair to allow four creators the possibility to show their projects in an event and commercial space such as an art fair. Will be articulated with an installation by the artist Dela Delos (Oviedo, 1992), an installation painting by Lorena Gutiérrez (Havana 1987) and two performances that will take place during the days of the fair; the performers are Agnes Essonti (Barcelona 1996) and Alexia Sayago (Madrid. 1995). Over the next few weeks, we will discover more in-depth the works and performances of these four creators.

On the other hand, to relate the program with the proposal of the participating galleries, it is proposed to continue with the curated tour. This tour starts from a selection of works from the stands of various exhibitors, forming an itinerary to follow under the curated speech of the edition. An itinerary from the concept of "identity" will guide us through the fair, reflecting on various issues: How do we see ourselves? Who do we want to be? What image do we project? What social conventions impose a particular way of being in the world? Is our identity as clear as we think, or is it constantly reformulated throughout our lives?

Artists and galleries on the tour: Raquel Algaba from the Arancha Osoro Gallery; Roger Sanguino of DDR Art Gallery; Federico Granell from the Metro Gallery; Jorge Hernández from the Aurora Vigil-Escalera Gallery; Carsten Brauer from the Uxval Gochez Gallery; Chamo San from the N2 Gallery; Dr.Robot Gallery's Costa Gorel; Oliver Okolo of OOA Gallery; Jordi Díaz Alamá from Inéditat Galería; and Xurxo Gómez-Chao from Moret Art.

ART MADRID’ 26: 21 YEARS OF CONTEMPORARY ART

Discover all the information about the artists and galleries participating in the 21st edition of Art Madrid. The catalog features a curated selection of the works presented in this edition, along with the most relevant details of the event, making it an essential tool for engaging with the fair’s key figures and exploring the defining elements of today’s art scene.

In 2026, Art Madrid celebrates its 21st edition, further establishing itself as a leading event within Spain’s cultural sector. From March 4 to 8, the Galería de Cristal of the Palacio de Cibeles will once again become a meeting point for galleries, collectors, artists, and contemporary art enthusiasts.

Over the past twenty-one years, the fair has evolved into a dynamic and ever-expanding platform, fostering diversity in artistic languages, techniques, and discourses. In this edition, the Galleries Program brings together around 35 exhibitors from more than seven countries, offering a representative overview of the most recent developments in contemporary creation.

The Art Madrid ’26 catalog serves as a key publication for discovering the work of this edition’s galleries and artists —marked by experimentation and a plurality of perspectives— while also documenting the conceptual axes that shape the fair. As part of the Parallel Program, INHABITING THE EPHEMERAL: A Reflection on the “Species” of Spaces proposes a reflection on space, relationships, and shared experience, expanding the understanding of the fair beyond its commercial dimension and highlighting its cultural and experiential significance.

In addition, the catalog presents the initiatives that complete the program, such as the Open Booth dedicated to emerging creation, the Nebrija Space in collaboration with Nebrija University, the Performance Series “Open Infinite. What the Body Remembers,” the One Shot Collectors Program, and the Patronage Program, reaffirming the fair’s commitment to supporting, mediating, and accompanying contemporary art at every stage.

We invite you to discover more about Art Madrid ’26 through the catalog of its 21st edition — a publication that, beyond serving as documentary memory, becomes a cartography of the present artistic moment and an open door to new ways of inhabiting contemporary art.