PHotoEspaña turns 20, and this edition offers an extensive proposal where the multiple facets of photography are explored: from author books to contests and, of course, exhibitions. Among such offer is easy to get lost, so we bring you our particular selection, although we invite you to take the opportunity to enjoy this discipline in depth.

The elegant Senegal of the first half of the 20th century. Anonymous of Saint-Louis and Mama Casset

We begin with an exhibition that goes beyond the traditional guidelines of European photography: the Senegalese images of the early 20th century when Senegal was still French Sudan. Far from the typical compositions of colonial air in which the environment is portrayed from a Westernised perspective, these photographs, mostly anonymous, show an alternative reality, more natural and free. Many of these images were taken by the local workers of the photography studios opened by the French displaced to the colonies, improvised artists who knew how to express a beautiful joy of living.

Where: Círculo de Bellas Artes - Sala Goya

Elliott Erwitt, Self-portrait, France Saint-Tropez, 1979

Players. Magnum photographers enter the game

This exhibition gathers the funniest facet of Magnum’s Agency photographers. Although many of them have specialised in photojournalism, there is no lack of those images that, by chance, take the most joyful side of situations. Coincidence and quick shooting, are the maxims of this collection that brings together 150 works by 20 authors with which it is intended to show a vision of the professional photographer where flexibility and humour still have room.

Where: Fundación Telefónica Space

Tomás de Acillona. The pictorialist experimentation

This author is one of the maximum representatives of photographic pictorialism in our country. His career began in the 20s, with a very experimental work from he built up his particular style. In the decade of the 30s, he already counted on a massive production that went from the still life to the portrait, from the landscape to the day-to-day scenes. A way to recover this important figure of national photography and know more in detail this style of work, typical of the beginnings of the discipline.

Where: National Museum of Romanticism

Primitive data 5-38 (2016) Photograph © Montserrat Soto. VEGAP Madrid

Montserrat Soto. Imprimatur

Video and photography serve this artist to generate a narrative around our cultural heritage. This proposal wants to go further in the understanding of the symbolic and message patterns that mark the history of art, today devoid of that previous knowledge to see in the works something more than technical and aesthetic quality. It is a critical and daring project, where contemporary discourse is opposed to traditional narrative and traditional religious painting.

Where: Community of Madrid - Sala Alcalá 31

Sebastián Bejarano. PHE Talent Award

This photographer was selected as a prominent talent among the students of the PHotoEspaña master's degree. His project "El caso 433" is a photographic-literary proposal that creates a photo-story on how to steal the Colombian treasure Quimbaya, a fundamental exponent of this cultural heritage that embraces a broad community within the American country.

Where: FNAC Callao - Preciados Street !

At the most recent edition of Art Madrid, artist Luis Olaso (Bilbao, 1986), represented by Kur Art Gallery (San Sebastián), received the Residency Prize of the Art Madrid Patronage Program. This award, the result of a collaboration between Art Madrid, DOM Art Residence, and the Italian association ExtrArtis, enabled him to undertake an artistic residency in Sorrento (Italy) in August 2025.

Through initiatives like this, the fair reaffirms its support for contemporary creation—a commitment aimed at increasing artists’ visibility and strengthening art collecting through concrete actions such as acquisition prizes, recognition of emerging talents, and international residencies.

Artists in Residence. DOM & ExtrArtis. Image courtesy of Agata D’Esposito.

The DOM & ExtrArtis 2025 Residency Program took place in Sorrento from August 1 to 31, 2025. The artists lived together at Relais La Rupe, a 16th-century villa surrounded by cliffs and centuries-old gardens, which became an ideal setting for experimentation and exchange.

In this edition, residents worked around the theme “Reimagining Genius Loci”, an invitation to reflect on how the movement of people and traditions transforms the “spirit of place.” During the residency, DOM organized two public group exhibitions: the first to present the artists’ previous work, and the second to showcase the projects developed in Sorrento.

Work by Luis Olaso. DOM & ExtrArtis. Image courtesy of Agata D’Esposito.

Luis Olaso’s work moves between expressionist figuration and abstraction, always employing a pictorial language charged with strength and emotion. Initially self-taught, he later graduated in Fine Arts and has developed a solid international career, with exhibitions at venues including JD Malat (London) and Makasiini Contemporary (Turku, Finland), and participation in fairs such as Untitled Miami, Estampa, and Art Madrid itself.

His work is part of prestigious collections, including the Tokyo Contemporary Art Foundation, Fundación SIMCO, and the Provincial Council of Bizkaia, and has been recognized in competitions such as the Reina Sofía Prize for Painting and Sculpture and the Ibercaja Young Painting Prize.

In Sorrento, Olaso found a unique context to expand his pictorial research, engaging in dialogue with the Mediterranean landscape and the region’s historical heritage. The residency provided him with time, resources, and a framework for exchange with other international artists, fostering the production of new works that were later presented in the group exhibitions organized by DOM.

Luis Olaso working on his project. DOM & ExtrArtis. Image courtesy of DOM.

Luis Olaso’s experience at DOM Art Residence concluded with a public showcase of the works produced, reinforcing his presence on the international circuit and consolidating his position as one of the most prominent Basque artists on the contemporary scene.

Through initiatives such as this, Art Madrid demonstrates its active role as a platform for direct support of contemporary creation, creating opportunities for research, production, and intercultural dialogue that extend beyond the fair itself and accompany artists in their professional development.