Art Madrid'26 – LECTURAS CURATED WALKTHROUGHS X ART MADRID

Lecturas: Curated Walkthroughs X Art Madrid.

LECTURAS CURATED WALKTHROUGHS X ART MADRID

Lecturas: Curated Walkthroughs X Art Madrid is one of the initiatives that are part of the Parallel Program of the 19th edition of Art Madrid. And it is possible thanks to the collaboration of ONE SHOT HOTELS, one of the official sponsors of Art Madrid'24.

For the occasion, we have invited the cultural mediator Eugenia Tenenbaum and the curator Óscar Manrique to accompany the exhibition proposals of this edition; from their places of enunciation, both curators propose two thematic routes that dialogue on the reality of our social context. The curators have selected a group of works from the wide range of artistic proposals that will be presented in this edition, in order to question, from a critical perspective, how alternative discourses can be built around the issues that permeate the invisible line that separates art and life.

The purpose of Lecturas: Curated Walkthroughs X Art Madrid is to explore contemporary creation as a tool to generate new meanings about the art produced in our context. Each curator has raised a group of questions that serve as a common thread to bring the public closer to manifestations such as painting; or to question the frictions and tensions that can occur between some pieces and others, and how we can connect these sometimes "invisible" relationships in the work of the artists who are part of both itineraries.

The curated walkthroughs will allow participants to approach different artistic styles and perspectives, to recognize the languages with which contemporary art operates in the context of an art fair, and to participate in a mediation initiative that proposes to activate the aesthetic experience transcending mere contemplation.

Approaching art is not only about observing, but also about understanding and connecting with the emotions that the works evoke. With this objective in mind, we propose two thematic itineraries that move away from traditional itineraries and focus on the depth of meaning and narrative behind each work, creating an enriching experience for the public attending Art Madrid'24.

TENSIONS AND FRICTIONS IN THE HISTORY OF ART. A CURATED WALKTHROUGH BY EUGENIA TENENBAUM

What are the tensions that exist in Art History and in the spaces that inhabit it? In the tour curated by art historian Eugenia Tenenbaum, the notions of "friction" and "tension" are materialized in the possible conversations that can be held between artist and work, spectator and space, art and market. Tensions sometimes of an identitary nature, others of a formal and some of a political nature, this tour aims to open a space for dialogue and reflection on the possibilities of the art market to adjust to the passage of time, to the needs of the population and to the social debates that point to a more just, diverse and inclusive future.

ABOUT EUGENIA TENENBAUM

Art historian specialized in gender perspective, Eugenia Tenenbaum is dedicated to cultural diffusion and art criticism in social networks, mainly Instagram and Patreon. As a communicator, she also works as a guide, lecturer and workshop leader on art, feminisms and the impact of gender relations on the creation, reception and dissemination of artistic production in congresses, universities, institutes, museums and other spaces. In 2022 she published her first book, "La mirada inquieta", an essay on art, and in April 2023 her first work of fiction, "Las mujeres detrás de Picasso".

Eugenia Tenenbaum.

AFTER A SUPPOSED PAINTING CRISIS. A CURATED WALKTHROUGH BY ÓSCAR MANRIQUE

Our visual reality is plagued by images that are born, develop and die at a dizzying speed, as we perceive life through screens in which a multitude of meanings are agglomerated in an almost aberrant manner. Painting today has to deal with this "pantallocracy", it has to fight its own battle against this visual monotony, and the answers are as varied as they are stimulating. Much has been said about the crisis of painting that this situation has caused, along with the preference of museums and institutions for other solutions that move away from the canvas in the search for more innovative and political proposals; however, the pictorial fact is still not exhausted, the fairs continue to claim painting and language can continue to surprise us despite being "out of fashion", a fact that in my opinion has been imposed, because as we see in fairs like Art Madrid, painting remains. To this purpose, the tour proposed by Oscar Manrique will analyze the various pictorial solutions born of the desire to renew the discipline, from an expanded painting where traditional formats evolve to other, not so conventional ones, the new figurations influenced by television and the mass media, to others that try to compete with the photographic image or resort to resources as old as trompe l'oeil to dignify human technique before the machine.

ABOUT ÓSCAR MANRIQUE

Independent curator, critic and art historian specialized in visual studies. His research focuses on an anthropology of the image, studying the metamorphoses that images can undergo in the contemporary world. He also works from an archeology of the present, interested in speaking from the residual, the everyday, or the kitsch; and ultimately from everything that historiography has discarded and that now serves to establish new and diverse readings, especially those that foresee ways to look to the future. He works from an ecology of images, with references to all kinds of culture - plastic, literary, cinematographic, musical... - which leads him to be a faithful defender of current discourses on aesthetics, understanding it as a social construction of visual experience that defends ocular desire as a defining element of being. Since 2023 he directs the curatorial branch of the Ginsberg + TZU gallery (Madrid-Lima), inspired by the ability of art to build bridges and bring borders closer, turning the project into a platform where artists, both emerging and established, can continue to create freely, expanding discourses and presenting new ideas.

Óscar Manrique.




ART MADRID '26: 21 YEARS OF CONTEMPORARY ART



In 2026, Art Madrid will celebrate its 21st edition, further consolidating its position as a leading contemporary art fair in Spain. From 4 to 8 March, the fair will bring together thirty-five national and international galleries at the Galería de Cristal of the Palacio de Cibeles. Returning to its date during Madrid Art Week, Art Madrid reaffirms its pioneering role by expanding the fair calendar and offering an open and enriching dialogue in which diverse artistic proposals coexist.


Throughout its history, Art Madrid has established itself as a leading presence in the contemporary art scene. It is renowned for its commitment to promoting both emerging and established galleries, and for its dedication to making contemporary art accessible to a diverse range of audiences.

Far from being a fair curated under a single curatorial line, Art Madrid promotes diversity in its offering, respecting the identity of each exhibitor and promoting a plural creative ecosystem that reflects the richness and differences of the current art scene.


Art Madrid '25. Photo by Lucas Amillano


GALLERY PROGRAM: AN ACTIVE MAP OF CONTEMPORARY CREATION


The Gallery Program is at the heart of Art Madrid’26. For this edition, thirty-five national and international galleries will participate in a space that celebrates experimentation, hybrid languages, and the latest artistic production. The selection of proposals constitutes a representative mosaic of the aesthetics, discourses, and contemporary practices that are shaping the present of art in Europe.

The Galería de Cristal of the Palacio de Cibeles will once again be transformed into a dynamic space where the exhibitions interact with each other, inviting the public to explore visual narratives that show the evolution of contemporary languages. Works that experiment with new media, formal investigations that reformulate traditional techniques, pieces that reflect on the links between technology and humanity, and poetic approaches that explore territory, identity, or memory make up a plural, stimulating journey open to multiple interpretations.

Art Madrid also continues to strive to become a platform for discovery, allowing both professionals and visitors to identify new voices and consolidate relationships with artists who are already emerging as leaders within the contemporary cultural landscape.


Art Madrid '25. Photo by Lucas Amillano


NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL EXHIBITORS

Thirty-five galleries are participating in this edition, twenty-seven of which are returning after finding the fair to be a favourable environment in which to strengthen connections, increase visibility and promote their artists' work on an international scene.

Twenty-six of these are Spanish galleries from various regions of the country: 3 Punts Gallery (Barcelona), Alba Cabrera Gallery (Valencia), Aurora Vigil-Escalera (Gijón), CLC ARTE (Valencia), DDR Art Gallery (Madrid), Est_ArtSpace (Madrid), g • gallery (Barcelona), Galería Arancha Osoro (Oviedo), Galería BAT alberto cornejo (Madrid), Galería Beatriz Pereira (Plasencia), Galería Carmen Terreros (Zaragoza), Galería Espiral (Noja), Galería La Mercería (Valencia), Galería Luisa Pita (Santiago de Compostela), Galería María Aguilar (Cadiz), Metro Gallery (Santiago de Compostela), Rodrigo Juarranz Gallery (Aranda de Duero), Sigüenza Gallery (Sigüenza), Gerhardt Braun Gallery (Palma de Mallorca | Madrid), Inéditad Gallery (Barcelona), Kur Art Gallery (San Sebastián), LAVIO (Murcia | Shanghai), Moret Art (A Coruña), Pigment Gallery (Barcelona), Shiras Galería (Valencia) and Uxval Gochez Gallery (Barcelona). This selection of galleries highlights the importance of the Spanish scene and its contribution to the development of the contemporary cultural ecosystem.


Art Madrid '25. Photo by Lucas Amillano


The nine international galleries participating in this edition are: Banditrazos Gallery (Seoul, South Korea), Collage Habana (Havana, Cuba), Galeria São Mamede (Lisbon, Portugal), Galerie ONE (Paris, France), KANT Gallery (Copenhagen, Denmark | Palma de Mallorca, Spain), Loo & Lou Gallery (Paris, France), Nuno Sacramento Arte Contemporânea (Ílhavo, Portugal), Trema Arte Contemporânea (Lisbon, Portugal) and Yiri Arts (Taipei, Taiwan). Their participation broadens the fair's international reach, promoting creative and conceptual exchange between diverse artistic perspectives.

In addition, eight new galleries have been added to the list of exhibitors:

Banditrazos Gallery (Seoul, South Korea), Est_ArtSpace (Madrid, Spain), g • gallery (Barcelona, Spain), Galería Beatriz Pereira (Plasencia, Spain), Galerie ONE (Paris, France), Galería Sigüenza (Sigüenza, Spain), Gerhardt Braun Gallery (Palma de Mallorca | Madrid, Spain) and KANT Gallery (Copenhagen, Denmark | Palma de Mallorca). These additions reinforce Art Madrid's commitment to continuous renewal and openness to spaces that are exploring new approaches to contemporary art.


Art Madrid '25. Photo by Lucas Amillano


PARALLEL PROGRAM: A REFLECTION ON THE ‘SPECIES’ OF SPACES


One of the great attractions of Art Madrid is its Parallel Program, which this time delves into the notions of: ‘Fragments, relationships, and imaginary distances.’ This approach turns the fair into an expanded space, where art, audience, architecture, and memory converge. Thus, the Parallel Program proposes a critical approach to the container of the event itself. Taking as a reference the reading of Species of Spaces by Georges Perec (Perec, Georges. Species of Spaces. Montesinos, 2004), it adopts a marked interest in the everyday, that which usually goes unnoticed, the infra-ordinary, giving each corner of the venue its own narrative value.

Another of the conceptual references of this edition is based on an analysis of Édouard Glissant's Poetics of Relation (Glissant, Édouard. Poetics of Relation; Prologue by Manuel Rebón. - 1st ed. - Bernal: Universidad Nacional de Quilmes, 2017.), which advocates the coexistence of differences and the importance of non-totalizing links, which are extrapolated to the art system, proposing an understanding of it as a network of exchanges and connections that respect the uniqueness of each cultural practice and actor.

‘Imaginary distances,’ understood as subjective journeys and affective cartographies traced by visitors, thus become the conceptual axis that articulates this program. This perspective transforms the Fair into an experience that goes beyond visual contemplation, turning it into a territory that can be collectively reconstructed, without losing sight of the paths travelled by the individuality of each voice.

In this edition, the Parallel Program encourages visitors to engage with the space and its projects, turning contemplation into an opportunity to question and interact with things that might otherwise go unnoticed in everyday life.


Art Madrid '25. Photo by Lucas Amillano


In the preview and during Art Week, Art Madrid'26 offers a range of experiences that allow the public to get closer to the creative process and practices of the participating artists. Among the returning initiatives are the Interview Program, Curated Walkthroughs, the third edition of Open Booth, dedicated to emerging creation, the presentation of Espacio Nebrija, a university project in collaboration with Nebrija University, alongside the fair’s established Performance Cycle.

In addition, the One Shot Collectors Program and the second edition of the Patronage Program are back. These initiatives seek to strengthen the bond between collectors, artists, and the public, promoting ethical, informed, and responsible practices in collecting and patronage.


Art Madrid '25. Photo by Lucas Amillano


Art Madrid'26 has established itself as a dynamic meeting place, where diverse experiences, discourses, and practices converge. Far from being a fair curated under a single curatorial line, Art Madrid promotes diversity as a structuring principle, respecting the identity of each exhibitor and fostering a plural creative ecosystem. This plurality is not merely formal, but translates into a network of practices, languages, and perspectives that reflects the complexity, richness, and tensions of the contemporary art scene, consolidating the fair as a catalyst for cultural relations, an observatory of emerging trends, and an international reference point for the Spanish art scene.

WELCOME TO ART MADRID'26