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 CLOSES ITS 21ST EDITION AS A KEY EVENT OF MADRID ART WEEK


The Galería de Cristal of the Palacio de Cibeles hosted the 21st edition of Art Madrid from March 4 to 8, once again consolidating its role as one of the must-see events of Madrid Art Week. Over the course of five days, the fair brought together 35 national and international galleries and more than 200 artists, turning the venue into a meeting point for gallerists, collectors, professionals, and lovers of contemporary art.

Throughout its trajectory, Art Madrid has built a distinct identity, with a constant focus on giving visibility to both emerging and established galleries and on opening contemporary art to diverse audiences. Rather than being structured around a single curatorial line, the fair embraced a plural proposal, respecting the unique DNA of each exhibitor.



Art Madrid’26 presented a Gallery Program distinguished by the diversity of artistic proposals and languages, encouraging dialogue between different generations and contemporary practices. Painting, sculpture, photography, drawing, installation, and new hybrid forms coexisted in an edition that once again confirmed the dynamism of today’s art scene

During the days of the fair, nearly 20,000 visitors explored the booths of the participating galleries and enjoyed a parallel program that expanded the experience beyond the traditional exhibition format.


The Parallel Program: An Expanded Art Fair

The Parallel Program once again took center stage in the Art Madrid experience, activating the fair space through projects that explored new forms of interaction between artworks, artists, and the public.

Among the most notable initiatives was the performance series Open Infinite: What the Body Remembers, which presented a daily performative action at the fair featuring works by Colectivo La Burra Negra, Rocío Valdivieso, Amanda Gatti, and Jimena Tercero. The pieces incorporated the body as a critical device and a space of memory, reinforcing the presence of performance within Art Madrid’s programming.

The third edition of Open Booth presented Despiece. Protocolo de mutación, by Daniel Barrio, a site-specific project that transformed the booth into a landscape constructed from urban remnants and industrial materials. The installation invited visitors to physically engage with the work, creating an immersive experience within the exhibition space.

Meanwhile, Espacio Nebrija hosted the project Estancias transitorias (NotanIA SipedagogIE), a proposal by Nebrija University that reflected on Aesthetic Intelligence in the face of the growing dominance of algorithmic logic. The installation proposed a reclamation of gesture, materiality, and the time inherent to the creative process as dimensions that cannot be reduced to automation.

Lecturas. Curated Walkthroughs also returned, with itineraries designed by Zuriñe Lafón and Marisol Salanova that offered curatorial insights for exploring the fair from specific critical perspectives and expanding the visitor experience.



Patronage, Awards, and Acquisitions

Support for contemporary creation once again stood as one of the fair’s central pillars through the second edition of the Art Madrid Patronage Program, which recognizes the work of artists and strengthens the connections between galleries, collectors, and private entities.

On this occasion, the following awards were presented:

Cervezas Alhambra Emerging Artist Award Iyán Castaño, represented by Galería Arancha Osoro


One Shot Hotels Breakthrough Artist Award Joost Vandebrug, represented by KANT Gallery


In the Acquisition Awards category, several private collections incorporated works presented at the fair into their collections.


Studiolo Collection Roger Sanguino — DDR Art Gallery


Devesa Law Kim Han Ki — Banditrazos Gallery


E2IN2 Collection Albert Bonet — Inéditad Gallery


dn2 Collection Iván Baizán — Galería Arancha Osoro

These acquisitions reflect the private sector’s commitment to the development of contemporary art and contribute to advancing the professional trajectories of emerging and mid-career artists.



Collecting and Support for the Artistic Ecosystem

The promotion of collecting once again played a prominent role in this edition thanks to the One Shot Collectors program, which offered personalized advice to both new buyers and more experienced collectors, facilitating access to the contemporary art market and fostering direct relationships between artists, galleries, buyers, and collectors.


This program, together with the Patronage Program, continues to strengthen the professional ecosystem surrounding the fair and reinforce Art Madrid’s commitment to supporting contemporary creation.

Among the most notable sales were works by Antonio Ovejero, represented by CLC ARTE; Leticia Feduchi and Ángela Mena, represented by Galería Sigüenza; Idoia Cuesta and Iyán Castaño, represented by Galería Arancha Osoro; and Yasiel Elizagaray, represented by Nuno Sacramento Arte Contemporânea. Likewise, the proposals presented by Inéditad Gallery were very well received, with notable sales of works by artists Albert Bonet and Eduardo Uridales.



The overall balance of the edition has been particularly positive, with sales reported by all 35 participating galleries, confirming the strong interest from collectors and the dynamism of the market throughout the fair. Among the galleries that recorded notable commercial activity are La Mercería (Valencia), LAVIO (Murcia–Shanghai), 3 Punts Galería (Barcelona), Galerie One (Paris), Shiras Galería (Valencia), Galería Rodrigo Juarranz (Aranda de Duero), Galería São Mamede (Lisbon), Yiri Arts (Taiwan), and Trema Arte Contemporânea (Lisbon), among others.


A Fair made possible thanks to Its network of Partners

The success of Art Madrid’26 has been made possible thanks to the support of its official sponsors: Cervezas Alhambra, One Shot Hotels, Liquitex, Universidad Nebrija, and Posca, as well as the trust of its collaborators: Asociación 9915, Colección Studiolo, E2IN2, Colección dn2, Devesa Law, Enviarte, Cova 13, and Vanille Bakery Lab & Café. The fair also benefits from the involvement of its media partners and the support of various cultural organizations, private collections, and institutions that contribute to strengthening the contemporary art ecosystem.



Art Madrid: A Future Full of Possibilities

After 21 years of history, Art Madrid continues to consolidate its position as a key event in the contemporary art calendar, both nationally and internationally. Its ability to bring together galleries, artists, collectors, and institutions reinforces its role as a space for encounter, exchange, and discovery. The fair maintains a steadily growing outlook, driven by a program that evolves each year and increasingly opens up to more innovative proposals.

Thank you for being part of the 21st edition of Art Madrid. Your support is essential for continuing to promote art and culture.

See You at Art Madrid’27!