MediaLab Prado faces like every December a difficult challenge: to summarise in a day the work of a whole year and share it with the citizens. With this premise, the essential date on the agenda is approaching. The 14th you can not miss “One day in a year. Annual MediaLab Prado Festival ”. With an intense and varied program of activities, the centre opens its doors to families, curious and neighbours with the purpose of turning this pre-Christmas event into an encounter of exchange, knowledge and entertainment designed for everyone: from 0 to 99 years.

For the little ones, MediaLab Prado has created a special program to stimulate all the senses. Starting with music storytellers, followed by Japanese percussion classes, going through performances that recover the poems of García Lorca, Alberti or Gloria Strong. And that's not all, because there will also be room for fantasy and imagination in activities that involve body and mind. Some of these workshops are run by Blanca Helga, a children's illustrator specialising in play-books for children that she edits in the publishing house "Hopitihop" founded by herself. With Blanca, kids can create fantastic characters from cut-outs and collages, as well as start their first artist book with digital tools. And paying attention to body expression, there will also be an experimentation workshop on the body and the way we understand it, by the hand of Giz&Gif.

The connection between art and technology will be available to visitors with an immersive virtual reality experience throughout most of the day. This proposal is in charge of the Synthetic Realities Laboratory (LabRS), one of the centre’s workgroups that investigates the development of these virtual environments. On the other hand, there will be a presentation of all the projects carried out throughout the year, among which we highlight "Dark Light", the result of collaboration with Debajo del Sombrero, BIVO and "Autofabricantes". The first one will show the result of the residences carried out in the centre by autistic artists selected by the association Debajo del Sombrero throughout 2019, with projects arising from naturalness and spontaneity without conditioning. For its part, BIVO is an initiative that seeks to raise awareness about the need for responsible energy consumption, while investigating the manufacture of prototypes that allow the generation of energy through human movement. “Autofabricantes” is a space to investigate the technological advances applied to the elaboration of prostheses through open source, in addition to maintaining a community of exchange and support between participants and families, under the guidance and contribution of the “Exando una mano” group.

Works by Andrés Fernández, "Dark Light"

And you could not miss the use of the square. In addition to breakfast with some ‘roscon’ and hot chocolate as the first thing to open the day, from 6 p.m. the LED facade will be available to visitors, first with an interactive game of ping pong, and then a sample of the projects created for this device throughout the year by institutes, universities and academies.

This is just a preview of everything to enjoy the following Saturday in a meeting designed for everyone to participate. We invite you to consult the rest of the programming HERE and make a place on the agenda for this essential appointment.

Once again! ​ 🎂 2️⃣1️⃣ ​ 💫

Art Madrid returned to the Galería de Cristal of the Palacio de Cibeles from 4 to 8 March 2026 to celebrate twenty-one years of contemporary art. Spin the wheel and we're back for a new edition! That means that in two months we'll see each other there, at the fair, at Art Madrid'26.

The roller coaster of emotions that is a whole year of work starts slowly, then accelerates until it reaches a frenetic pace. Everybody gets ready for their own "performance", depending on where they are and what their role is during those days. In our case, we go from the computer screen to the entrance of the fair, where—after a year of preparation—we know by heart the name and face of every artist and gallery owner who arrives on setup day, before the sun has even risen, to register and begin an intense week of art.

It's double the excitement ☺️ because seeing each other again that day, just before the opening, means that we've managed to organize a new edition of our event.

Leticia-Feduchi. Chair with green textile.

For more than two decades, Art Madrid has served as an international meeting place where artists, galleries, and the public come together to discuss trends, techniques, and conceptual approaches in contemporary art. After a year of preparation, the run-up to the fair generates great excitement and marks the start of a highly anticipated week... the most important one... Madrid Art Week (in Madrid)..

The fair stands out for placing artists at the center of its proposal, promoting a dialogue between each creator's personal experience and the public's perception. It thus consolidates its role as a stage for promotion, commercialization, and critical reflection in the sector, seeking to shine the spotlight for an entire week on the work of those who make an art fair possible. We all contribute to and help build it, but it is in the work of art—the one we admire and that has come from the hands of a person who does something with great perfection—where the magic truly happens and where we must focus our attention.

Antonio Barahona. The big umbrella.

In 2026, Art Madrid will bring together 185 artists from more than 25 countries in Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America, and North America: The international and multicultural nature of the fair is showcased by the presence of the following countries: Germany, Argentina, Belarus, Brazil, Cameroon, Canada, China, South Korea, Cuba, Denmark, Lebanon, Spain, the United States, Slovakia, France, Israel, Italy, Japan, Morocco, Mexico, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, the United Kingdom, Serbia, South Africa, Sweden, Taiwan, Uruguay, and Venezuela.

Of the 185 artists, 78 are participating in Art Madrid'26 for the first time and 107 are returning, reflecting a balance between innovation and continuity. Approximately 75% are national artists and the remaining 25% come from international galleries, ensuring a diverse range of styles, techniques, and discourses.

Carmen Mansilla. The color of silence.

We would like to highlight that this year the presence of female artists is particularly significant, exceeding the "50" barrier, following constant efforts to raise awareness of the importance of their participation in exhibition circuits, which remains essential. Of the 185 participants, 62 are women, and 33 of them are making their debut at the fair. These figures reflect, beyond a formal commitment, the continuous and silent work that our organization carries out to promote gender equality and give visibility to new voices in contemporary art, always from a realistic perspective and consistent with the structure of the sector. In this sense, the proposal and representation of female artists is a shared responsibility, in which the role of galleries is fundamental.

Carmen Baena. The garden blooms XI.

And if those figures haven't been enough to grab your attention, let's talk about the works you'll find at Art Madrid'26: most of them are recent creations (2023-2026).

You'll find around 2,000 works, ranging from painting and drawing to sculpture and assemblages, with sizes ranging from small formats (7×5 inches) to large canvases (79×59 inches). The main disciplines continue to be painting, sculpture, and drawing, without neglecting photography and installation. Among the paintings, oil and acrylic on classic supports (canvas, wood, board) predominate, although the use of mixed and contemporary techniques is also evident, combining oil, acrylic, spray paint, and collage on panel.

The drawings include graphite, charcoal, or pastel on paper or panel, sometimes mounted on board, and even unconventional supports such as leather. In the three-dimensional realm, we find materials as diverse as ceramics and glazed stoneware, resins and metals (steel, iron, aluminum) for industrial sculptures, carved or assembled natural wood, and organic fragments (conifer, linden, and cypress logs) integrated with natural dyes. In short, the works combine classical, industrial, and organic media, reflecting the technical diversity of contemporary art today.

A significant number of artists are participating in the fair for the first time, addressing issues such as migration, racial and gender identities, sustainability, the deconstruction of traditional languages of representation, and critical reflection on art and its own system. Architecture, design, traditional craft, languages, and digital environments have also informed the exhibition proposals for this edition..

Ramón González Palazón. ST.

We welcome the artists of Art Madrid'26 with open arms because WE LOVE THE ARTISTS! We remain committed to promoting open creative dialogue. The works stand out for their technical quality and in-depth exploration of form, color, and texture. From evocative landscapes to intimate portraits and three-dimensional pieces, each creation reflects the artists' professional commitment, forming a collection of visually striking works that invite reflection on the nature of art and its relationship with the contemporary context. Because loving artists means, above all, viewing their work with the attention it deserves.

Han Bing. Family trees.