ARCOmadrid 2023: top quality galleries at an edition with the Mediterranean at its core

From February 22nd to 26th, the International Contemporary Art Fair, ARCOmadrid 2023,  once again takes centre stage on the art scene with a high participation level thanks to the sector’s confidence and commitment, reflected in the growing interest of the international galleries in a fair that has fulfilled its potential  as an active market and an outstanding place to raise the visibility of the artists while driving knowledge and research into contemporary art.

Organised by IFEMA MADRID, ARCOmadrid goes a step further in its exploration of past, present and future art practises through the proposals and contents presented, making Madrid the international contemporary art capital, with the Mediterranean region as the central theme of analysis.

On this occasion, Spanish gallery participation represents 34% of the fair, with a total of 71 galleries. For its part, the international segment is positioned at 66% -140 galleries-, of which 21% are Latin American, particularly from Argentina, Brazil, Mexico and Peru, positioning ARCOmadrid as a meeting and exchange point between Europe and Latin America.

Art Programme of ARCOmadrid 2023

A total of 211 galleries from 36 countries take part in ARCOmadrid 2023, of which 170 make up the General Programme, in addition to the curated sections: The Mediterranean: A Round Sea, with 19 galleries; Opening by Allianz, comprising 17 galleries, and Never the Same. Latin American Art, with 11 galleries.

The backbone of the Fair, the General Programme, made up of galleries selected by the Organising Committee, will incorporate around thirty international galleries participating for the first time, or returning after a long interval, such as Capitain Petzel, Contemporary Fine Arts, David Zwirner, Mendes Wood DM, Nicolai Wallner, Rüdiger Schöttle, and Timothy Taylor. While galleries including Mehdi Chouakri, Neugerriemschneider, Perrotin, Ruth Benzacar and Société are returning to place their trust in ARCOmadrid once more. Their loyalty is joined by that of Chantal Crousel, Giorgio Persano, Jocelyn Wolff, Krinzinger, Lelong, Mai 36, Meyer Riegger, Nächst St. Stephan Rosemarie Schwarzwälder, Peter Kilchmann and Thaddaeus Ropac, among others.

The research theme of ARCOmadrid this year is The Mediterranean: A Round Sea, curated by Marina Fokidis, with the advice of Bouchra Khalili, Hila Peleg and Pedro G. Romero, which aims to mobilise the relations that flow from bottom to top and side to side in an effort to reach a point the shared intensities of this geographic area converge.  

The presence of 19 galleries from 12 countries, in a specially designed space by Andrés Jacques Office for Political Innovation, will make it possible to further explore artists such as Anna Boghiguian -KOW-, Iman Issa -Rodeo-, Jumana Manna -Hollybush Gardens-, Mohamed Bourouissa -Mennour-, Stefania Strouza -A.Antonopoulou.Art-, Hana Miletić -Lambda Lambda Lambda-, Nilbar Güres -Martin Janda-, Maria Lai -M77 Gallery- and Asunción Molinos Gordo -Travesía Cuatro-.

Opening by Allianz stands out for its understanding of the international young gallery scene, bringing together a healthy selection by the curators Julia Morandeira Arrizabalaga and Yina Jiménez Suriel, of 17 proposals presented by galleries from Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia, Marseilles, Munich, Amsterdam, Cluj-Napoca, Bogota and Lima, among other cities.

In total, this section will house the work of 24 artists of varying origins and trajectories, language and gesture, such as Sands Murray-Wassink -Diez-, Diana Sofia Lozano and Nina Kintsurashvili -East Contemporary-, Hortensia Mi Kafchin y Adrian Ganea –Zina-, Augusta Lardy -Belmonte-, Maria Appleton Foco, Maria Abaddon and Xavier Coronel -Ginsberg-.

The section Never the Same. Latin American Art continues to explore the diversity of art forms, practises and sensitivities from Latin America. Curated by Mariano Mayer and Manuela Moscoso, it will be made up of a selection of artists from Latin America with a total of 11 galleries including Jaqueline Martins -Hudinilson Jr and Lia D Castro-, Max Mayer -Nicolás Guagnini-, Karen Huber -Ana Segovia-, Crisis -Aileen Gavonel and Javier Bravo de Rueda-, Proyectos Ultravioleta -Jessica Kairé- and Hache -Florencia Böhtlingk-.

These will be joined by 20 Artist Projects, presented by 22 galleries, including Jan Zöller -Ehrhardt Flórez and Meyer Riegger-; Pae White -Elvira González and Neugerriemshneider-; Ugo Rondinone -Esther Schipper-, María Teresa Hincapié & José Alejandro Restrepo -Rolf Art-; Cristina Mejías -Alarcón Criado-; Adriana Proganó -3+1 Arte Contemporânea-; Diana Larrea -Espacio Mínimo-; Pepa Prieto -Espacio Valverde; Cristina Babiloni -Galería Álvaro Alcázar-; Marcelo Brodsky -Henrique Faria-; Manolo Gil -José De La Mano-; Fabienne Verdier –Lelong-; Ana Esteve -Luis Adelantado-; Caitlin Lonegan -Nächst St. Stephan Rosemarie Schwarzwälder-; Pipo Hernández Rivero -NF/ Nieves Fernández-; Teresa Margolles -Peter Kilchmann-; ORLAN –RocioSantaCruz-; Andrea Canepa -Rosa Santos-; Evru / Zush –Senda-, and Julia Santa Olalla -T20-.

On the other hand, ArtsLibris will also return to ARCOmadrid. On its eighth edition, it will present 64 national and international exhibitors, in addition to various publication presentations in the Arts Libris Speaker´s Corner space.

As a novelty, this year ARCOmadrid will house the ART Situacions III exhibition, presenting a dialogue between the work of five emerging Spanish artists -Elena Aitzkoa, Nora Aurrekoetxea, Lucía Bayón, Aleix Plademunt and Pablo Capitán del Río- and five French-Salome Chatriot, Marie-Luce Nadal, Benoît Piéron, Elsa Brès and Yoan Sori-.

Collectors and special guests

ARCOmadrid continues to promote new collecting through different initiatives such as the renowned free advisory service for the purchase of works during the Fair, First Collectors by Fundación Banco Santander, which over the course of its 13-year trajectory has advised over 550 people. Additionally, it will once again foster the Young Collectors programme, incorporating over fifty young international collectors. All of this in addition to the classic International Buyers and Special Guests Programme, that brings close to 400 collectors and 200 professionals to Madrid from around 40 countries.

Thus, ARCOmadrid has confirmed the presence of patron collectors and museum members such as ADIAF Association pour la diffusion internationale de l’art français, Paris; Amis du Centre Pompidou, Paris; MAMCO, Geneva; Cercle d´Art Contemporain, Brussels; Collection d´Art Contemporain Groupe Emerige, Paris; MAXXI, Rome; Palais de Tokyo, Paris; Museo Reina Sofía, Madrid; Museo del Prado, Madrid, Spain; MALBA, Buenos Aires; MALI, Lima; MOLAA, Long Beach; CAPC, Bordeaux; MUAC-UNAM, Mexico City; Fundación Joan Miró, Barcelona; MACBA, Barcelona; Guggenheim Bilbao; Meadows Museum, Dallas; Museum of Cycladic Art, Athens; Royal Bank of Canada’s Art Collection; SAHA Association, Istanbul; Tate, London; Whitechapel Gallery, London; Spirit Now, London; The Cultivist, London, among others.

Awards at ARCOmadrid

On the occasion of ARCO, national and international private enterprises join the different initiatives in the form of acquisitions and distinctions awarded to artistic creation through different awards such as the Lexus Award for the Best Stand at ARCOmadrid 2023, VII Cervezas Alhambra Award for Emerging Art, XVI Premio Illy Sustainart, XVIII ARCO/BEEP Electronic Art Award, I Six Senses Ibiza Sustainable Art Award, I SOLO Acquisition Award, IX Opening by Allianz Award, Catalina d´Anglade Award and the Emerige-CPGA Award.

Additionally, Fundación ARCO grants the “A” Awards for Collecting on its 27th edition, distinguishing three collections: Juan Vergez and Patricia Pearson de Vergez; Collegium: Lorena Pérez-Jacome and Javier Lumbreras, and Alejandro Lázaro and Alejandra González.

ARCOmadrid Forum

Collecting and the Mediterranean are the core themes of research in the ARCOmadrid Forum, in different sessions open to the public.

The Forum on Collecting will enjoy the participation of Beatrice Bulgari, Gloria Moure, Dani Levinas, Mario Cader-Frech, Javier Molins, Ianko López, Carla Acevedo and Inés Katzenstein. 

The The Mediterranean: A Round Sea Forum will host sessions on the central theme of this edition, enjoying the participation of museum directors, curators, artists and other professionals. They will be directed by Marina Fokidis and coordinated by Bouchra Khalili, Hila Peleg and Pedro G. Romero.

On the other hand, the Professional Meetings, reserved exclusively for professionals and by invitation only, will focus on the Biennials Meeting, directed by Ferrán Barenblit -Cuenca-, with the participation of Inti Guerrero –Sydney-, Miguel López-Toronto, Sebastian Cichocki -EVA International- Ireland's Biennale-. And the Artists-In-Residence Meeting, directed by Emily Pethick, with the participation of Alessio Antoniolli, Fatima Bintou Rassoul, Kari Conte, Sally Mizrachi and Markus Reymann. 

Moreover, with the support of Acción Cultural Española (AC/E), ARCOmadrid will arrange various encounters between Spanish museums and international institutions led by Elvira Dyangani Ose -MACBA; Gilberto González -TEA-, Bárbara Rodríguez Muñoz -Centro Botín-, Carles Àngel Saurí -EACC-.

Design, architecture and spaces at ARCOmadrid

Architecture and design will be in the spotlight once again at this edition. This year, the Madrid-based firm HANGHAR & estudio DIIR will be responsible for designing Verbena, the Guest Lounge of ARCOmadrid 2023 with the collaboration of the Leading Brands of Spain Forum (FMRE).

The studio of Andrés Jaque, recently appointed dean of the University of Columbia, has been entrusted with designing the exhibition space of the programme The Mediterranean: A Round Sea. For his part, Pedro Pitarch will design the fair’s rest and common areas.

The Fundación ARCO Lounge, dedicated to the artist Miriam Cahn, will boast design and decoration by La Californie, and lighting by VBO Spagna. On the other hand, Munder-Skiles, Munder-Skiles, Locus Landscape and Todolí Citrus Fundació have joined together to create the new SALA AVWL -A Very Welcoming Lounge-, and Lounge 42 will be a project of Kave Home, designed by Isern Serra. 

This year, visitors to ARCOmadrid will have the chance to enjoy the gastronomy of Samantha de España in the Gourmet Court, a space decorated by Isimar, which will also house the confectionery company Cacao Sampaka.

The constant support of creativity is reinforced in 2023 with a bigger presence in publications and the clothing of the ARCOstaff. Thus, Setanta, from Barcelona, designed the new ARCO catalogue while the Italian Publisher, Nero, is responsible for the book The Mediterranean: A Round Sea. For its part, Reparto, designed the uniform of the support team.

Support from the private and institutional initiative

ARCOmadrid enjoys the support of both the private initiative and important corporations and institutions in the form of patronage in different areas or initiatives present at the Fair. Thus, this edition benefits from the institutional collaboration of Acción Cultural Española (AC/E) and AECID; in addition to that of Fundación Banco Santander; Allianz, Lexus, Technogym, Ruinart, Illy, Cervezas Alhambra, Iberia, El Corte Inglés, Frederic Malle, Schwepps, Art Situacions, Six Senses, Auara and Cacao Sampaka.

ARCOmadrid 2023 will be held from February 22nd to 26th in halls 7 and 9 of IFEMA MADRID, dedicating the first three days exclusively to professionals, and from 3 pm on Friday the 24^th, it will open its doors to the public.