It’s the most wonderful time of the year! It’s Madrid Art Week and that means that this weekend will be chock-a-block of art fairs. But how to you know which one to choose? If, like me, you have a puente and a free schedule, you might consider just hitting up as many as possible and it’s certainly do-able but if you don’t have as much time, money or energy, here’s a handy guide.
7 Madrid art fairs to check out this weekend:
1. Drawing Room
I’m going to start out with Drawing Room which is my personal favourite and the one I try to head to every year. I like Drawing Room because it’s smaller and a bit more intimate than a lot of the other fairs. It takes place at the Palacio Santa Barbara at Alonso Martinez which has 2 stories, I believe. As the name suggests, Drawing Room focuses on illustration and so you often get to see art that’s a lot more naturally inspired, a bit more minimal and often very intricate. Drawing Room is open to the public from Thursday Feb 26th and runs until Sunday March 1st. General entrance is 10 euros.
2. Art Madrid
Next up is my second favourite, Art Madrid. If you want a bigger art fair feel with more diversity of art styles and mediums but don’t want to go for broke with ARCO, Art Madrid is a good alternative. I have come across many of my favourite artists there like Lino Lago and Alejandra Atares (seriously check their work out!) but as it’s bigger, it does warrant a bit more time. I would say you should expect to spend at least 2 hours there. Art Madrid takes place at the Crystal Gallery part of Cibeles and it is already open to the public. It runs from Wed 26th to March 1st and a general ticket will set you back 15 euros. There is a student discount available though which will cost you 12 euros.
3. Urvanity
Next up, I would recommend Urvanity which takes place at COAM. If you like your art to be a little out there, brighter and more unusual, then Urvanity is the one for you. I went to Urvanity for the first time just last year and I quite enjoyed it. The art there is bursting with colour and a lot of the art was very political. There were lots of messages about the excesses of capitalism, feminism, the costs of war, and concerns about the environment.
Urvanity doesn’t pull its punches and that social consciousness often carries over into the art talks that they have every day throughout the fair. These talks are FREE and completely open (unlike at most of the other fairs where you have to reserve in advance) and they discuss challenges and concerns facing the contemporary art world and today’s artists. Urvanity also takes art to the streets by sponsoring major street art projects throughout the city which you can find on their website under Art Walls. Urvanity is only open to the public from Friday 28th to Sunday March 1st. A one day ticket costs 10 euros while a 3 day abono costs 25 euros.
4. Hybrid
The other big alternative art fair is Hybrid. Hybrid is the cool kids art fair. It takes place in a swanky hotel in Malasaña, the art is set up in rooms on multiple floors and it boasts a ton of musical guests and a cool hang out/party space as well. Hybrid welcomes the more provocative works. If you’re looking for art that’s more experimental and if you want to get real up close and personal with the artists, then you would probably love Hybrid. Hybrid takes place at the Hotel Petit Palace and is open to visits from Friday February 28th to Sunday March 1st. A one day ticket will cost 9 euros while the 3 day abono is just 14 euros. You can save a euro if you buy your ticket online.
5. Salon de Arte Moderno
Now if you want to get off the beaten path and head to an art fair that’s a little bit less well known, head down to Salamanca for the Salon de Arte Moderno. This art fair takes place at a nondescript building at Calle Velazquez, 12 which is actually where Drawing Room was held the first year I attended it. SAM is open from February 24th to March 1st. If you want some help navigating the artworks on display, you can sign up for one of their twice daily guided tours. There is also a fantastic gastronomic component to SAM where selected restaurants in the Salamanca neighbourhood like Amazonico or El Perro y La Galleta have a special, art-inspired dish just for the duration of the fair. SAM is free! You just need to sign up for an invitation on their website.
6. Just Mad
Just Mad is another pretty big fair which has a little bit of everything. I would particularly recommend it for fans of sculpture as I saw quite a few sculptural pieces there last year. It takes place at Palacio Neptuno just off the Triangle of Art. For me, Just Mad was the most impersonal art fair that I went to. I feel that it is garnered more towards art buyers and collectors instead of just the casual viewer but there are a lot of great pieces so if you’re happy to let the art speak for itself and you don’t necessarily want to meet a lot of artists, don’t let me dissuade you. And of course, you can have wonderful, enlightening conversations with the gallery representatives as well. There are also guided tours you can sign up for on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. General entrance tickets cost 13 euros while the reduced tickets (for students) are just 7!
7. ARCO
And the last one is the elephant in the room, the big Kahuna, the mother of all art fairs in Madrid, ARCO. I have never been to ARCO, although I want to, but I’m sure it’s a tremendous experience and something you need at least half a day to visit. There are discussions and meetings between Spanish and international museums. It takes place at IFEMA and is open to the public from midday on Friday until Sunday 1st. General entrance on Friday and Saturday is 40 euros while it’s 30 on Sunday. Students meanwhile pay only 20 euros any day!
Hope you enjoy Madrid Art Week!
Whoo, we made it to the end of the list! If you read all of this, I salute you and I hope you have a wonderful weekend, discovering new artists and talking to them about their work. Don’t be shy! Remember, artists want their work to be seen and I have honestly never come across an artist who wasn’t happy and excited to talk about their pieces with me. Art is for everyone, including the non-industry casuals like you perhaps and me. Enjoy! But be sure to pace yourself and wash your hands.
*Most images are from Esmadrid.com, Madrid’s official tourism website. Feature image is from @artmadridferia
By Kristen Wiltshire (IG: @makidocious)
When she’s not at a museum or the movies, Kristen can usually be found trying to make headway in her giant pile of books or her miles long Netflix queue. She also runs Madrid Art and Culture, a Facebook group dedicated to Madrid’s myriad cultural offerings.
