Students' Cultural Immersion in Madrid: A Journey Through Contemporary Art
From March 6 to 8, students in the MBA in Contemporary Art, Sales, Display and Collecting (MACAM) visited Madrid on a study trip, accompanied by professors Laszla Esquivel, Carolina Ariza, and Grecia Cáceres. This enriching trip allowed them to experience contemporary artistic expressions, curatorial perspectives, and the dynamic art scene of the Spanish capital firsthand.
Madrid, renowned for its rich artistic heritage, also has a dynamic contemporary art ecosystem. During their visit, the MACAM students had the opportunity to attend the prestigious ARCO Madrid art fair, meet leading institutions, independent galleries, and emerging artists, gaining valuable insights into the art industry.
Here is a summary of this intense trip:
Exploring Amazonian Art at the Museo Lázaro Galdiano
One of the highlights of the trip was the visit to the exhibition Amazonía Contemporánea. Colección Hochschild Correa - Perú, curated by Christian Bendayán. This exhibition, which presents one of the most extensive collections of Peruvian contemporary and modern art, offered a unique glimpse into the artistic production of the Amazon region. Presented for the first time in Spain, the exhibition revealed the powerful intersection of wild nature, contemporary artistic languages, and ancestral traditions, offering an immersive perspective on a little-known cultural landscape.
Discovering Pol Taburet at the Pabellón de los Hexágonos
The students also explored Oh, si os pudiera escuchar, an exhibition by Parisian artist Pol Taburet, curated by Hans Ulrich Obrist and hosted at the Pabellón de los Hexágonos. Organized by the Fondazione Sandretto Re Rebaudengo, this exhibition presented a striking selection of paintings, drawings, and sketches featuring magical creatures in constant transformation. Taburet’s works challenge traditional notions of identity, gender, and existence, offering figures moving fluidly between the human, the animal, and the supernatural.
Immersion in Sandra Gamarra Heshiki’s Studio
An exclusive visit to the studio of Peruvian artist Sandra Gamarra Heshiki helped students better understand her acclaimed project Pinacoteca Migrante. Gamarra, who represented Spain at the Venice Biennale, shared her artistic approach aimed at deconstructing museum narratives and questioning the representation of historically marginalized voices. Through her reinterpretation of paintings from the Museo de América, she addresses themes of migration, colonial histories, and institutional responsibility, offering students a captivating dialogue on the role of contemporary art in shaping cultural discourse.
Jimena Kato’s Sculptural World at OTR
At the independent art space OTR, students discovered MAGMA, an exhibition by artist Jimena Kato. This site-specific installation redefines the artist’s sculptural practice by drawing parallels between the natural formation of magma and artistic creation. By tracing the transformation of materials over time, Kato’s work invites viewers to reflect on the complexities of geological and artistic processes.
Carabanchel: A Hub of Studios and Contemporary Art Galleries
Madrid’s Carabanchel district, an emerging center of contemporary art, offered students the opportunity to visit several key artist studios and galleries, including:
Carlos Garaicoa Studio – presenting works by artists such as Iván Argote, María Fernanda Chacón, and Carlos Garaicoa himself.
Sabrina Amrani Gallery – hosting BLIND by Carlos Aires.
La Oficina – exhibiting Sueños guardados en granos de maíz by Edgar Calel.
Belmonte Gallery – presenting Doble sueño de primavera (descendiente) by Andrés Izquierdo.
These visits offered an intimate look at the artistic processes, conceptual frameworks, and artists' engagement with contemporary sociopolitical issues.
The Latin American Presence at the Feria ARCO Madrid
The MACAM students concluded their trip with a visit to the Feria ARCO Madrid, one of the leading contemporary art fairs in Europe. Latin American art was particularly highlighted there, with powerful exhibitions addressing colonial histories, indigeneity, and sociopolitical struggles. One of the most striking projects was Wametisé: Ideas para un Amazofuturismo, featuring works by the Brazilian artist Anna Bella Geiger as well as a collective of twenty artists committed to the Amazonian cause. Curated by Maria Wills (Colombia) and Denisol Baniwa (Brazil), this exhibition explored themes of resistance, healing, and the reimagining of futures through an Amazonian perspective.
This immersive stay in Madrid gave the MACAM students valuable exposure to contemporary artistic practices, curatorial visions, and critical discourses shaping the global art market. By engaging directly with artists, curators, and cultural institutions, the students deepened their understanding of contemporary art production and the interconnected narratives of art, history, and identity.
As the next generation of art professionals, these experiences will undoubtedly help shape their careers, giving them the knowledge and perspectives needed to evolve and contribute to the ever-changing art world.