MACAM Students' Cultural Immersion in Madrid: A Journey Through Contemporary Art

MACAM Students' Cultural Immersion in Madrid: A Journey Through Contemporary Art

From March 6 to 8, students from 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 offered students firsthand experiences of contemporary artistic expressions, curatorial perspectives, and the dynamic art scene of the Spanish capital.

Madrid, known for its rich artistic heritage, also boasts a dynamic contemporary art ecosystem. Over the course of their visit, MACAM students had the opportunity to attend the renowned art fair ARCO Madrid, engage with leading institutions, independent galleries, and emerging artists; gaining invaluable perspectives on the industry.

Here’s a round-up of this action-packed trip:

Exploring Amazonian Art at 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 showcase, featuring one of the most extensive collections of contemporary and modern Peruvian art, presented a unique insight into the artistic production of the Amazon region. The exhibition, on view for the first time in Spain, revealed the powerful intersection of untamed nature, contemporary artistic languages, and ancestral traditions, providing a deep and immersive perspective into a lesser-known cultural landscape.

Discovering Pol Taburet at Pabellón de los Hexágonos

Students also explored Oh, si os pudiera escuchar, an exhibition by Parisian artist Pol Taburet, curated by Hans Ulrich Obrist and hosted at the historic Pabellón de los Hexágonos. Organized by the Sandretto Re Rebaudengo Foundation, the exhibition featured a compelling selection of paintings, drawings, and sketches depicting magical creatures in a state of constant transformation. Taburet's works challenge traditional notions of identity, gender, and existence, presenting figures that shift fluidly between human, animal, and supernatural elements.

Inside the Studio of Sandra Gamarra Heshiki

An exclusive studio visit with Peruvian artist Sandra Gamarra Heshiki provided a deeper understanding of her acclaimed project, Pinacoteca Migrante. Gamarra, who represented Spain at the Venice Biennale, shared her artistic approach to deconstructing museum narratives and questioning the representation of historically silenced voices. Through her reinterpretation of paintings from the Museum of the Americas, she addressed themes of migration, colonial histories, and institutional accountability, offering students an engaging dialogue on the role of contemporary art in shaping cultural discourse.

Jimena Kato’s Sculptural Universe at OTR

At the independent art space OTR, students encountered MAGMA, an exhibition by artist Jimena Kato. This site-specific installation redefined 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 invited viewers to reflect on the complexities of geological and artistic processes alike.

Carabanchel: A Hub of Contemporary Art Studios and Galleries

Madrid’s Carabanchel district, an emerging hotspot for contemporary art, offered students the opportunity to visit key artist studios and galleries, including:

●Carlos Garaicoa Studio - featuring works by artists such as Iván Argote, María Fernanda Chacón, and Carlos Garaicoa himself.

●Sabrina Amrani Gallery - showcasing BLIND by Carlos Aires.

●La Oficina - presenting Sueños guardados en granos de maíz by Edgar Calel.

●Belmonte Gallery - exhibiting Doble sueño de primavera (descendiente) by Andrés Izquierdo.

These visits provided an intimate look at the artists’ processes, conceptual frameworks, and engagement with contemporary socio-political issues.

Latin American Presence at Feria ARCO Madrid

The MACAM students concluded their trip with a visit to Feria ARCO Madrid, one of Europe’s leading contemporary art fairs. Latin American art was particularly prominent, with powerful exhibitions addressing colonial histories, indigeneity, and socio-political struggles. A standout project was Wametisé: Ideas para un Amazofuturismo, featuring works by Brazilian artist Anna Bella Geiger and a diverse group of twenty artists committed to the Amazon as a collective 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 lens.

This immersive experience in Madrid provided MACAM students with valuable exposure to contemporary art practices, curatorial insights, and critical discourses shaping the global art market. By engaging directly with artists, curators, and cultural institutions, students deepened their understanding of contemporary artistic production and the interconnected narratives of art, history, and identity.

As the next generation of art professionals, these experiences will undoubtedly inform their future careers, equipping them with the knowledge and perspectives needed to navigate and contribute to the evolving art world.