Apertura 2013. The great Arts Show in Madrid

On December 21 - 22, the Galleries Association’s premises will be carpeting the Spanish capital with art, through the simultaneous opening of half a hundred galleries and nearly 230 exhibitions with over 500 artists, some of which come from Latin America and the Caribbean. Apertura’s 2013 edition will be showcasing the first Krëemart “art happening” in Spain, and Cuban painter Glenda Leon is the guest artist.

Apertura 2013, Madrid’s great arts show, will once again turn the Spanish capital into the international epicenter of contemporary art through the show displayed by ARTE_MADRID Galleries Association, featuring 48 premises and a program that includes guided visits private collections, museums, palaces and art centers.

On September 19 – 22, the city will be celebrating the beginning of the artistic season with a day-and-night multifaceted show, in the fourth edition of Apertura, which is going to gather collectors and experts from all over the world, in an effort to internationally foster the artistic creation and cultural industries of the capital.

The galleries that make up the Association will be offering a well-assorted international display, with such artists as John Isaacs and Dan Flavin, combined with solo shows by Spanish Jose Ramon Amondarain, Lluis Hortala and Alicia Framis, not to forget such classics as Juan Genoves or Pablo Gargallo. Viewers can also enjoy artworks created by Latin American emerging artists, including Laureana Toledo, Jose Hidalgo-Anastacio and Ximena Garrido-Lecca.

The perfect end is set for Saturday night, at Lazaro Galdiano Foundation, with the first Kreëmart “art happening” to be carried out in Spain, with a performance by Cuban artist Glenda Leon and the participation of the famous chef Paco Roncero, thus blending art and confectionery, so the attendees will have the opportunity to taste the dessert they prepare and take a copy of the 200-piece edition made by them.

Glenda Leon is a young artist that, within a relatively short period of time – she was born in Havana in 1976 –, has gained prestige around the world due to her remarkable skill to give sound to the visual mean. Her conceptual works and video-art are displayed in such museums as Paris’ Centre Georges Pompidou, Havana’s National Museum of Fine Arts, Montreal’s Museum of Fine Arts and Houston’s Museum of Fine Arts, USA, as well as galleries in Germany, Spain, Cuba and United States.

Apertura 2013 will be also offering, second year in a row and thanks to the collaboration of ARCOmadrid, four guided tours through the different gallery areas. The event’s program includes visits to private art collections of Inelcom and Jimmy Belilty, as well as extended tours to the collection of Reina Sofia Art Center National Museum, Roman Ondak’s exhibitions at the Glass Palace, Cildo Meireles’ at Velazquez Palace and Thomas Ruff’s at Alcalá 31 hall, as well as a guided visit to CA2M Centro de Arte Dos de Mayo.

Such international institutions and events as Whitney Museum, Cisneros Fontanals Art Foundation, Garage Center for Contemporary Culture or Art Basel Miami Beach shows and The Armory Show, have already hosted editions of this spectacular event with the participation of Los Carpinteros, Maurizio Cattelan, Olaf Breuning or Marina Abramovi?.

The presence of international curators has been increased this year thanks to the collaboration of Accion Cultural Española (AC/E) and its PICE Visitors Program (Program to Internationalize Spanish Culture), so some curators and collection consultants will be meeting the artists. This cooperation will have Georgia Giaokoumaki, curator from Whitechapel Art Gallery, London; Marina Coelho, founder of Kunsthalle in São Paulo; Juan Gaitan, curator of Berlin Biennale; Aileen Corkery, curator from Outside visual Art in Meeting House Square and Studio Voltaire and consultant, London; Joelle Romba, director and founder of Romba Fine Arts; and Alistair Hicks, curator and consultant for Deutsche Bank, visiting Madrid.

ARTE_MADRID Galleries Association, the organizing entity, was founded in 2000 is presently made up of 48 associated galleries, mainly distributed in three neighborhoods of the capital: Salamanca, Plaza de las Salesas and Barrio de las Letras. These galleries regularly participate in the most prestigious international shows, such as Art Basel, ARCOmadrid, Frieze, The Armory Show, FIAC, Zona MACO, ArtBo, SP- Arte, Art Cologne or Artissima, where they promote Spanish art.

The galleries that make up ARTE_MADRID carry out an intense work as intermediary agents in the creation of contemporary culture in the field of visual arts. They manage the career of the artists they represent, produce their work and save the memento of their contribution to the history of contemporary art. Their exhibition program is open to all kinds of publics and the shows can be visited for free. 

APERTURA 2013 is sponsored by Madrid’s Culture and Sports Ministry, Madrid’s City Hall, Accion Cultural Española, ARCOmadrid, Gucci, Banco Sabadell Foundation, Mini and Transferex. Likewise, the event has counted on the collaboration of Reina Sofía Art Center National Museum, Architectural Digest AD magazine, Radisson Blu Hotel Madrid Prado and Kreëmart.

- rpc