ARCOmadrid 2016 35th Anniversary: Imagining other futures

The Fair, which will celebrate its 35th anniversary in February 2016, is working on an innovative project to commemorate this milestone. It will focus on inviting 35 galleries from around the world that have been selected by a prestigious team of curators. The programme aims to a be a forum for the last 35 years of international contemporary art and its future through an open dialogue between the Fair's past and present

This tribute will also be reflected in the guest programme which is to include renowned collectors, critics and professionals who have formed part of ARCOmadrid's history

The period for participant applications is open until 3 July 2015 at www.arco.ifema.es

ARCOmadrid, a fair organised by IFEMA, will commemorate its 35th Anniversary from 24 to 28 February 2016. To celebrate this symbolic milestone, a project is being developed that will involve many of the leading figures who have contributed to bringing content to the Fair over the course of its history. Thus, as part of its tribute, ARCOmadrid will invite art galleries, institutions, professionals and collectors who have taken part in the last 35 editions to celebrate this unique event that seeks to combine a look back over the past and, at the same time, a vision of the future and the new generations of contemporary art.

Over these last 35 years, ARCOmadrid has been a meeting place, a market and a space for dialogue. These three and a half decades have helped to generate and promote the national art scene and to recognise more distant, emerging scenes at the hand of the curators; it has been a commercial fair that has brought business to galleries; a singular meeting point for critics and theorists, curators, collectors and museum directors; and a space to discover artists.

35th Anniversary Project

The 35th Anniversary of ARCOmadrid will celebrate its past by looking into the future with a selection of galleries curated by María de Corral, Catalina Lozano and Aaron Moulton. A total of 35 galleries from different countries will be invited to take part in the Imagining Other Futures section with projects featuring two artists per booth. In short, they will represent dialogues between artists that explain either their history at ARCOmadrid or how they imagine their own futures. This section will be a forum for the last 35 years of international contemporary art and will provide a forecast of the art scene for the next few decades.

In the words of the curators: “Throughout the last 35 years, ARCOmadrid has established itself as an essential stop on the international contemporary art scene. The special 35th Anniversary section will pay tribute to this history by presenting artists from different generations side-by-side, and establishing a dialogue to show the diversity of today's artistic practice.”

In selecting the 35 galleries for this section, the curatorial team will analyse the quality of the galleries, their contribution to ARCOmadrid over the years, and their essential role in the international contemporary art market.

Along with this special commemorative programme, ARCOmadrid will once again include its main section, the General Programme, with galleries selected by the Organising Committee. This section will continue to present projects featuring individual artists or artists in dialogue, reinforcing the Fair's reputation as a place to discover new talents.

The Fair's investigation into Latin American art will be rekindled this year in the Solo Projects section, with a team of curators led by Irene Hofmann and Lucía Sanromán, who will select artistic projects that communicate with the professionals and collectors most interested in the artistic creation from that continent.

Moreover, Opening will also be back at ARCOmadrid representing younger galleries selected by Juan Canela, who will join the team along with Chris Sharp. In line with the rest of the Fair's contents, these curated projects will also include individual or dialogued presentations, which will allow collectors and visitors to delve into artists' newest creations that serve to explain the present.

Guest programme

Over the course of its history, ARCOmadrid has been recognised as having been one of the first fairs in the world to incorporate the voices of contemporary art professionals, thus becoming an essential meeting place for critics, curators, museum directors and other professionals to come together to share projects and knowledge.

In its 35th Anniversary edition, in addition to continuing along this line, ARCOmadrid will ramp up its guest programme with the help of leading art-world players who have contributed to the Fair's history and who will be able to play their part in the Professional Meetings and the Forum.

Furthermore, this programme will include private collectors, museum and foundation directors that are especially interested in expanding their collections at the Fair, thus generating business and new relationships for participating galleries.

CURATORS:

Imagining other futures
María de Corral, critic and freelance curator. Founder of ExpoActual, Madrid
Catalina Lozano, freelance curator and co-founder of de_sitio, Mexico
Aaron Moulton, curator. Gagosian Gallery, Los Angeles

Solo Projects
Irene Hofmann, director and chief curator of SITE Santa Fe, USA
Lucía Sanromán, freelance curator and writer, Mexico

Opening
Juan Canela, freelance curator and critic, founder and curator of the BAR project, Barcelona
Chris Sharp, writer, freelance curator and co-founder of Lulu, Mexico
ORGANISING COMMITTEE | Gallery representation:

Josep Aloy
POLÍGRAFA OBRA GRÁFICA, Barcelona

Mira Bernabeu
ESPAIVISOR, Valencia

Luciana Brito
LUCIANA BRITO GALERÍA, Sao Paulo

Pedro Cera
GALERÍA PEDRO CERA, Lisboa

Christopher Grimes
CHRISTOPHER GRIMES GALLERY, Santa Mónica

Alex Mor
MOR . CHARPENTIER, París

Iñigo Navarro
GALERÍA LEANDRO NAVARRO, Madrid

Silvia Ortiz
TRAVESÍA CUATRO, Madrid / Guadalajara (México)

Guillermo Romero de Parra
GALERÍA PARRA & ROMERO, Madrid

Thomas SCHULTE
THOMAS SCHULTE GALLERY, Berlín