Last week, ARCOmadrid, one of the largest art trade fairs in Europe, opened its doors at the IFEMA MADRID Exhibition and Convention Centre. The 42nd event, which was attended by 211 galleries from 36 countries, attracted more than 95,000 visitors from 40 countries. A palpable climate of optimism has been expressed in purchases by collectors and various government bodies that have included new works in museums and collections.

The main exhibition titled “Mediterranean: Round Sea” explores issues of space, movement and symbiosis, highlighting the rich and complex cultural geography of the Mediterranean from different perspectives.

Exhibition curated by Marina Fokidi (Kunsthalle Athena, member of Documenta 14 core group and founder of South is a mind) with co-authors Franco-Moroccan artist and activist Buhra Khalili, artist Pedro Romero from Andalusia and Israeli curator Hilla Peleg (Haus der Kulturen der Welt, Berlin) ) developed the directions of the exhibition and a rich program of public discussions, film screenings and musical events. Among them are performances through the loudspeaker, interrupting the daily flow of the fair, with the voice of the famous flamenco singer Niño d’Elche, in direct reference to the pregon, the old way of communication and information in the Iberian bazaars, and also as an expression of flamenco.

This is an alternative reading that advocates inclusion, coexistence and solidarity in the geographical space of the Mediterranean, which has been a field of exploration, warfare, trade and cultural interaction. “The Mediterranean is round, like the skirt of a whirling dervish, the repetitive gesture of a flamenco dancer, a form of traditional Greek dance, a lifeboat in the middle of the sea. In fact, everything in the world works in circular motions and patterns. The circle has no baseline. It has neither right nor left, no bottom, no top,” Ms Fokidi notes.

The exhibition space, designed by André Jacques (dean of architecture at Columbia University), promotes the visual language of the circular motif and brings together 19 artists from Mediterranean countries, most of them women.

The exhibition, although busy, is a section of remarkable works that touch upon the multifaceted socio-political realities. Female activists Sanja Ivekovic from Croatia (Mira 1 Madrid) have disappeared from the collective memory, while the work of Nilbara Guresh from Turkey (Martin Janda) shows the grim reality of the LGBTQI community as victims of hate crimes.

Minorities

Last week, one of the largest art fairs in Europe opened its doors in the Spanish capital.

Themes such as identity, migration and the cultural role of minorities are also explored in the work of Armenian-born Silvina Der Megerdichyan (Kalfayan Gallery), who raises questions about displacement, history and memory in her work Treasures (won a Golden Lion). National Participation Award at the 56th Venice Biennale, 2015). The parallel ambiguous texts accompanying the Egyptian sculptures of Iman Isa (Rodeo Gallery) question and destabilize the form and meaning of historical cultural sites.

In the context of synergy and polyphony, the artists explore historical and metaphorical connections between different regions and peoples. The water currents of Stefania Strusa’s impressive textile work (a.antonopoulou.art) explore the cross-cultural fusions that result from the exchange of goods and ideas, while the tubular ceramic sculptures of the Palestinian Humana Mana (Hollybush Gardens) look like channels that are likened to as places of the body, as well as archaeological sites.

Music shows

The cultural heritage of the Mediterranean combines contemporary art with music broadcasts from seven cities presented by Stegis Movement Radio, and outside the fair with a screening of the film “The Opening Ceremony” by Marina Giotis and a DJ set by Bill Kouligas with sounds. from different musical scenes.

The other two curatorial works of the fair are in the same spirit of visiting places of non-Western art. This is “Opening”, which brings together seventeen proposals from young galleries in Europe and Latin America. São Paulo-based HOA Gallery, which specializes in Afro-Brazilian and Queer artists, has won the Allianz Award for presenting artists Lais Amaral and Ayerson Heraclito, who combine spirituality with diversity.

The “Never the Same” section is dedicated to contemporary Latin American art. Eleven galleries present solo exhibitions in a variety of formats and practices. First appearing at the fair, Mexican gallery Karen Huber features young queer artist Ana Segovia (30), who explores toxic masculinity in a cinematic and tender way.

This year’s event features fresh visual voices and maintains its reputation as a platform for new discoveries. With relatively low fees, it allows galleries to be more ambitious and show more experimental work by artists, while supporting art as a space for dialogue and development of ideas where we can meet and talk.