The return of Trump to the White House can be «breathed» in the form of a «response, question, or concern»
It anticipates a tribute to Helga de Alvear and ensures a generational change despite the death of the gallery owner and the retirement of Juana de Aizpuru
The director of the ARCOmadrid art fair, Maribel López, has stated that there has always been talk of sexual violence in contemporary art, although, despite the current «alert moment,» she does not believe that this changes artistic practices.
«It is not reflected so much in the works, it will be in the work of some person. I find it difficult to reduce. But sexual violence has always been talked about in contemporary art. Topics with media visibility have been discussed (…) Since art has conceptual and complex ways, it does not always come to light or is seen so clearly, but it has always happened. Now is a moment of great alert, but that does not change artistic practices so much,» López pointed out in an interview with Europa Press.
In her opinion, the demands surrounding this scourge go hand in hand with creation. «It is reflected, but when something is reflected in a very frontal way in art, it is when it is being simplified. We have to look deeply because in many things that may not seem like it, these demands are being made. For me, that is the richness of art, which has many layers,» she added.
ARCOmadrid 2025, which repeats dates in March — it will be held from 5 to 9 at the Ifema venue in Madrid — will have the Amazon as its central theme and will be the first edition without the emblematic gallery owner and collector Helga de Alvear, who passed away on February 3. «Her gallery will be in a special way, not normal. We are going to pay a very special tribute to her,» she pointed out.
López has stated that Helga de Alvear or the gallery owner Juana de Aizpuru, who is already retired, have built a «respect and admiration» for the profession, while also ensuring that there will not be a feeling of «orphanhood» without them, because the galleries are «prepared.»
«There is a very nice thing, which is that respect for that tradition. Whenever I talk about ARCO, I start by talking about Juana de Aizpuru, that is very important to me, but it is also important for the galleries. It is true that Juana has retired, Helga has passed away, that is, there is a change, but the galleries are very prepared. I do not think there will be a feeling of orphanhood because there are galleries with other different projects, but with a lot of quality and people with very solid trajectories. That respect and admiration for everything they have built for us, culturally and socially relevant in Spain, is the merit of all of them,» she recalled.
On the other hand, the director of ARCOmadrid does not believe that there are controversial pieces in this edition of the fair — which has 9 more galleries than in 2024 — creations that make it «more difficult to work» for the galleries, in her opinion. However, she warned that she is not always able to detect these controversies. «I think there is no controversial work, but we will know exactly on Monday of the assembly,» she joked.
In any case, she did mention that there are no installations with Franco, the former king, or King Felipe VI, as there have been in other editions.
THE RETURN OF DONALD TRUMP WILL BE «BREATHED» IN THE WORKS OF ARCO
When asked about the return of Donald Trump to the presidency of the United States, the director of ARCO has stated that it could be reflected in the works of the fair as a «response, question, or concern,» although it is still «very immediate.»
«Artists are very independent. That they are questioning themselves after this moment, they are doing it. How that will be seen in the works is what we still do not know, it is very immediate. But in any case, it will be as a response, as a question, as a concern. In that sense, we will indeed breathe it,» she pointed out.
ARCO MAINTAINS 40% FEMALE PRESENCE, YOUNG ARTISTS
Although the percentage of female presence remains at 40% — a figure «improvable» for its director — the artists who come to the fair belong to a young generation driven by the newest galleries, and López has stated that if the weight is not greater, it is not due to a lack of women.
«It was much more difficult for galleries that worked in other times,» she pointed out, before celebrating that galleries are «very attentive» to younger artists or the recovery of women who did not receive much attention.
