ARCOmadrid 2012 announces Focus the Netherlands and other new features
The International Contemporary Art Fair, ARCOmadrid 2012, which is set to take place from 15-19 February will gather together 158 galleries from more than 30 countries in its General Program, as well as a further 58 galleries selected for its Curated Programs.
The Rijksakademie van beeldende kunsten, one of the most important visual arts institutes in the world, has been chosen as the setting for the presentation of the 2012 edition of ARCOmadrid, and its Special Guest program, FOCUS the Netherlands. The Mondrian Foundation and the Embassy of the Netherlands in Spain are collaborating in the organization of this section, which will feature 14 galleries, as well as a number of parallel exhibitions around Madrid.
FOCUS the Netherlands has involved the collaboration of the Mondrian Foundation and the Embassy of the Netherlands in Spain, as well as input from the curator Xander Karskens, who is in charge of the collection and the international contemporary art program at the Hallen Museum in Haarlem, and who was tasked with selecting the 14 Dutch galleries to take part in the Special Guest program. This project, which will help to give the key figures in the world of Dutch art collecting a closer insight into Madrid, will take in the city's main museums and art venues through exhibitions, cycles and other initiatives, like the ones at the Museo Reina Sofía, including an exhibition of the paintings of René Däniels at the Palacio de Velázquez and a performance by Falke Pisano at the museum proper; La Casa Encendida will be hosting a group exhibition by Dutch artists; Matadero Madrid will be displaying a selection of works by Navid Nuur and screening films by Nathaniel Mellors at the Cineteca, while the artist Aernout Mik will be exhibiting at the CA2M Centro de Arte Dos de Mayo.
Against this backdrop, Latitutes (Max Andrews and Mariana Cánepa Luna) will be responsible for the Netherlands Assembly, a specific space at the fair which will host Dutch cultural and artistic institutions, performances, talks and film screenings, as well as other activities to encourage interaction with visitors.
To further add to the cultural options on offer, the Netherlands will also be involved in the new After ARCO project, which will consist of activities (film screenings, concerts, etc.) taking place in different venues across Madrid after the fair ends.
New features at ARCOmadrid
On the back of the changes introduced in the 2011 event, focused on a reduction in the size of the fair and a firm commitment to collecting and the quality of the galleries and works exhibited, a number of new initiatives are set to be rolled out to boost ARCOmadrid 2012 and reaffirm its emphasis on quality and inquiry as a key concept for the selection of galleries Similarly, ARCOmadrid is launching the innovative “Featured Artist” initiative, which seeks to highlight an artist's work with a personal stand, serving to underline ARCOMadrid's role within the global art fair world and reinforce its function as a source of information for the many collectors and professionals that attend the fair every year. This program seeks to encourage galleries to stage a special presentation of the work of one of their artists. ARCOmadrid will feature these artists in its press material and present critics, curators and visitors with a publication containing the profiles of the artists selected and images of their works to help the public gain a deeper insight into their artistic trajectory.
Another new initiative is Solo Objects, whereby participating galleries will have the chance to exhibit large-format sculptures and installations in specially designated areas which, spread across the fair's different pavilions, will focus the public's attention.
The fair will once again include the section Opening: young European galleries, aimed at galleries from various European countries that have been open for less than seven years. This program was extremely well received in the last edition, and a number of the emerging galleries that took part have expressed an interest in coming back to the fair. This time around, the galleries have been selected by the curator and art critic Manuel Segade, who has chosen a total of 22 galleries from ten European countries, including two Dutch venues recommended by the curator Xander Karskens.
Besides this program of activities, the fair will also include the Experts Forum, headlined by a Forum on Collecting, including roundtable discussions (two coordinated by Rosa Martínez and one by Peter Doroshenko) as well as four Case Studies on collecting: Corporate Collecting in Europe, led by Aline Pujo, the Director of the International Association of Corporate Collections of Contemporary Art IACCCA, París, and Sabrina Kamstra, the President of the Netherlands Association of Corporate Art Collections VBCN, Amsterdam; The Role of Art Consultants in Collecting Today (by Amy Goldrich); The Experience of Art Buying Groups in Belgium, coordinated by Neos Collection, and the last one, which will be presenting a selection of Spanish collections that support art through a more comprehensive view of the concept of collecting, namely through establishing exhibition spaces, founding awards or creating educational.
There will also be an Open Forum featuring the likes of the Italian Culture Institute of Madrid; the Goethe-Institut; and Casa Asia, among others. On the other hand, hot off the success of the last edition, the Professional Meetings will bring together figures such as Marc-Olivier Wahler, the Director of the Palais de Tokyo; Hans Ulrich Obrist, the Co-director of Exhibitions and Programs and Director of International Projects at the Serpentine Gallery in London; Bartomeu Marí, the Director of the Barcelona Contemporary Art Museum (Macba); the art critic and curator Inti Guerrero, artistic director of the Foundation TEOR/éTic; James Lingwood, the Co-Director of Artangel; Lynne Cooke, the Deputy Director for Conservation, Research and Publicity at the Reina Sofía Museum, Sergio Rubira from RMS La Asociación, as well as the freelance curator Tania Pardo . It offers a unique platform for analysis and debate about artistic objects and their production, creation, appreciation and presentation. Like every year, the exhibits on display will be drawn together in the Official 2012 ARCOmadrid Catalogue. This high-class publication will include information about the participating galleries, the curated programs and the other activities at the fair.
