Featured Events in Madrid in February, 2025 (July Updated)

The Palacio de Cristal has traditionally been a space where artists are commissioned to work on a new piece conceived specifically for its unique architecture. Although the restoration and repair work currently being carried out on its structure means visitors cannot access its interior, the programme held within to support the public display of current art continues all the same. In fact, it is the radical imagination of artists that will enable the Museo Reina Sofía to continue to endow this emblematic space with cultural content. The first such artist to take part in this series is Miguel Ángel Tornero (Baeza, 1978), who contributes with a work devised for the canvases which will cover the building during its first year of restoration work.

A Life in a Few Lines marks the first major European retrospective of the Lebanese-born artist Huguette Caland (Beirut, 1931–2019), whose life and work spanned decades, continents and media, challenging the aesthetic and social conventions of her time. Featuring approximately 300 drawings, paintings, sculptures and work in other media, as well as documentary ephemera, the exhibition weaves a new narrative around Caland’s practice, questioning perceptions of her cosmopolitan rootlessness to show an artist deeply connected to community, communication and the idea of home. It also reveals her defiance of social and sexual norms in work that explores notions of gender, the body, belonging, love, aging and personhood, all of which is set against the broader geopolitical currents of a decolonising and neoliberalising world.

Hello Everyone is a large-scale installation that brings together works by Léa Estrucci (Barcelona, ​​1981) from 2011 to the present day. These works incorporate formal variations, constituting a fragmented and echoing archive that includes sculptures, sounds, moving images, graphic works and visual scores. Overall, it can be seen as both a retrospective and a navigable warehouse.

Throughout her career, the painter Soledad Sevilla (Valencia, 1944) has developed a rigorous language based on the purity of line and color and on the construction of forms based on geometric modules. This exhibition, curated by Isabel Tejeda, chronologically retraces the artist's career, from her first steps at the Computing Center of the University of Madrid to her current work, through more than a hundred works, some of which were made especially for the exhibition. The retrospective focuses on the artist's statement that she has been painting the same picture all her life, linking her early works from the 1960s to her latest series, such as White Horizon or Waiting for Semper, in which she pays tribute to her recommender and friend Eusebio Semper.

In January 1986, in the basement of a block of flats in the Madrid neighbourhood of Chamberí, Maite Arratibel, Celia García Bravo, Nacho Pérez de la Paz and Pedro Roldán founded an alternative art space christened, ironically, Galería Nacional. At the same time, in January of that same year, Manuel Saiz launched the Postal Service for Multiple Exhibitions and Propaganda, a postal art initiative presented as “an unorthodox magazine, in which the pages and articles are received one by one and separately, a gallery that in each delivery will show a work to the viewer’s home and not the other way around.” According to the editorial note, simply and plainly, “a wedge of artistic opposition.” A radical collaborative project that, months later, would merge with the critical spirit of the partners and friends of the Galería Nacional, where Manuel Saiz arrived guided by Julio Jara, a colleague in exhibitions at the Villalar gallery and an early collaborator in both projects. It was from this meeting, and together with the contributions of other artists and theorists such as Javier Colis, José Díaz Cuyás, Celia Martín, Pamen Pereira or Alberto Vidarte, when they decided to unite both independent initiatives in a common project: GENE, a gallery of collective production that publishes multiples in postcard format.

This exhibition explores the concept of the grotesque, a core of aesthetic thought capable of offering new perspectives on reality. Developed by the writer Ramón María del Valle-Inclán (1866-1936) as a tool of critical questioning in response to the backwardness and moral despair that plagued Spain in the first half of the 20th century, the grotesque confronts the country’s social, political and cultural constraints, insisting on the distance of the gaze and a range of aesthetic strategies to deform with maximum efficiency. Unlike other cultural representations of the grotesque that emerged in Europe, in which horrific distortions embodied the absurdity of life during that period, the grotesque proposed a new aesthetic that needed to be dedicated to the renewal of social structures. Through extensive documentation and various works of art, this exhibition explores the main themes and strategies that express the grotesque, emphasizing that it is an aesthetic proposal that survived Valle-Inclán’s time and thought. The exhibition is divided into eight main sections. It begins with the Antes del esperpento of the last decades of the 19th century, which displayed a selection of satirical news, drawings and popular optical devices of the time, which were forerunners of anamorphosis.

Curated by French thinker Georges Didi-Huberman, the exhibition “In the moved air…” articulates a political anthropology of emotion in poetic terms, outlining ways of breathing and resistance that confront the persuasive culture of capitalism that has permeated everything. Its title, taken from Federico García Lorca’s Romancero gitano, appeals to overflowing emotion that is not restricted to a single subject, where Lorca’s idea of ​​the “duende” comes into play. In this way, emotion is understood here as a movement that is transmitted to the community through a singular body and that is capable of leading to a “commotion,” that is, a concatenation of emotions that affects a group, an environment, a relationship.

Madrid will hold a colorful Spring Festival celebration in the Usera district for the tenth consecutive year. On February 1st and 2nd, the wonderful activities include fireworks and a grand New Year parade. At 8 pm on the 1st, Pradolongo Park will hold a fireworks show to drive away evil spirits and welcome the new year, followed by hip-hop performances and DJ music on the large tent stage in Usera Municipal Square. There will also be a food area and a handicraft market on the same day. At 12 noon on the 2nd, the New Year's Day parade will begin, with more than a thousand performers wearing traditional costumes, parading and showcasing traditional culture such as dragon and lion dances, acrobatics, and martial arts.

MOMAD 2025, the premier international fashion and lifestyle trade show, is set to take place in the vibrant city of Madrid at the renowned IFEMA - Feria de Madrid from February 7th to February 9th, 2025. This highly anticipated event will gather industry professionals, exhibitors, and fashion enthusiasts from around the globe, offering an unparalleled platform for networking, innovation, and business opportunities. Attendees can expect a comprehensive showcase of the latest trends in fashion, footwear, accessories, and sustainable fashion solutions. With a diverse array of exhibitors and a packed schedule of seminars, workshops, and runway shows, MOMAD 2025 promises to be a pivotal event for anyone involved in the fashion industry. The strategic location in Madrid, a city known for its rich cultural heritage and dynamic fashion scene, further enhances the appeal of this must-attend event.

This exhibition showcases a selection of works by Roberto Fabelo, a Cuban artist who works in diverse languages, including painting, sculpture, and illustration. It explores works in different formats, selected by curator Mario José Hernández, among strange and dreamlike images that combine elements of reality and fantasy with meticulous attention to detail in a symbolic interpretation. Using vibrant colors and intricate compositions in his paintings, drawings, and sculptures, he often depicts fantastic creatures, anthropomorphic animals, and human figures, drawing comparisons to Goya due to their rich symbolism and allegorical narrative.

IBERZOO + PROPET will provide a platform to see the widest and most innovative sample of products and accessories for pets, fashion and accessories, accessories and toys IBERZOO + PROPET will provide a platform to see the widest and most innovative sample of products and accessories for pets, fashion and accessories, accessories and toys, Food and nutrition, pharmaceutical and health products, hygiene and beauty, Aquarium equipment for pet shops and for veterinary clinics, furniture, snacks, harnesses and necklaces, and services and management. Information Source: IFEMA | expotobi

A lost Caravaggio painting that was almost mistakenly sold at auction for a bargain price has gone on display at the Prado Museum in Madrid, Spain, after being rescued and restored. “Ecce Homo,” which was painted by the Italian master around 1606-09, will feature in a special one-piece exhibition from Tuesday, according to a statement from the museum.

On display in Room 16B of the Villanueva Building until 16 February 2025 and benefiting from the collaboration of the Comunidad de Madrid, this exhibition features more than 30 works including paintings executed by Rubens himself, works by his assistants and others resulting from different degrees of collaboration between them. Through the figure of Peter Paul Rubens, one of the most prolific and successful painters of the Early Modern age, the exhibition aims to reveal how European artists produced their paintings in workshops, making use of numerous collaborators.

The museum presents for the first time in its entirety in Madrid the set of works of Francesco Guardi belonging to the Calouste Gulbenkian Museum, thanks to a collaboration agreement between the two institutions. With a total of 18 oils and a drawing, he is the artist best represented in this collection of more than 6,000 pieces of art assembled by financier Calouste Sarkis Gulbenkian (1869-1955), which, since 1969, has been exhibited in the museum that bears his name in Lisbon. Along with Guardi's paintings, acquired between 1907 and 1921, a drawing of the same artist, incorporated in 2002, and an oil from his son Giacomo, is shown. The works are dated between 1765 and 1791 and illustrate iconic places in Venice, such as the Rialto Bridge or the Ducal Palace, festivals such as the Ascension, the surroundings of the city and some whims, belonging at the end of his career. After an initial stage in which he served mainly as a painter of history, religious themes, frescoes and even still lifes, Guardi began to paint views of his city, first following the precise style of his predecessor Canaletto to then add vitality and illusion to his compositions. After the death of Canaletto in 1768, he became the most important vedutist in Venice.

The exhibition Marina Vargas: Revelations is part of the Kora cycle, with which the museum proposes to give visibility to works carried out by women artists of the current scene with a gender perspective. For this exhibition, Marina Vargas (Granada, 1980) has carried out a research project around the silence of women throughout history, especially in relation to the sacred and the spiritual, a topic that he has already dealt with in previous works and whose objective now is to reveal his extensive contributions. From the figure of Mary Magdalene, studied by feminist theologians such as Karen King (Harvard University), Cynthia Bourgeault (University of Pennsylvania) or Meggan Watterson (University of Columbia), Vargas traces a tour that explores the figure of women in the history of art, in the imagery, but also in the sacred story, from his biography and personal experience, with a current perspective that seeks to break the silence through which the patriarchal system has relegated them to asecond place. Revelations show the hidden through newly created works that will be presented for the first time in this exhibition.

Experience the captivating melodies of Magic City Hippies on their "Enemies Tour" as they make a stop in Kansas City at the Madrid Theatre on February 11, 2025. Located at 3810 Main Street, Kansas City, MO, 64111, the venue sets the perfect stage for an unforgettable evening filled with indie-pop vibes and energetic performances. Don't miss the chance to witness this talented band live in action as they showcase their unique sound and dynamic stage presence. Get ready to immerse yourself in an evening of musical magic at Magic City Hippies' "Enemies Tour" in Kansas City.

The majlis is the traditional hospitality space in Arab and North African houses, the place where guests and travelers are welcomed, offering them shelter and cohabitation. Hospitality is also the central proposal of the exhibition that Lebanese artist and composer Tarek Atoui (Beirut, 1980) presents at the Thyssen-Bornemisza National Museum, in collaboration with TBA21 Thyssen-Bornemisza Art Contemporary. It is called At-Triq, which means "the one who comes from the night" or "the star of the morning," and is part of a long-term research project on the rural musical traditions of the Arab world on sub-Saharan pilgrimage and trade routes.Atoui shows in the museum the first chapter of his proposal, with which he approaches the Tamazgha, the North African territories inhabited by the Amazigh or Berber people, source and deposit of musical, artistic, artisanal and intellectual traditions. After two years of exchange with musicians and artisans from the Moroccan Atlas region and other nearby areas, the artist presents a space of poetic hospitality - composed around the majlis, a place that welcomes, receives and resonates, while generating a multiplicity of affinities and experiences.In At-Triq, music is the protagonist and becomes itself an act of hospitality. Through intertwined textures and materials, this sound installation invites visitors to inhabit the thresholds between the traditional and the contemporary, the familiar and the unknown, revealing the nomadic inclinations present in these affinities.

On the occasion of the third anniversary of the invasion of Ukraine, which began on 24 February 2022, the museum inaugurates in the central hall a sample of photographs by photographer and filmmaker Andrii Kotliarchuk taken in Polissia. Polissia is the most enigmatic region of northern Ukraine, a land of ancestral forests and beliefs and sacred architecture. A unique world where the past is intertwined with the present and traditions are still alive. Andrii Kotliarchuk travelled through Polissia for more than ten years with an analog camera, exploring his mystical atmosphere. His work captures the archaic traditions of its inhabitants, their way of life and a nature that preserves its primitive beauty. The author uses large-format black-and-white film and a 19th-century goal, which gives his works a special depth.

FIEP Madrid 2025 is set to be an unmissable event, taking place at the prestigious Hotel Villa Magna in the heart of Madrid, Community of Madrid, Spain. Scheduled for February 24, 2025, this event promises to bring together leading professionals and experts from various fields. With a focus on innovation, collaboration, and the latest industry trends, FIEP Madrid 2025 will provide a platform for insightful discussions and networking opportunities. Attendees can expect a series of keynote speeches, panel discussions, and workshops designed to foster knowledge exchange and professional growth. The elegant setting of Hotel Villa Magna, known for its luxurious amenities and prime location, will undoubtedly enhance the overall experience, making FIEP Madrid 2025 a standout event in the calendar year.