‘less than 5% of the artists in the Modern Art Sections are women, but 85% of the nudes are female’ in 1989 Guerrilla Girls collective had already denounced this reality, the claim of visibility and equality of women in the field of art is still a pending issue, as confirmed by reports Platform Women in the Visual Arts.
According to its 2011 report, Spanish artists are only 14.7% of the artists working with galleries in Spain and 177 individual exposures of the Consortium of Contemporary Art Galleries, which brings together the finest galleries in the Spanish State, only 34 were of women artists (Consortium data: December 2008 — February 2009). A similar situation exists in museums and contemporary art centers as of 22 individual exhibitions held in Spain from 1999 to 2009, only 9% were Spanish women artists.
In this situation, the contemporary art fair Art Madrid dedicates its parallel program #ProgramaParalelo to equality and visibility of women in art with the participation and collaboration of #SaveGenderMuseum, among other agents as MAV-Women in the Visual Arts, the platform Figure of Gender and photographers, artists Carmen Calvo (Guest Artist in Art Madrid’16 and author of the official poster of the fair), Veronika Marquez and Yolanda Dominguez, the curator Margaret Aizpuru… from here, our thanks to all participants and FiArt Foundation for allowing us their space to development all the activities.
Art Madrid stands up for art as a reflection of the society in which it operates and is also a tool for change. Art education and values education go hand in hand and, with this theoretical and practical cycle, we intend to make visible the work of some of our most prominent contemporary artists, to present projects dedicated to equal rights and artistic creation from the perspective gender and above all, to give the opportunity to meet reality in order to act on it. We believe in art as an educational Equality tool. This program aims to promote a general reflection on the character of enhancing our capabilities through art, with two aspects, theoretical and practical.
Art Madrid with #ARTEYGÉNERO program intends to plant our seed for a more just, equitable and sustainable society.
Art Madrid Contemporary Art Fair will celebrate its eleventh edition from 24 to February 28, 2016 in the Crystal Gallery of CentroCentro Cibeles: Art Madrid’16. In this space, for five days, around 50 contemporary art galleries are going to present their artistic proposals in the cultural heart of Madrid.
Art Madrid has established itself over the years as a multidisciplinary exhibition where galleries devoted to painting, sculpture, printmaking and photography from the twentieth century onwards participate. Without forgetting disciplines such as performance, video art, installation art and site specific projects.
Art Madrid defends a realistic, dynamic, accessible and human fair model with a diverse activities’ program for all audiences that focuses on the synergies and collaborations with many institutions and cultural agents.
Furthermore, the fair is absolutely proud to participate as «godmother» of February Save Gender Museum of Ukraine, a clear example of survival and struggle for equality culture as a pillar of a modern society. »
