Art Madrid presents the interview section by cultural journalist Carlos del Amor. With his careful way of approaching the infinite worlds of creativity, Carlos del Amor reveals the artistic universe of ten creators participating in the 19th edition of Art Madrid. With this action, Art Madrid expands and consolidates its interest in bringing contemporary art closer to the public, this time through the voice of the artists who will be accompanying us during the most important event of Spanish contemporary art.

These conversations on inspiration, visual poetry, artistic commitment, imagined stories and art as a vehicle for the construction of a more fertile and humane society are intertwined in words and forms. The uniqueness of each artist has served as inspiration for Carlos del Amor to construct different ways of discovering what happens around the figure of the artist and his or her practices, in everyday life and also in the national art market.

Artists invited to the interview section: Arte y Palabra. By Carlos del Amor.

Guest Artists. Interview section. Art Madrid'24:

Manu Iranzo. CLC Arte; Nacho Zubelzu. Galería Metro; Carla Effa. Kleur Gallery; Richard García. Galería BAT; Francesca Poza. Galería Alba Cabrera; Alejandro Monge. 3 Punts; Suncityboy. Dr. Robot Gallery; Juan Miguel Quiñones García. Pigment Gallery; Evans Mbugua. OOA Gallery; Daniel Schweitzer. Shiras Gallery.

ABOUT THE ARTISTS

The production of Manu Iranzo (Teruel, 1983) moves in that intangible plane that borders the existing frontier between what we think we have seen and what we have really seen. His immaculate precision in drawing reminds us of his origins in design, although, as in the famous riddle, we will never know which came first, drawing or design. What is certain is that in his drawings, the graphite technique goes hand in hand with a sense of timelessness and permanency, as if he wanted to keep all the moments for himself. Nacho Zubelzu (Reinosa, 1966) is an artist who loves nature, lives it and filters it in all his works. The respect and interaction with the environment make Zubelzu's work delicate, deep, virtuous and emotional, because the earth is an emotional experience, but to be excited you have to live it. He does it and he transmits it to us. Carla Effa (Santiago de Chile, 1988) creates on the basis of architecture. Wood in different planes, bright colors, paper, acrylic and repetition provoke that intoxication that has something magical about it, when, for example, a piece of the work suddenly hides and capriciously reappears, surprising the viewer with its own game of masks.

In the work of Richard García (Madrid, 1995) the asphalt jungle seems to be brewing. The color, the recognizable but undefined landscape creates layers of reality in which it would be worthwhile to get lost and then find ourselves, free and relieved of the burden that appearances generate. His work seems to be full of mirrors, mirrors that reflect the infinite details in which we can linger. Francesca Poza (Mataró, 1965) combines the written word with the real or imagined meaning that the yarns she works with have, among their many virtues. One of the most apparently fragile materials in existence, and still the artist presents us with a combination of threads that can become indestructible. It is the triumph of fragility over brute force. Her work is exactly that: poetry, literature and time; creations of beautiful originality, as subtle as they are powerful. Alejandro Monge (Zaragoza, 1988) considers the future to be a place full of questions, but he is not worried, he is rather optimistic. His sculptures are very realistic and yet they have something that separates them from what we know and places them in an alien terrain. They exist, but they are not part of this world, they seem to come from another and they seem to know more than we do about what awaits us. They are the protagonists of the chronicle that has bequeathed their time to posterity. Suncityboy (Tver, Russia, 1984) has invented a world inhabited by characters from fairytales and cultural icons that, despite their initial strangeness, instantly provoke empathy and familiarity. Everyone stops being themselves to enter a new life where humor, irony, acidity and a huge dose of energy renew our view of things, theoretically very seen.

Juan Miguel Quiñones (Cádiz, 1979) is a self-taught artist who sculpts those memories in stone so that neither air nor maturity can take them away. He works and studies with vehemence the materials with which to recreate them, and with the ingenuity that can only be achieved through the control of language and technique, he manages to make everyone who comes across his creations breathe a sigh of nostalgia. The work of Evans Mbugua (Kenya, 1979) is composed of fragments of what he has lived and collected; his entire life in an imaginary suitcase that he has been able to transfer to canvas. Past and present meet in his festive and colorful compositions, celebrating and reminding us that life is in many ways a journey, that time is not linear, and that to define what we will be, we must keep in mind what we have been and not be afraid to build ourselves a little each day. Daniel Schweitzer (Germany, 1988) uses geometry to control the emptiness that surrounds us. Using repetition as a means to reach an unattainable infinity, he is able to make sense of this concept and activate our sensory mechanisms. Schweitzer's works reach the infinity of a perfect fractal in the innumerable sensations that the human eye can have in front of one of his sculptures.

Carlos del Amor.

ABOUT CARLOS DEL AMOR

(Murcia,1976) Journalist, writer, scriptwriter and presenter. With more than 20 years of professional career, he is currently Deputy Head of Culture of RTVE News and presenter of the program "La matemática del espejo". He has a degree in Journalism from the Carlos III University of Madrid and a degree in Library and Information Science from the University of Murcia.

Since the beginning of his professional career, he has always been linked to cultural journalism. He teaches at different Spanish universities and has collaborated with numerous national and international publications. He has received the Vitoria Television Festival Award for his career. His reports have been awarded at festivals such as Cannes and the London Television Festival. He was recently awarded the Premio Ondas Nacional de Televisión in the category of Best Presenter.

Author of the books Retratarte. Cuando cada mirada es una historia (2022), Emocionarte. La doble vida de los cuadros (2020), Confabulación (2017), El año sin verano (2015) and La vida a veces (2013).

ABOUT SAFE CREATIVE

Arte y Palabra. Conversations with Carlos del Amor with the collaboration of Safe Creative.

Safe Creative allies with artists on the Internet to protect their rights. Today, with Generative Artificial Intelligences and NFTs, the challenges multiply and we respond to creators and artists of all kinds. Safe Creative offers a convenient and cost-effective online system that allows any creator to obtain the necessary evidence to prove their copyrights from home, using their computer, and to register all their works instantly.

DIALOGA CIUDAD. PARALLEL PROGRAM TERRITORY CITY. ART MADRID'25*

Dialoga Ciudad is an initiative that forms part of the parallel program of Art Madrid’25. Curated in collaboration with CRU, this project of poetic actions in the city aims to transform the urban environment into an artistic stage, integrating itinerant poetry as a vehicle that turns public spaces into platforms for reflection and interaction. Through ephemeral interventions in strategic points of the city, participants will explore the potential of poetry as a tool for emotional and social communication. This project highlights the role of art as a catalyst for meaningful dialogues within the urban fabric, redefining the relationship between citizens and their surroundings.

Lucas, Pez Mago, Celia BSoul, Ajo, and Peru Saizprez will traverse the city with performative interventions that invite reflection on contemporary artistic practices. Their journey will take them to key cultural landmarks in the capital, where encounters with passersby will evolve into poetic dialogue..

Lucas. Pez Mago. Courtesy of the artist.

Lucas. Pez Mago

Street Poetic Action with Pez Mago

Location: Plaza de Pedro Zerolo. Chueca. Madrid Centro, 28004 Madrid.

Time: 12:00 - 13:00h

Standing on a chair in the middle of the street, Pez Mago transforms into the spokesperson of the words born from his two poetry books, Esto antes tenía música (This Used to Have Music) and A la velocidad del deseo (At the Speed of Desire). With an old brass megaphone in hand, he projects poetry into the open air, without barriers or filters, letting the vibration of the moment be the guide. He recites verses that reflect the essence of his being, both from his poems and the lyrics of some of his songs, stripped of musical accompaniment, making the word the only bridge between the soul and the crowd.

This poetic act can be performed either by looking directly at the passersby, challenging them to connect with the echo of his words, or by gazing up at the sky, adopting the posture of a street preacher offering his truth to the wind, like someone casting a seed without knowing if it will germinate. The street is his stage, the megaphone his amplified voice, and the passersby are involuntary witnesses of an action aimed at awakening something deep inside each one.

The purpose is not only to share poetry but to create an ephemeral moment, an atmosphere filled with intentions, emotions, and reflections, where each step of the passersby can be touched by the power of words, even if only for an instant.

ABOUT THE ARTIST

Pez Mago is the artistic name of Lucas Álvarez de Toledo (Madrid, 1971). He has performed on all five continents over the last twenty years, particularly in Argentina, Colombia, Mexico, Chile, Uruguay, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Peru, Brazil, Panama, Germany, Italy, Equatorial Guinea, Kenya... In 2018, he received the Piero Ciampi Award for Best International Artist. He was also a musician and instrumentalist in the band Depedro for five years (2010-2015), performing in Europe, the United States, China, South Korea, Australia, and New Zealand.

Pez Mago has released eleven albums since 2000 and has also published two poetry books: Esto antes tenía música (2015), A la velocidad del deseo (2018), and a travel book titled El mundo también se dobla (2016). Over these twenty years of touring, he has played over 1,500 concerts in small cafes and alternative theaters. He has combined his career as a live musician with other important roles, such as being an author. His songs (both lyrics and music) have been performed by a variety of artists, many of whom are far removed from him musical style: Depedro and Leiva recorded "Noche Oscura," Malú and Melendi recorded "Amigo," Sergio Dalma recorded "Con la boca por delante," Raphael recorded "Qué tendrá que ver," Clara Montes recorded "Luna," and so on.

Celia BSoul. Courtesy of the artist.

Celia BSoul

A body is a city

Place: Plaza de Pedro Zerolo. Chueca. Madrid Centro, 28004 Madrid.

Time: 13:00-14:00h

A body is a city presents a poetic journey through the imagery of intimacy and violence, exploring the line that separates cities from bodies, and imagining bodies as cities through which other elements pass, generating an impact in their wake, altering their structure, and building an "architecture of damage and memory."

This performance incorporates poems from the book Ciudad de los otros (Ed. La Imprenta), published in 2023, along with a cappella songs, engaging in dialogue with the space and its passersby. The piece revolves around a question: what differentiates a city from a body, and if our bodies are cities, how do we remain safe from the violence that comes from both outside and within them?

ABOUT THE ARTIST

Celia Fernández Escobar (Celia Bsoul) is a journalist, rapper, and poet from Madrid, whose work merges rap and poetry, addressing gender issues from an intimate perspective. She has released her album Estacciones and several singles and collaborations, exploring the bridges between both genres. Currently, she is working on her EP Pobre dios, focused on the imagery of violence. She has participated in festivals such as VOCIFERIO (Valencia), La Noche de los Libros (Madrid), FELISA (Cantabria), and Ruby Sessions (Dublin), among others. Her first book, Ciudad de los otros, was published in 2023 with the La Imprenta publishing house, presenting a multidisciplinary proposal that combines poetry and dance.

In addition to her artistic career, Celia was a finalist for the II Premio Poesía Viva in 2021 and has been published in various anthologies, such as Última poesía crítica. Jóvenes poetas en tiempos de colapso (Lastura Ediciones) and in the Nayagua magazine. In 2023, she participated as a text creator and performer in the stage proposal Antes que caiga la noche, a contemporary reinterpretation of The Iliad through hip hop culture. Her career also includes content creation for public television programs and films, as well as teaching rap and poetry with a gender perspective in workshops.

Ajo y Peru Saizprez.Courtesy of the artists.

Ajo and Peru Saizprez

Crossing the Traveler with a Poem. A reading of their own micro-poems on the street, interacting with the public and inviting them to read some verses.

Location: Plaza de Pedro Zerolo. Chueca. Madrid Centro, 28004 Madrid.

Time: 16:30-18:30h

The activity Crossing the Traveler with a Poem consists of a performative reading by poets Ajo and Peru Saizprez at Plaza de Pedro Zerolo, Chueca, with a maximum duration of two hours and a short intermission. Unlike conventional readings, this proposal directly involves passersby, who can voluntarily participate in a sensory and immersive experience. Each person who accepts the challenge will choose a poem and allow the poet to approach their ear to whisper it verse by verse. As the words travel through their mind, the poem will be processed internally and then emerge once more, this time spoken aloud by the volunteer, sharing it with the rest of the audience.

Before participating, each person will receive a detailed explanation of the dynamics and sign an authorization acknowledging the risk of being transformed by poetry. This intervention seeks to turn words into a living experience, blurring the boundary between spectator and protagonist, while exploring the power of poetry to penetrate, resonate, and transform those who hear it.

ABOUT THE ARTISTS

Peru Saizprez. Courtesy of the artist.

Peru Saizprez (Lima, Peru), poet and performer born in Lima, has developed his career in Europe, standing out with books such as Sexo Satélite and Un Corazón con Pelos. Co-author of theatrical works, he conceives his readings as concerts without music, bringing poetry to unexpected spaces. He is the creator of Universal Poem, an infinite poem with over 60,000 verses, and co-founder of the POETAS festival, which since 2006 has been spreading poetry beyond traditional formats. In 2025, he will publish his fifth book with Arrebato Libros.

AJO. Courtesy of the artist.

AJO, a key figure of Madrid's counterculture, transitioned from experimental music to micropoetry, exploring wordplay as a way of life. She directed the Yuxtaposiciones and Experimentaclub festivals at La Casa Encendida in Madrid for over a decade and has published several volumes of Micropoemas, becoming one of the most widely read poets in Spain. Her poetry has graced stages worldwide alongside musicians such as Julieta Venegas and Judit Farrés. A cultural agitator and underground figure, she continues to seek the essence of absolute brevity in her poetic creation.