Art Madrid'25 – JUAN MIGUEL QUIÑONES: THE MEMORIES OF THE STONE

Juan Miguel Quiñones. Courtesy of the artist.

ARTE & PALABRA. CONVERSATIONS WITH CARLOS DEL AMOR

I came across the work of Juan Miguel Quiñones (Cádiz, 1979) at a fair and for a few minutes I was transported to the faraway summers of a childhood where everything was possible and the game was endless.

Then we grew up and those memories began to fade, buried under the weight of adulthood and difficult to rescue later because we are always in a hurry and with worries that prevent us from practicing the healthy exercise of looking back.

Juan Miguel Quiñones, self-taught, carves these 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 that ingenuity that can only be achieved by mastering the language and the technique, he manages to make anyone who comes across his creations breathe a sigh of nostalgia.

The work I came across was a sculpture in black Atlas marble, Triana yellow and travertine. It was Dracula, the mythical ice cream. I did not know until then that memories, always immaterial, can be as hard as marble, cold to the touch and warm in thought.

If you had to define yourself in one sentence, how would you do it?

I consider myself a man with a man's body and a child's mind. I think that's the part that drives me to do what I do and what moves me in my whole artistic world.

Twelve Ice Creams. Sculpture. Marble. 2022.

Charles Baudelaire coined the phrase "My homeland is childhood", in your case it is evident that at least "your artistic homeland is childhood", isn't it?

Yes, it can be said that yes, my homeland can be childhood. Almost all my pieces have a very important memory of my life. They are based on the fact that, on the one hand, I make them tangible, a tangible element, but they take me back to a moment. We can talk about Dracula ice cream, a piece that I think is a mythical piece of mine. It is a very important memory that takes me to those summer moments, to those playful moments, with my cousins, with my friends, without "school" (very important) and always of childhood, which I think is a very important memory for all of us, since we are nourished by that, or at least I am constantly nourished in my work by those important memories that made me very happy. Those toys that my father used to buy me, I make them in stone so that they last forever, as that memory lasts in me, for me that is very important. I think childhood is something that touched me a lot and that I will always carry with me because I am very happy.

When and how was the spark that made you look back and recover for art elements that have marked so many generations?

From the beginning when I started to dedicate myself to this, it was always linked to memories. For example, my first works were abstract and were already linked to my own memories of the sea, the air, the wind, those beaches, Caños de Meca, El Palmar, where I grew up. So they were always linked, unconsciously, and eventually I realized that all my work was going to be linked to the theme of my memories. This whole story evolved and I started with memories that marked me a lot and I made them my own. But at the same time, when I exhibited I realized that I made them selfishly mine, and that no, none of them were mine, but that in the end they were common to all of us. And there began a progressive thing, I can't tell you exactly at what moment because it was something very progressive, but that's more or less how this story went.

Colajet. Sculpture. Marble. Alabaster and yellow onyx. 2020.

I know about your arduous research on materials, the constant search for "stones" that match what you want to show. How is that search process?

Well, the search process is sometimes complicated. Because with natural stones, in their natural color, I make works that represent elements that are often made of plastic or some material whose color is not like stone. Stone is stone and we cannot vary it. Only in some pieces like the ice cream, I make the resin filling, but the other works are all natural stone. The search is very important because this is not like you can call and they bring you the material you want, that's not the way the story goes, and even less in blocks. Within the search I have stones that I buy and other stones that are not commercial, that I look for. I inform myself well about ancient Roman quarries that no longer exist today, where maybe now there is a pine forest, but where I can recover some wonderful stones in that place. In this search for semi-precious stone, which is complicated when I use lapis lazuli, jade or malachite, it is difficult to find large stones, but little by little I am learning and meeting people to be able to find more, but it is quite complicated, since I always try to use semi-precious stone for my material. If you see my work you will see that, for example, the little green camera at the fair - a very important souvenir of mine - is made of jade, which is a marvel because it is quite a big piece, very difficult for me to find, and although little by little I am getting to know who supplies it to me, it is quite a hard subject. There is a material that I like a lot and that is one of the first stones that I started to work with, a wonderful serpentine green, which I take from this same terrain because it only exists in this area. It is a stone that I use a lot, especially when I make collections of my pieces, there is always one that goes with this type of stone from here in the mountains of Estepona.

Drácula. Sculpture. Marble. 2021.

Is there any impossible material?

Thank you for asking me that question. I think that in the end this is a language that you learn depending on each material. When I talk to other people who work with stone, marble, granite -I call everything stone- they always tell me: "This stone is very soft, very easy to work...". The stone that is soft has the ease of being soft but also the risk of splitting before; and the stone that is hard has the fact that it is hard but is grateful in the work because it does not split. In the end this is a language, a language that when you get to control you can attack any material. I have been able to carve from quartz, which is very complicated, to pieces that I make of bronze; they are not cast but I carve them directly, working them as if they were "marble", more or less similar to the work of marble. So, yes, there will be impossible materials, but I haven't found them yet.

Frigopie. Sculpture. Marble. 2022.

In your art the material, the marble, is as important as the memories and the experience of each person with the object represented. Are you aware that each of your works takes on hundreds of lives of its own because each one travels to a moment in his or her life?

As I said before, I realized when I exhibited the first works that I made them selfishly mine, as my own memory, but when I exhibited the work I always liked to listen to the people who came to observe and talked about the experience of each one. Then I realized that it was common to all of us, and that for me is very important because it is something of our whole experience, of our life. That each one is reflected and each one is taken to a moment or a part of his life. Like the smell of when you arrived at your grandmother's house, that her food was unique, and that smell takes you back there when you smell it somewhere else; I love that. To be able to take someone back to a moment in their life with something tangible, that's great. I find it incredible to be able to do that with something tangible, with a stone. Then, the other foundation that is very important to me is that I make the work in stone, which is a material that lasts over time. Saving distances, like the sculptures that the Egyptians have been able to make, the stone material has left something that will last forever. The memory lasts in our memory, and the stone lasts forever, so it combines one thing that is very good: durability, and that is something incredible that I love.

Twelve Ice Creams. Sculpture. Marble. 2022.

Art is a very serious game. I think that phrase would also suit you.

For me art is a game, because all this that I'm doing, the progress, has been like a game. What happens? That we see the artist from the romanticism of art, but then there is the commercial part, that you have to sell and you have to work. It is the part I like the least, even though we have to do it, but in the end, for me art is a fun game. That's the word I would put to it, because if I don't have fun, why do I do it? And that's very important for me, because I have to work a lot, I spend many hours in the workshop chopping stones, which is a very physical effort, but what motivates me is that I have fun, that I love it and I do something that fascinates me. So, art is a fun game.

Where do you think your art is going?

I think I let myself go. I'm still in my studio every day, working, inventing new projects, getting into my world and letting myself go. Let it go wherever it wants. The point is that every day I can enjoy what I do, work on what I like and enjoy my family. That's what matters to me, wherever I want to go, let it go, but let it go with me.







ART MADRID'25: TWENTIETH BIRTHDAY

The rain did not prevent the twentieth anniversary of Art Madrid from being celebrated in style at the Galería de Cristal of the Palacio de Cibeles. From the 5th to the 9th of March, the headquarters of the fair opened its doors to artists, galleries, collectors, art lovers and professionals of the sector to welcome us in an edition marked by a greater presence of women artists, more than 50% of debut artists, the presence of 34 galleries and around 1100 works produced between 2022 and 2025.


Art Madrid'25. Photo by Lucas Amillano.


Art Madrid'25 opened its doors with a gallery program that included 34 exhibitors, 22 national, 12 international and 7 for the first time at the fair. More than 200 artists exhibited their most recent works, representing the latest artistic trends on the national and international scene. Painting with a relevant presence in all its forms of expression and representation; sculpture, photography, drawing, video and installation.

During these five days, Art Madrid'25 welcomed around 20,000 visitors, including collectors, professionals, the general public and new buyers.


Art Madrid'25. Photo by Lucas Amillano.


The celebration of this edition was accompanied by a parallel program focusing on the conceptual axis: Territorio Ciudad. In the run-up to the fair, from 28 February to 2 March, the following projects took place in the city of Madrid: Arquitecturas Imaginadas, Dialoga Ciudad and the second edition of La Quedada: Arquitecturas Imaginadas, Dialoga Ciudad and the second edition of La Quedada, a tour of studios and spaces for artistic creation. Arquitecturas Imaginadas transformed the metro into an ephemeral art gallery; Dialoga Ciudad filled the streets with poetry, establishing a direct dialogue with passers-by; while La Quedada opened the doors of artists' studios, allowing visitors to get a closer look at their creative processes. The week of the fair was also preceded by the Interview programme: Conversations with Marisol Salanova.


Art Madrid'25. Photo by Lucas Amillano.


After the opening of the fair, the programme continued with innovative proposals such as Open Booth, a space created in collaboration with the University of Nebrija and Liquitex, which invited students from the university's Fine Arts department to present their work in a professional context. Similarly, the Raíces Afuera** cycle explored concepts of identity and belonging through performances that proposed different points of view and an extended reflection on rootedness and mobility in contemporary society.

Art in motion also played a prominent role in this edition, thanks to Cartografías de la Percepción, a video art programme curated by PROYECTOR that analysed the relationship between inhabitants and their urban environment through immersive audiovisual works. There was also 20 Grados**, developed at Espacio Tectónica, where ten artists used augmented reality, sound and performance to explore the interaction between architecture and its inhabitants.


Art Madrid'25. Photo by Lucas Amillano.


One of the most innovative proposals in the edition was Ciudad Sutil by Susi Vetter, which transformed Montalbán Street into an interactive digital installation. This initiative transformed the public space and raised new questions about the relationship between people and their environment, inviting viewers to reflect on their impact on the urban landscape.

Around 30 artists were invited to participate in the parallel program of Art Madrid'25. An initiative that the fair's organisers intend to continue in future editions, with the aim of incorporating into the event other ways of supporting creation and encouraging dialogue between artists, the public and professionals in the sector, thus enriching the cultural experience of the fair.


Art Madrid'25. Photo by Lucas Amillano.


PATRONAGE, PRIZES AND RESIDENCIES: PROMOTING CONTEMPORARY CREATION

One of the fundamental pillars of Art Madrid is its commitment to promoting art and supporting creators. Through its Patronage Program, the fair has consolidated its role as a platform for the promotion of emerging talent and the consolidation of artists in the market.

The Acquisition Award has enabled selected works to enter important private collections. This year, the Studiolo Collection, E2IN2 Collection and Devesa Law have chosen the works of Armando de la Garza (Acquisition Award. Studiolo Collection), represented by DDR Art Gallery; Fernando Suárez Reguera (Acquisition Award. E2IN2 Collection), represented by the Luisa Pita Gallery, and Moisés Yagües (Acquisition Award. Devesa Law), represented by the Aurora Vigil-Escalera Gallery; an initiative that ensures the dissemination and preservation of the works of the winning artists within the national collecting circuit.


Art Madrid'25. Photo by Lucas Amillano.


For its part, the Emerging Artist Award, granted by One Shot Hotels as part of the One Shot Collectors program, has recognised the talent of Ana Cardoso, represented by Galería São Mamede. This recognition provides an important economic boost for the consolidation of artists in the development phase.

Finally, the Residency Award, organised in collaboration with DOM Art Residence and ExtrArtis, has been awarded to Luis Olaso, represented by Kur Art Gallery. Thanks to this award, the artist will enjoy an artistic residency in Sorrento, Italy, in August 2025, a unique opportunity for experimentation, cultural exchange and expansion of his artistic practice.


Art Madrid'25. Photo by Lucas Amillano.


COLLECTING: THE ART OF ACQUIRING WITH CRITERIA

With the One Shot Collectors Program, sponsored by One Shot Hotels, the fair sought to promote the acquisition of works of art through a space for specialised advice. Under the guidance of expert Ana Suárez Gisbert, participants received guidance on how to start buying art or expand their collections with knowledge and criteria. This programme has made a significant contribution to strengthening the contemporary art market and strengthening the link between artists and collectors.


Art Madrid'25. Photo by Lucas Amillano.


The twentieth edition of Art Madrid leaves behind sales figures that exceed those of the 2024 edition, with a total of 675 works acquired. Of these, 39 were acquired through the Art Madrid'25 Collecting Programme, led by art advisor Ana Suárez Gisbert. Ten per cent of the works exceeded the price of 20,000 euros; 15 per cent were pieces between 10,000 and 20,000 euros; 30 per cent were between 3,000 and 10,000 euros; and 45 per cent were works acquired for less than 3,000 euros. This confirms Art Madrid's role as a key event for those wishing to enter the world of collecting. In this latest edition, the fair has seen a greater influx of international visitors, as well as visitors from different regions of Spain, which confirms the growing interest of foreign collectors in adding works by Spanish artists to their collections. Once again, the galleries participating in Art Madrid have noticed an increase in the number of visitors and the interest shown by buyers, both experienced collectors and new enthusiasts who want to start collecting art.


Art Madrid'25. Photo by Lucas Amillano.


AN EVENT MADE POSSIBLE BY ITS NETWORK OF PARTNERS

The success of Art Madrid'25 was made possible thanks to the support of its official sponsors: Liquitex, Lexus, One Shot Hotels, Safe Creative, Universidad Nebrija and Cervezas Alhambra. Their support has been fundamental in the celebration of Art Madrid's twenty years of contemporary art.

In addition, the fair has enjoyed the collaboration of cultural platforms and institutions such as **PROJECTOR, CRU Cultural Platform, Contemporary Art Collectors Association 9915, Colección Studiolo, E2IN2, DOM Art Residence, Devesa, Enviarte, Vanille Bakery Lab & Café and Pago de Cirsus.

It has also received the support of public institutions such as the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía, the Madrid City Council, the Ministry of Culture and Sports, and the Madrid Community, strengthening its presence in the cultural scene.

In the field of dissemination, the media partners are: PAC, Gráffica, Cultura Inquieta, ArtPrice, Arte al Límite, Arte por Excelencias, VEIN, Art Facts and Bonart Cultural have contributed to the global project of the event.


Art Madrid'25. Photo by Lucas Amillano,


ART MADRID: A FUTURE FULL OF POSSIBILITIES

After two decades of development, Art Madrid reaffirms itself as a dynamic, accessible and constantly evolving event. With more than 100,000 visitors in the last five editions, the fair has established itself as an essential reference in the national and international art scene.

The Galería de Cristal of the Palacio de Cibeles is once again the ideal setting for this celebration of contemporary art, a meeting place for galleries, collectors and artists from all over the world. With an innovative program and an increasingly open approach, Art Madrid'25 has shown that, after twenty years, its role in the artistic ecosystem is more relevant than ever, and its future is full of possibilities and new artistic explorations.


Art Madrid'25. Photo by Lucas Amillano.


Thank you for joining us in this 20th edition of Art Madrid. Your trust and support are essential to continue promoting contemporary art and culture.


See you at Art Madrid'26!