The Atlantic Center of Modern Art (CAAM) of Gran Canaria organises a great retrospective on Esther Ferrer, a complete and pioneer artist who continues to open the gap in the art world at 82 years old. The curator of the exhibition, Carlos Díaz-Bertrana, notes that the showing collects the work of the artist located in “the enigma of time, body, feminism, emptiness, chance, reflection on art and prime numbers”.

Esther Ferrer, "Eurorretrato", 2001 (vía angelsbarcelona.com)

The great, risky, daring, emerging and groundbreaking Esther Ferrer is deployed throughout the CAAM to share with the viewer her concerns and artistic expressions generated throughout her career. This artist, pioneer of performative art in our country and considered one of the most outstanding artists of her generation, began her career at the end of the 60s amid a context eager for changes, hope and openness.

At that time, Esther founded the ZAJ collective together with Juan Hidalgo, Ramón Barce and Walter Marchetti. The group took the work of John Cage as the primary reference of its productions. With that, it began a practice of exploration of performance, with a wholly new and transgressive language for the time. With shows and tours in several theatres in Spain, Esther established herself as a creator at the forefront of art, disturbing, committed and struggling.

Se hace camino al andar - Festival Street Level- Hertogenbosch - Holanda. Foto:Allard Willense – 2002

Despite having an unstoppable career that kept her on top of contemporary since its inception, Esther confessed just a year ago how difficult it is to live from art in Spain. In a report that addressed the precariousness of the cultural sector from the testimony of different professionals, the artist confessed in October 2018 that only since 15 years ago she could live fully from her work, what for many other sectors is a utopia, but for the creative sector, the general rule: to finally be able to dedicate yourself completely to art beyond the retirement age. These difficulties, and an eminently migrant spirit, led Esther to settle in Paris in 1973, where, in addition to continuing to develop her work, she worked as a journalist and pedagogue.

Esther Ferrer, fragmento de "Íntimo y personal", 1977 (vía museoreinasofia.es)

Esther defines herself as a feminist and dealt with this issue on numerous occasions. Her work, which hardly leaves indifferent, has received several awards. In 1999 she was one of the two artists who represented Spain at the Venice Biennale, in 2008 she was awarded the National Prize for Plastic Arts, in 2012 the Gure Artea Prize of the Basque Government, and in 2014 the MAV (Women in the visual arts), the Marie Claire pour l'Art Contemporaine Award and the Velázquez Prize.

We have until March 1st to enjoy her work at CAAM.

At the most recent edition of Art Madrid, artist Luis Olaso (Bilbao, 1986), represented by Kur Art Gallery (San Sebastián), received the Residency Prize of the Art Madrid Patronage Program. This award, the result of a collaboration between Art Madrid, DOM Art Residence, and the Italian association ExtrArtis, enabled him to undertake an artistic residency in Sorrento (Italy) in August 2025.

Through initiatives like this, the fair reaffirms its support for contemporary creation—a commitment aimed at increasing artists’ visibility and strengthening art collecting through concrete actions such as acquisition prizes, recognition of emerging talents, and international residencies.

Artists in Residence. DOM & ExtrArtis. Image courtesy of Agata D’Esposito.

The DOM & ExtrArtis 2025 Residency Program took place in Sorrento from August 1 to 31, 2025. The artists lived together at Relais La Rupe, a 16th-century villa surrounded by cliffs and centuries-old gardens, which became an ideal setting for experimentation and exchange.

In this edition, residents worked around the theme “Reimagining Genius Loci”, an invitation to reflect on how the movement of people and traditions transforms the “spirit of place.” During the residency, DOM organized two public group exhibitions: the first to present the artists’ previous work, and the second to showcase the projects developed in Sorrento.

Work by Luis Olaso. DOM & ExtrArtis. Image courtesy of Agata D’Esposito.

Luis Olaso’s work moves between expressionist figuration and abstraction, always employing a pictorial language charged with strength and emotion. Initially self-taught, he later graduated in Fine Arts and has developed a solid international career, with exhibitions at venues including JD Malat (London) and Makasiini Contemporary (Turku, Finland), and participation in fairs such as Untitled Miami, Estampa, and Art Madrid itself.

His work is part of prestigious collections, including the Tokyo Contemporary Art Foundation, Fundación SIMCO, and the Provincial Council of Bizkaia, and has been recognized in competitions such as the Reina Sofía Prize for Painting and Sculpture and the Ibercaja Young Painting Prize.

In Sorrento, Olaso found a unique context to expand his pictorial research, engaging in dialogue with the Mediterranean landscape and the region’s historical heritage. The residency provided him with time, resources, and a framework for exchange with other international artists, fostering the production of new works that were later presented in the group exhibitions organized by DOM.

Luis Olaso working on his project. DOM & ExtrArtis. Image courtesy of DOM.

Luis Olaso’s experience at DOM Art Residence concluded with a public showcase of the works produced, reinforcing his presence on the international circuit and consolidating his position as one of the most prominent Basque artists on the contemporary scene.

Through initiatives such as this, Art Madrid demonstrates its active role as a platform for direct support of contemporary creation, creating opportunities for research, production, and intercultural dialogue that extend beyond the fair itself and accompany artists in their professional development.