metropolis m

With 150,000 visitors, ARCOmadrid is Spain’s largest art event. This year, ARCOmadrid is coloured orange, in honour of the Netherlands.

The timing may be inauspicious, with economic crisis in Spain and drastic budget cuts in the arts in both Spain and the Netherlands, but that is no fault of ARCOmadrid. The agreements were made at a less sombre time, when the future of art felt rosier and unemployment in Spain had not spiralled to 25%. Nonetheless, economic woes have not stopped the Dutch art sector from travelling to Madrid en masse, putting its very best foot forward. Leading the way are 16 galleries representing the Netherlands at the fair.

Xander Karskens, curator at De Hallen, was asked to provide some collective streamlining for the Dutch participants. He advised the galleries in making their selections, which clearly set the Netherlands at the vanguard as a breeding ground for upcoming international talent. The whole can be seen as a somewhat veiled tribute to the success of the Netherlands’ graduate working facilities, such as the Rijksakademie and De Ateliers, whose survival is now in doubt under the Dutch State Secretary Zijlstra.

A consistent theme throughout the Dutch presentation is Dutch Modernism: Then and Now. All of the Art & Project Bulletins are now in Spain for the occasion. Falke Pisano is being presented at the Reina Sofia Museum and Navid Nuur has a solo show of his own at another location.

One of the highlights is a five-day talk show, called The Dutch Assembly, an initiative of the curators’ collective, Latitudes, in a specially produced pavilion by Jasper Niens. A flotilla of non-profit institutes, ranging from Witte de With to SKOR, are contributing the presentations.

As for Metropolis M, we are reporting on events throughout the week. We will be writing a daily report and a daily column, so that around the world, those who are unable to come to ARCOmadrid can still take part, at www.metropolism.com and m.metropolism.com.