Andrew Barsch - Journalist

As with every mundillo, once you’re in it long enough, you come across the same people, and the mundillo de las galerias is no different. With press pass sturdy in hand, I’ve covered every major art fair in the capital, done artist interview features, gallery spreads, exhibition reviews and the like. “Didn’t I see you at the last function?” I get at press night at ARCO, “Are you in the mundillo?” They’ll ask me at a cocktail opening for PhotoEspaña, “Well, not really. I’m with the press, another mundillo not unlike your own.” Mundillos have a way of overlapping themselves, and the capital’s most mainstream creative cultural events seem to attract the same kinds of mundillo dwellers from one event to the next.

With the meaning of the word mundillo now clearly defined for those who may be still learning Spanish, let me take you into a mundillo within a mundillo, i.e. the liveliest little district in the capital for contemporary galleries. Centered around Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía, the area started to stand out about fifteen years ago, and most of the pioneer galleries are still firmly in place. The area south of Calle Atocha is now well established as the area for contemporary galleries. The extension of that is north of Atocha, which now seems to be morphing into the more street-based grass roots side of contemporary art in the capital with smaller, more specialized art spaces for younger up and comers.

The following is only a partial list, as some discoveries are best found by accident. For a peek into a new mundillo, or an old visit to a familiar one, take the time to traverse the ancient streets, pop in and out of the different spaces, and you’re guaranteed to finish more enlightened than when you started the day.

South of Atocha
Start out at the top of Calle Doctor Fourquet and work your way down toward Lavapies. If you’re new to the area, a street map is a must.
Galería Salvadoro Díaz
Sánchez Bustillo 7
28012 Madrid
tel +34 915 274 000 fax +34 915 390 610
lunes a viernes: 11:00 a 14:00 y 16:30 a 20:30 h.
sábados: 11:00 a 14:00 h.
Closed Sundays
With a seeming fixation on installations, Salvador Diaz is a barrio favorite. Exhibiting mostly Spanish artists, the last year or so has brought about more artists from other parts of the world.
See what’s on now: http://www.salvadordiaz.net
Galeria Fernando Latorre
Doctor Fourquet, 3
28004 Madrid
Tel: 915062438
Hours: Tuesday through Saturday 11-2pm and 5-9pm
Galeria Fernando Latorre came to Madrid from Zaragoza in 2003, presenting well-known artists in the field like avant-garde specialist Yoko Ono, while at the same time promoting young artists trying to break in to the mundillo themselves. “The gallery presents its artists in an eclectic way,” says curator Cecile Zehr, “combining minimalism, abstraction, and installations from promising young artists and also those already well established in their field.”
See what’s on now: http://www.galeriafernandodelatorre.com
Galería Helga de Alvear
Doctor Fourquet, 12
Madrid, 28012 Spain
Tel: 34 91468 05 06
Fax: 34 91467 51 34
11am-2pm, 4:30pm-8:30pm

Focusing in recent years on photography, video, and installations, as well as other media used by conceptual and minimalist artists, Helga de Alvear has been located in a 900-m2 space near the Reina Sofia since 1995. The two rooms on the ground floor show work by international figures and Spanish artists. The upper floor houses Estudio Helga de Alvear, whose programming features curated exhibitions, site-specific projects, and other works whose singular characteristics make them ideal for this space.
Helga de Alvear combines her work as the director of an art gallery with her passion for collecting, which has led her to create her own collection -- holdings that she often lends to exhibitions around the world, and which has been the subject of three special shows in the last four years.
See what’s on now: http://www.helgadealvear.net

Espacio Minimo
Doctor Fourquet, 17
28012 Madrid
Tel: 914676156
Hours: Tuesday to Saturday 11-2PM and 4:30-8:30PM
Starting out in Murcia in the early nineties, Espacio Minimo calls itself a “promoter of the latest ideas in the arts”. They moved to the area in 2000, and have since been a leader in the mundillo, participating in all of the who’s who events both here in Madrid and internationally.
See what’s on now: http://www.espaciominimo.com

North of Atocha
The reach of the contemporary gallery phenomenon has stretched out across Calle Atocha, and now both sides of the thoroughfare leading to Sol boast the best streets in the capital to get your contemporary artistic fix.
My Name’s Lolita
C/ Almadén 12
28014 Madrid

tel. 91.530.72.37
fax. 91.530.72.37
My Name’s Lolita Art opened to the public in Valencia in 1988 and ever since then has maintained an non-conforming attitude toward the mainstream Spanish artistic panorama. A group of artists came together who started to work to create a new aesthetic that surprised the critics in the early 1990’s. This provocative attitude was the inspiration for the name “Lolita” for the gallery, in clear reference to Nabokov. Galería My Name’s Lolita Art continued to grow and in 1996 opened their space Madrid. Since then, some of the artists represented by the gallery have started to hold significant positions with the Spanish and European art scenes.
See what’s on now: http://www.mynameslolita.com/
Galería Magda Bellotti
c/ Fucar,22.
28014 Madrid.
Tel¬ 91 3693717 ¬ 636 479 106
Fax¬ 91 429 0632

In Madrid since 2001, Magda Bellotti is made up of four different spaces, two street level rooms and two basement rooms. What sets Magda Bellotti apart is the space called Sala Algeciras, a “guest room” of sorts dedicated to exchange projects with artists from other galleries. So there’s always at least two exhibitions going on at the same time.

See what’s on now: http://www.magdabelotti.com

Catarsis
C/ Santa María, 15 – 28014 Madrid (Spain)
Tel: 0034 91 369 35 80
Fax: 0034 91 541 91 62
Pioneers of the area, Catarsis is one of the first galleries to establish itself here. Says director Alfonso González-Calero, “The expositions in our space are like a jumping off point for everything else we do. The variety of activity is very intense,” he adds, “and on different fronts. We participate in art fairs, city funded expositions, collection assessments, and follow-ups on the contemporary market in general. Seminars, conferences, catalogues, and daily contact with the gallery’s visitors.” A mundillo insider if there ever was one.

Also worth a visit in the area:
Cruce
Doctor Fourquet, 5

Angel Romero
San Pedro, 5

Leandro Navarro
Amor de Dios, 1