Madrid is a buzz. Chronicle of our participation in Madrid Design Festival, ARCOmadrid and the Mayrit Biennial

We have had the opportunity to play an active part in these events by participating with our three firms, GANDIABLASCO, GAN and Diabla, in their installations and exhibition proposals. Thanks to all those who have accompanied us in recent weeks in Madrid and to the institutions, curators and collaborators who make it all possible.

ARCOmadrid 2023

Gandia Blasco Group in the “Verbena” project, the fair’s Guest Lounge

Organic lines, traces of craftwork and sculptural presence characterise the different designs of the Gandia Blasco Group firms that have featured in ARCOmadrid 2023’s Guest Lounge, which in this instance has included the participation of over 200 galleries and more than 450 international collectors. From 22nd – 26th February, the fair’s zone allocated for rest and meeting, promoted with the support of the Leading Brands of Spain Forum (FMRE), received hundreds of visitors from all over the world.

“Verbena” project, the fair’s Guest Lounge of ARCOmadrid 2023 | © ARCOmadrid

Madrid-based studios HANGHAR & estudio DIIR were responsible for designing the “Verbena” project, which captured the central theme of the fair – “The Mediterranean: A Round Sea” – as the starting point and inspiration for a space of openness and interaction, evoking the most intrinsic essence of the Mediterranean people.

Among the furniture selection were pieces from Diabla —such as the COSTURAS BALL pouf by Teresa Sapey, the SAIL pouf and MARETA lounge chair by Héctor Serrano, the VALENTINA UP lounge chair by Alejandra Gandía-Blasco and the la SIESTA jug by Alberto Martínez, Raky Martínez and Héctor Serrano— and GAN —the RUFF POUF by Romero & Vallejo and the GRAPY lounge chair by Kensaku Oshiro—.

Madrid Design Festival 2023

Madre Natura (Mother Nature), a choral exhibition drawn to a close through the four elements

From one of the most active centres of Madrid Design Festival 2023, the Fernán Gómez Centro Cultural de la Villa, we are present at the interesting and necessary exhibition Madre Natura (Mother Nature), curated by Teresa Herrero.

Madre Natura exhibition. PLASTIC RIVERS rugs | © Fernán Gómez Centro Cultural de la Villa

This collaborative exhibition, designed by Plantea Estudio and open until 9^th April, talks about design as a tool for change to craft a more sustainable and habitable world through the use of innovative materials and projects. In this context, two collections of handmade GAN rugs, PLASTIC RIVERS —designed by Álvaro Catalán de Ocón— and ROOTS —by Inma Bermúdez—, both awarded for their sustainable design, demonstrate how renewability, craftsmanship and design go hand in hand to reduce our ecological footprint.

Mujer X Mujer / Woman X Woman: New Sustainable Transitions

In addition, we immersed ourselves in Mujer X Mujer / Woman X Woman: New Sustainable Transitions, an experimental design exhibition curated by Marisa Santamaría and designed by Belén Moneo. This initiative, which could be visited until 3rd March at _2B space to be en _2B space to be, the exhibition space in the Moneo Brock architecture and design studio, brought together women from the field of design united under a reflection on the current development and the future of female creation in the sector. Creations such as ROOTS by Inma Bermúdez for GAN, RUFF POUF by Romero & Vallejo for GAN, and PATOSO by Alejandra Gandía-Blasco for Diabla, were selected for the show.

Mujer X Mujer / Woman X Woman. ROOTS rug and PATOSO pouf | © 2B Space to be

Within the framework of this exhibition, the talk Impulso Mujer X Mujer: “Españolas por descubrir” + “GAN Women Unit” (Woman X Woman Momentum: “Spanish Women to Discover” + “Gan Women’s Unit” took place on 16th February. A round table discussion with the participation of the figures who pioneered the project Mujer X Mujer, Marisa Santamaría and Belén Moneo, Leticia Espinosa de los Monteros, founder and president of Círculo de Orellana, and Mapi Millet, creative director of GAN, who shared her experience as a champion of the GAN Women Unit, a project of active collaboration with female artisans in rural areas of the state of Uttar Pradesh (India) that combines design and craftsmanship to improve living conditions for them.

Mayrit Bienal

The exhibition “Hogar producido” (Home-Made) at the Museo Nacional de Artes Decorativas (National Museum of Decorative Arts) in Madrid

GANDIABLASCO, GAN and Diabla also joined Mayrit’s programme, it being the biennial platform of alternative creators supported by the Ministry of Culture and Sport, within the Spanish Government. This inclusive and interactive design festival aims to reposition contemporary design as a cultural driving force.

“Hogar producido” (Home-Made) exhibition. VENT red chair | © Rebeca Sayago

Up until 9^th April, the National Museum of Decorative Arts is hosting the exhibition Exposición de bienes. Hogar producido (Exhibition of Goods. Home-Made). The exhibition, curated by the artist and designer Joel Blanco, re-interprets the museum’s collections and features the participation of companies such as Gandia Blasco Group and the interventions of Alba Galocha, Adela Leiro and Estrella Alonso, Bluetooth Girl, Raquel Vicente Dobato, Gente 2020, Fran Sabariego and Nora Silva.

Hogar producido is the second part of the exhibition Exposición de bienes —whose first event was held in June 2022 and curated by Sina Sohrab-, and reflects on how the market has been integrated into our homes through communication technologies and how this has changed the way we experience and use domestic spaces.

There is still time to visit us at:

Madre Natura (Mother Nature)
📍 Fernán Gómez. Centro Cultural de la Villa (Plaza de Colón, 4 Madrid)
📅 Until 9^th April 2023
🕑 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., Tuesday-Sunday.

Exposición de bienes. Hogar producido (Exhibition of Goods. Home-Made)
📍 Museo Nacional de Artes Decorativas (Montalbán, 12 Madrid)
📅 Until 9^th April 2023
🕑 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., Tuesday-Saturday & 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Sundays and National Holidays.