Madrid's Spring Art Week: Four Fairs Unite in May

Four minor art fairs in Madrid—Drawing Room, ArtMadrid, Urvanity, and Hybrid—have rescheduled to a collective spring event from May 26 to 30, 2021, diverging from the traditional ArcoMadrid week. Only JustMad opted to align with ArcoMadrid's new July dates. The shift follows pandemic disruptions and the success of Estampa fair in April. Drawing Room, in its sixth edition at Palacio de Santa Bárbara, features 13 galleries from Spain and Portugal, plus a virtual edition with international participants including Italian galleries Bi-Box Art Space and UfoFabrik. ArtMadrid, at Palacio de Cibeles, hosts 32 galleries, eight newcomers, with a focus on African contemporary art from Out of Africa and works from Kaunas and Tehran. Urvanity, dedicated to urban art, takes place at COAM with 28 galleries from New York, UK, Caracas, and Colombia, highlighting artists like Banksy and Laurina Paperina. Hybrid moves to Hotel Riu at Plaza de España, offering intimate installations with 20 exhibitors and collaborations with Austrian, Taiwanese, and Israeli cultural institutions. The overall mood is optimistic due to declining infections and rising vaccination rates, though foreign galleries and public access remain limited.