This month of March is full of art and culture to enjoy the artistic diversity, as well as gastronomic diversity.
We’re taking a look at the seven highlights of art and culture, and this month welcomes us with different art fairs; Art Dubai, Art Madrid and Collectible. Passeig de Gràcia, in Barcelona, opens the doors of itsmost avant-garde restaurants with the new edition of Passeig de Gourmets. Meanwhile, Art Basel travels to Hong Kong, and the Thyssen National Museum exhibits In Search of Life. In addition, the Musée d’Orsay presents the immersive experience Expédition immersive 1874.
Art Dubai unites borders through art
We begin the seven highlights with the 17th edition of the Art Dubai fair, which brought together more than 100 exhibitors. This year they wanted to focus on expanding its borders, connecting stories that are shared around the world, with the novelty that the fair is growing as an international artistic hotspot. New galleries are arriving in the four sections of the programme. In contemporary art, the influence of foreign artists, as well as those from Southeast Asia, stand out. As for the ten solo exhibitions in Bawwaba, they show works where social, historical and political themes are intermingled with painting, sculpture and even video.
Refic Anado and the Glacier-Dreams exhibition. Julius Baer Lounge
The Art Dubai Modern section reveals the cultural dynamics between the countries of the former Soviet Union and the Middle East, Africa and South Asia in order to reveal the history of little-known art. Thus there are interconnecting works from Uganda, Syria or the Ukraine, and cities such as Cairo stand out as emerging centres. In addition, this year, the Digital Art section celebrates its third edition within the fair, hosting all the innovative technologies that are transforming art. From virtual reality to robotic art and immersive experiences, they explore the relationship between technologies and spirituality.
When will it take place? 1 to 3 March 2024.
Where: King Salman Bin Abdulaziz Al Saud St, Al Sufouh, 1, Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
Opening hours: Friday and Saturday from 2pm to 9pm. Sunday from 10.00h to 12.00h VIP entrance, and public entrance from 12.00h to 16.00h.
Tickets: You can buy your ticket here
The vibrant Art Week in Madrid
Art Week returns to Madrid, and with it Art Madrid 2024 at the Galería de Cristal del Palacio de Cibeles. The general programme includes the participation of more than 30 national and international galleries, with a focus on emerging artists and the connection between cultures. On the Spanish scene, the galleries CLC Arte and La Mercería, both from Valencia, are taking part for the first time. Meanwhile, on an international level, there are five newcomers.
Some of the portraits shown at the last edition of Art Madrid
For this year, the Parallel Programme has been renewed and expanded, offering more events for art lovers. Within it we find the first edition of Open Booth, where new artists will be given visibility with the installation of Marina Tellme, Meeting of very important people. In addition, there will also be the Collecting Programme, interviews with the cultural journalist Carlos del Amor, Lecturas, to bring the public closer to the works of art, and La Quedada, an itinerary through five artists’ studios.
When will it take place? From 6 to 10 March 2024.
Where? C/ Montalbán 1, next to Plaza de Cibeles.
Opening hours: Wednesday to Sunday from 11.00 am to 9.00 pm
Tickets: You can buy your ticket here
Collectible dazzles with the avant-garde of design
On the eve of the new edition of Collectible, Brussels is preparing to dazzle lovers of contemporary design. The event, hosted in the iconic Vanderborght building, will present unique, forward-thinking pieces and limited editions. Meanwhile, international galleries and design studios will be hosted in the MAIN and BESPOKE sections. Within the latter we find studios such as Dirk Van de Kooij, from the Netherlands, or Dirk Meylaerts, from France.
From left to right: Sofia Karnukaeva’s work from The Nest collection.
In addition to the New Garde, Dialogue and Architect Designer sections , where, respectively, they will give visibility to new galleries, talk about current works alongside those of the 80s and 90s, and the platform that will show the most recent furniture projects, they are also introducing Outdoor. This section will showcase a dozen pieces for the outdoors, bringing the essence of the environment to what is designed.
When will it take place? From 7 to 10 March 2024.
Where? Rue de l’Ecuyer, 50, Brussels
Opening hours: Thursday, Friday from 12.00h to 19.00h. Sunday from 12.00h to 18.00h.
Tickets: You can buy your ticket here
The seventh edition of Passeig de Gourmets
After enjoying Wine Week in February, Barcelona is getting ready to open the seventh edition of the gastronomic festival Passeig de Gourmets. For ten days, the 20 outstanding restaurants taking part will showcase the latest in haute cuisine. As every year, the programme is divided into different routes, from gourmet experiences, dishes, signature snacks and menus, but for this edition they present two novelties: creative pastries and cocktails. For those who enjoy sweets, for €8, Somni Restaurant presents the cheesecake millefeuille or the Bar del Majestic the caramel, hazelnut and chocolate Jivara bar.
From left to right: Margarita picantón from Hallo Cocktail Bar, at Monument Hotel, and Bosc Hanami Nipó, a dessert from OS-KURO at Claris-Hotel & SPA Barcelona.
As for cocktails, there are nine options for the best drinks for €15. Among them you can choose the Pink & Rose Paloma from Mr Porter Barcelona or Brunello Cucinelli from SOLC. For the rest of the routes, the Platets Route returns offering for €10, Pulled Beef Coca at Restaurante Solomillo, octopus takoyakis at OS-KURO or artichoke flower with bull tartar at El Nacional. In gourmet menus, restaurants such as Sintonia, Somni Restaurant or La Terraza del Claris present their menus for 55 or 70 euros, depending on whether you choose with or without food and wine pairing.
When is the date? From 7 to 17 March 2024.
Where will it be held? Passeig de Gràcia, Barcelona.
Art Basel returns to Hong Kong to show its potential
This year, Art Basel returns in a big way to Hong Kong with 66 more exhibitors than last year’s edition, with a total of 243 galleries from 40 different countries. Within the different sections of the fair, Encounters Encounters and Kabinett stand out, with a greater number of exhibitions and galleries. The former will feature 16 large-scale projects, eleven of them created especially for the fair. Among them are Larrakitj Forest (2024) by the Australian artist Naminapu Maymuru-White, who, through vessels, makes reference to the cosmology and tradition of his territory.
Some of the works shown last year at Art Basel Hong Kong.
As for the Kabinett section, a record number of 33 galleries will be on show, bringing individual projects from the Asian-Pacific region into focus. Here you will find works such as A Thousand Plateaus Art Space, by the Chinese artist Bi Rongrong, which connects personal memories with the cultures of different cities. In addition to these novelties, we must not forget the wide range of cinema, talks and debates with speakers from more than 15 different countries, the legacy of artists from the region and those who are beginning to emerge.
When will it take place? 28-30 March 2024.
Where: 1 Harbour Road, Wan Chai, Hong Kong, China.
Hours: Thursday and Friday from 2pm to 8pm. Saturday from 1pm to 7pm.
Tickets: You can buy your ticket here
Navigating among migratory flutterings
At the end of the March art and culture highlights, the Museo Nacional Thyssen-Bornemisza opens its doors to the audiovisual installation In Search of Life by the Filipino-Canadian artist Stephanie Comilang. Two large screens facing each other present the experience of migration, reflecting on the colonisation of the Philippines by Spain in the 16th century. The story is narrated in different voices: Filipino seafarers Michael John Díaz and Joan Songcuya, historian Guadalupe Pinzón Ríos, Philippine butterfly specialist Aster T. Badon, and Simón, a young boy from Mexico. In addition, the voice of the monarch butterflies, known to migrate more than 4,000km from North America to the forests of Mexico, is also heard.
Next to the film there are also exposed textile pieces reminiscent of Manila shawls. On them are embroidered flowers and butterflies.
The different points of view are related by explaining three central themes: mobility, capital and labour. Filipino sailors leave home, leaving their families behind, and sail for months at a time for international trade. With this common thread of moving, whether willingly or out of necessity, the artist seeks to reflect on different ways of life and new beginnings. In addition, Stephanie depicts the ocean as an element that facilitates trade, and at the same time, as an open universe, as it is part of our nature.
When will it be on? 5 March to 26 May 2024.
Where? P.º del Prado, 8, Centre, Madrid
Opening hours: Tuesday to Sunday from 10.00h to 19.00h. Mondays from 12.00h to 16.00h.
Tickets: You can buy your ticket here
Relive Impressionism through virtual reality
To end March, the Musée d’Orsay welcomes you to the immersive experience Expédition inmmersive 1874. The journey takes us into Paris in the second half of the 19th century, exploring emblematic places and some independent artists who preferred to exhibit outside the Official Salon, in the studio of the photographer Nadar. At nightfall, virtual reality takes us to Boulevard des Capucines, at number 35. There we meet artists such as Monet, Renoir and Morisot, artists who had a successful career ahead of them.
Virtual reality makes it possible to relive an exhibition that brought together emblematic Impressionist artists. Musée d’Orsay
From the studio, places such as the Salon, the studio of the painter Frédéric Bazille, the island of Grenouillère, where Monet and Renoir painted together, and ending in Le Havre, where Monet created his work Impression, Soleil Levant, will be revealed. Each space is connected by concrete elements that reveal the artistic links, and the movement they were creating. Although this exhibition took place on 15 April 1874, through virtual reality, art lovers can relive it up close thanks to the virtually exact reproduction they have made.
When will it take place? From 26 March to 11 August 2024.
Where will it take place? Esplanade Valéry Giscard d’Estaing, Paris, France
Opening hours: Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 9.30am to 6pm. Thursday from 9.30am to 9.45pm. Closed on Mondays.
Tickets: You can buy your ticket here
Images courtesy of the brands mentioned.
