MMMAD: digital art, performance and more

MMMAD, the urban digital art festival, has once again transformed Madrid into the international capital of digital art this month.

The fourth edition of MMMAD Festival Urbano de Arte Digital de Madrid has been presented today at Espacio Cultural Serrería Belga -its main venue- with the intention of once again transforming the city into the international capital of digital art and new media during this month of May 2023. With a programme that will feature more than 50 artists and various spaces and institutions involved, MMMAD 2023 aspires to become a great point of confluence with digital art.

Serrería Belga Cultural Space

The Espacio Cultural Serrería Belga is the main venue for this fourth edition of MMMAD and will have its own programme, including kasdfñasd, an exhibition that opens tomorrow 5 May and brings together the works of Enrique Agudo, Teresa Fernández-Pello, Andrea Muniáin, Yosi Negrín and Lola Zoido, artists born or based in Madrid, whose work explores the relationship between the physical and digital worlds.

This exhibition will be accompanied by a programme of parallel activities such as the cycle of screenings Rituals, productivity and intimacy: an audiovisual exploration that took place on 9 May and analysed the intersections between these themes through the viewing of digital video-essays by the artists Andrés Rizo, Mayte Gómez, Mit Borras + Rachel Lamot, Momu & No Es and Operator.

In addition, three workshops gathered under the title Sensorial Explorations we live immersive experiences, also took place Touch and Sound, led by ALV Adina and Lucía Cordero; Digital Trash, by Teresa Fernández-Pello, used technological waste to create new functional and non-functional objects; and Virtual Skin, under the leadership of Pau Jiménez, analysed the use of avatars in digital practices and explored their implications in the contemporary world.

Finally, on 27 May, the Closing Conferences of MMMAD2023 will take place in the auditorium, with three national professionals who are pioneers in the introduction of digital art in Spain: the gallery owner Alberto de Juan, the cultural manager María Brancós and the journalist Roberta Bosco, making Serrería Belga a meeting place for the creative community of Madrid.

Public space

Clear Channel’s 422 urban screens, located at strategic points in the city of Madrid and its metropolitan area, transform the capital into an open-air museum. Fullscreen is a group show organised in collaboration with the digital collecting platform Sedition, showing a selection of 10 works by international artists: Pandelis Diamantides, Jaap Drupsteen, Sarah Elawad, Andreas Nicolas Fischer, Krista Kim, Rafaël Rozendaal, Guli Silberstein, Kirsten Swensen, Florence To and Ryoichi Kurokawa.

For the third year in a row, the Super 8 Media screens of the iconic Palais de la Presse will once again become huge digital canvases. This time they will showcase the visual universe of MMMAD 2023 My Friends Come From The Clouds, a series of four newly created videos curated by the Festival in which the French artist Bora addresses themes such as identity and intimacy in the digital age.

In addition, Roca Madrid Gallery’s exhibition, which starts on 11 May on the 8m long outdoor screen located on José Abascal Street, will also once again be part of the festival with a solo exhibition by Swiss artist Dirk Koy. Under the title Intersection he will present a selection of works that investigate the intersection of urban space and nature and the real and digital worlds, all of them adapted to the unique screens of the space.

Spaces for thought

Under the title Drag Up, from 10 May, Pablo Durango proposes to develop a research experience on self-identity through drag and 3D creation tools. Using their own bodies and contemporary digital techniques, the students will construct a series of characters that will be given their own narratives and characteristics. On 13 May, La Casa Encendida will become a space for thought, dissemination and debate on digital art by hosting the MMMADTalks meeting. The event featured international experts in this field: Julia Kaganskiy (Ukraine), Martina Menegon (Austria), Hsiang-Yun Huang (Taiwan), Linda Dounia (Senegal) and Elodie Anglade (Switzerland). The meeting culminated with a performance by Bora (France).

Independent Spaces

Among some of the names taking part will be the Max Estrella Gallery, where the group exhibition The Day the Universe Changed by artists Marlena Kudlicka, Arturo Moya, Tomás Saraceno, Alba Triana and Zimoun can be visited until 3 June.

On the other hand, from 14 May, the Carabanchel space HYPER HOUSE, integrated two of the activities of the programme. On the one hand, Gesthurladavataro by the artist Rubén GoMo (Radioboy+). Curated by TODO BIEN, this workshop-exhibition consisted of a massive collaborative installation built from 3 public workshops in which participants were able to get to know themselves through the creation of their own avatar. On the other hand, this space hosted the group exhibition Digital Dreams.

2B space to be, an exhibition space by the architecture and design studio Moneo Brock in the Prosperidad district, participates for the first time in MMMAD with Bubble Vision, a solo exhibition by the Australian artist Lauren Moffatt that can be visited from 5 to 31 May. The new independent space Nave Sierra, located in the Fuencarral neighbourhood, opens its doors on 6 May with Mythic Mystic, a group exhibition by artists Cavecanems, Excómplice, Razorade and Álvaro Chior. IE Foundation will also be present at the festival with two installations by international digital artists in the tower.

On May 27th, the closing party of MMMAD will take place in which Puro Futuro and Home Club will present an event at Sala Siroco with a line up of local artists such as DJs 1st Degree, Akazie, Lejía Russ and Sn Systema.

To see the programme for MMMAD Festival 2023 click here.

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