Let’s note that Brazil stands out with 20 participating galleries, alongside a dedicated section for the Amazon Art, “Wametisé: Ideas for an Amazofuturism”, curated by Denilson Baniwa and María Wills in collaboration with the Institute for Postnatural Studies. This section brings together seven Brazilian galleries, including some exhibiting outside Brazil for the first time, such as Manaus Amazônia, as well as numerous Indigenous artists and works inspired by the rainforest and their knowledge systems. The initiative not only highlights Amazonian artistic production but also raises awareness about the importance of preserving this ecosystem and its impact on contemporary art.
Amidst this thriving art scene, Madrid is experiencing a significant demographic shift, driven by an influx of high-net-worth South American collectors who view art as both passion and investment. Their growing presence is reshaping market trends and influencing gallery strategies. Now, navigating the complex chessboard of the art market, ARCO Madrid aims to solidify its prestige and reaffirm its position against the powerhouse Art Basel Miami Beach.
General Program
ARCO Madrid brings together 178 galleries in its General Program, promoting a broad dialogue between innovative proposals from the international scene. More than just a commercial event, the fair has established itself as a space for discovery, reflection and artistic research.
Among the participating galleries, this year’s edition highlights the debut of Brazilians Gomide&Co, Luciana Brito and Raquel Arnaud in the main program. In addition, the fair celebrates the return of established names such as Mendes Wood DM and Fortes D’Aloia & Gabriel, reinforcing Brazil’s presence on the global contemporary art scene.
Sophie Su Art Advisory was present at the fair and below we bring you detailed coverage of the stands that presented Brazilian art, including the main highlights of each space.
Fortes D’aloia & Gabriel
In its return to ARCO Madrid, the gallery is presenting a selection of works that move between the contemporary and the historical, bringing together emblematic artists from the Brazilian scene. Among the highlights are Adriana Varejão, Anderson Borba, Erika Verzutti, Ernesto Neto, Janaina Tschäpe, Leda Catunda, Márcia Falcão and Tadáskía, among other names who explore new languages and deepen the dialogue with art from different periods and contexts.
Fortes D’aloia & Gabriel Gallery’s booth view
The gallery is celebrating a successful fair, with sales for nearly every artist. Notable purchases included a Adriana Varejão artwork at $450.000, Janaína Tschäpe artwork at $140.000 and a Tadáskía‘s pair of triptychs sold for €10.000 each. Moreover, works by artists including Damián Ortega, Sara Ramo, and Márcia Falcão were also adquired. Institutional projects are planned for 2025 by many of the represented artists, including a collaboration between Adriana Varejão and Paula Rego at the Gulbenkian Foundation in Portugal.
Adriana Varejão
Azulejão (evolução), 2004
Oil and plaster on canvas
110 x 110 cm
Sold: $450.000
Janaína Tschäpe
Moving castles, 2024
Oil and oil stick on linen
177 x 233 cm
Sold: $140.000
Tadáskía
C.W., 2024
Oil pastel and graphite on paper
Triptych | Each artwork: 31 x 24 cm
Sold: €10.000
Gomide & Co
Making its debut at the fair, Gomide & Co presents a distinctive selection of later works by León Ferrari. The Argentine artist, who lived in Brazil from 1976 to 1991 as an exile due to the political climate in Argentina, is represented through key pieces from three major series: Relectura de la Biblia (1980s), his Braille works (from 1995), and Ideas para infiernos (early 2000s), assemblages featuring toys. This collection highlights Ferrari’s unique artistic evolution, offering a profound exploration of his themes of faith, language, and the intersection of innocence and violence.
Gomide & Co Gallery’s booth view
Winner of the Golden Lion at the 52nd Venice Biennale in 2007, Ferrari’s diverse work, including drawings, collages, sculptures and installations, was well received at the fair. The gallery recorded the sale of nine artworks acquired by private collectors from Portugal, France, Spain and Argentina, price range around $20.000 each.
Luciana Brito
With a dynamic and diverse presentation, the gallery showcases historical paintings by Waldemar Cordeiro and Geraldo de Barros, alongside works by contemporary artists such as Caio Reisewitz, Gabriela Machado, and Rafael Carneiro. Adding to its appeal, a special selection of rare pieces by Regina Silveira is also on display.
Highlighting its strong curatorial focus, the gallery presents a collection of works and historical documents by Geraldo de Barros, announcing successful sales of the artist’s pieces during the fair.
Luciana Brito Gallery’s booth view
Leme
With a stand dedicated to three artists, the gallery presents an in-depth exploration of diverse artistic approaches and contexts. Sandra Gamarra Heshiki, born in Peru and the first artist of non-Spanish origin to represent Spain at the Venice Biennale, offers a powerful reflection on identity and colonialism. Luciano Figueiredo, a key figure in Brazil’s 1970s counterculture movement, reinforces his historical significance. Meanwhile, Gabriela Giroletti, a Brazilian painter based in London, makes her debut at the fair, navigating the tension between abstraction and figuration in her work.
Leme Gallery’s booth view
Leme announces the sale of three works by Sandra Gamarra to a major Argentine collection, as well as multiple pieces by Gabriela Giroletti, acquired by collectors in Brazil, Italy, and Spain.
Sandra Gamarra
Sold
Gabriela Giroletti
Sold
Mendes Wood
Returning to the fair, Mendes Wood DM showcases a diverse selection of works by Paulo Nimer Pjota, Bendt Eyckermans, Sonia Gomes, Pol Taburet, and Lais Amaral, highlighting its commitment to a dynamic and global artistic dialogue.
Parisian artist Pol Taburet presents an exhibition at the Casa de Campo Park in Madrid from March 5 to April 20, featuring a selection of previously unseen paintings and drawings. The show is organized by the Turin-based Fondazione Sandretto Re Rebaudengo and offers an immersion into the artist’s creative universe.
Mendes Wood Gallery’s booth view
Raquel Arnaud
For this edition, Raquel Arnaud Gallery presents a thought-provoking dialogue between Carla Chaim and Waltercio Caldas, exploring the concept of the line as both presence and absence.
Chaim transforms the line into an extension of the body in movement, creating lines that carry energy, rebellion and displacement. Caldas investigates the line as a visual experience, challenging traditional perception.
Raquel Arnaud Gallery’s booth view
Vermelho
Vermelho presents works by the Colombian artist and filmmaker Iván Argote alongside Brazilian photographer Claudia Andujar, bringing two distinct yet powerful approaches to activism in art. Andujar has been committed to defending Yanomami lands since the 1970s, using photography as a tool for resistance and awareness. Argote, on the other hand, explores Radical Tenderness, using emotion, humor, and affection to challenge our relationships with the Other. Together, their works create a compelling dialogue on engagement, empathy, and social change.
Vermelho Gallery’s booth
Zielinsky
For ARCO Madrid 2025, Zielinsky Gallery presents a curation of historical xylographies by Brazilian artists Vera Chaves Barcellos, wall sculptures by Denise Milan, along with Panamanian artists Cisco Merel and Chilean artist Felipe Mujica.
Zielinsky Gallery’s booth
During ARCO Madrid 2024, Zelinsky presented a nine-photograph installation by Vera Chaves Barcellos, valued at €50.000, which was acquired by a national collection.
Vera Chaves Barcellos
Epidermic Scapes, 1977
Impresión de tintas pigmentadas sobre papel algodón, Edition of 5
100 x 120 cm
Sold at ARCO Madrid 2024
Marcelo Guarnieri
The gallery delves into the theme of inner darkness by intertwining Alice Shintani‘s paintings of Amazonian fauna and flora with the surreal forms of LIUBA‘s sculptures. A Bulgarian artist, LIUBA worked in Paris from 1944 to 1949 before moving to Brazil, where she later became a naturalized citizen. Her unique sculptural perspective resonates with Shintani’s exploration of nature and the subconscious.
Marcelo Guarnieri Gallery’s booth view
Below, we highlight two works that, according to the gallery, sparked particular interest among collectors: a bronze sculpture by LIUBA and a work in acrylic resin and pigments on linen by Alice Shintani.
LIUBA
Untitled, 1999
174 x 77 x 45 cm
Alice Shintani
Mata 2024/25, 2019-2024
Acrylic resin and pigments on linen
55 x 40 cm
Portas Vilaseca
For this edition of the fair, the gallery is presenting a booth dedicated to the works of Kika Carvalho and Zé Carlos Garcia, who will participate in the Mercosul Biennial starting end of the month in Porto Alegre. In dialogue, their works reveal themselves as expressions of resistance, memory and reinvention, creating a powerful narrative about identity and transformation.
Portas Vilaseca Gallery’s booth view / Photo: Diego Beyró
Seven paintings and sculptures by both artists were sold, with prices ranging from €5.000 to €10.000, to international private collections. As Jaime Portas Villaseca, the Director and Founder, commented: “The stand’s success is evident in the positive feedback from both the public and gallery attendees at the fair.”
Wametise: ideias para um Amazofuturismo
Wametisé: Ideas for an Amazofuturism, a program highlighting new artistic perspectives on humanity and nature, places Brazil at the heart of ARCO Madrid. This project, a collaboration between Denilson Baniwa, María Wills, and the Institute for Postnatural Studies, examines hybrid existences where human, plant, physical, and metaphysical bodies converge.
“Wametisé,” central to the world’s creation and the definition of human territories, is a concept originating in the Upper Rio Negro peoples’ cosmogony. At the fair, indigenous ancestral knowledge and contemporary artistic processes converse, envisioning collective futures. This approach views the Amazon not as a resource for exploitation, but as a living entity whose preservation depends on respecting native peoples and their cultures. Amidst climate urgency and global change, Wametisé highlights art’s power to resist and reinvent.
Although the theme is central to the fair and widely explored in parallel events throughout the city, the wall structure at ARCO—designed to resemble an Oka, a traditional Indigenous habitat—presents some challenges. Its quality does not fully enhance the artworks on display and, instead, creates a sense of separation within the space.
Additionally, the curatorial selection, while thoughtful, appears somewhat limited, leaving certain galleries with empty areas on their brown, melamine-wood walls. This setup does not entirely do justice to the high-quality works exhibited. Nevertheless, the space has successfully captured the attention of curators from numerous institutions.
Athena
Athena Gallery presents Cobra Criada, a solo project by Frederico Filippi, born from his deep immersion in the Brazilian Amazon. The installation, composed of fragments of chainsaw chains—each valued at €1.500—serves as a powerful symbol of environmental destruction. Through syllables, phrases, and typographical stains, these elements transform into a striking denunciation, exposing the violence hidden within the environmental rhetoric of politicians and corporations.
Athena Gallery’s booth view
Filipe Masini, Founder and Director of the gallery, commented: “The Amazon section, with its specific curatorial focus, became a key point of interest and attracted significant institutional visits, particularly from curators of institutions such as Cisneros, Fondazione Morra Greco, and Museo Reina Sofía, among others. The reception seemed very positive, with strong interest in learning more about the artist and exploring the conceptual depth of the works.”
Frederico Filippi
Cobra Criada, 2019
Chainsaw chain
29 x 100 cm
Aura
The photograph Untitled Lama by Uýra, an artist from Manaus, explores the fusion of human, plant, and spiritual bodies, reflecting on themes of multiplicity and transformation within the broader context of Amazonian challenges.
The gallery attracted significant attention and strong demand at the fair, partly fueled by Uýra’s acclaimed performance at the Reina Sofía Museum on March 7, which had already toured multiple countries and was featured in El País Jornal. Bringing it to Spain was an opportunity to spark reflections on lives rendered invisible by layers of colonialism, the gallerist remarked.
Aura Gallery’s booth
Carmo Johnson Projects
The gallery has three works reserved: one by Rita Huni Kuin, a member of the MAHKU collective who also works as an independent women artist, and two by Naine Terena, exploring the concept of vision through ceremonial masks.
Carmo Johnson Projects Gallery’s booth
Rita Huni Kuin (MAHKU)
Yube Nawa Aibu, 2021
Acrylic on canvas
161 x 198 cm
Naine Terena
Os outros 3, 2024
Weaving with cotton threads, satin ribbon,
gluing materials together materials
100 x 94 cm
Sold
Naine Terena
Os outros 2, 2024
Weaving with cotton threads, satin ribbon,
gluing materials together materials.
87 x 72 cm
Sold
Danielian
Galeria Danielian presents the work of Anna Bella Geiger, whose 1970s photomontages, photogravures, and video critically explore territoriality, addressing the exploitation of indigenous land in Brazil. Her pieces highlight the occupation and resistance against the destruction of indigenous peoples and their territories.
Ludwig Danielian, Founder and Director of Galeria Danielian explained : “the experience has been excellent. We greatly enjoyed the fair, which attracted numerous curators from Europe and the U.S., as well as museum representatives. Many were already familiar with Anna Bella Geiger’s work, and several collectors and institutions either knew of her or already had her pieces in their collections. I believe that being part of the curated sector significantly enhances the visibility of the artist and sparks greater curiosity about this section of the fair.”
Danielian Gallery’s booth
Manaus Amazônia Galeria de Arte
The gallery, participating in an international art fair for the first time, is expanding its operations with the construction of a new 250m² space—the first contemporary art gallery in the Brazilian Amazon. Sales at the fair will contribute to funding this groundbreaking project.
Among the highlights is Duhigó, whose work was presented at the 2024 Venice Biennale, and is part of the MASP and Pinacoteca permanent collections, alongside Dhiane Pa’saro and Paulo Desana—an emerging talent known for his innovative audiovisual work. This marks the debut of all three artists in Spain, generating strong interest from collectors and institutions.
Manaus Amazônia de Arte reports successful sales of works by Paulo Desana and Dhiane Pa’saro, with several deals secured in the early days of the fair. Additional transactions are still in progress, with final sales currently being finalized.
Manaus Amazônia De Arte Gallery’s booth
Duhigó
Maloca Do Miriti Tapuia IV, 2023
Engraving
50 X 50 cm
Sold
Dhiani Pa ́saro
Stu (Pot In The Wanano Language), 2021
Marquetry
40 cm
Sold
Millan
At Millan’s booth, Daiara‘s works highlight the role of female deities in Tukano cosmology, with intense colors and expansive compositions on large canvases while Gustavo Caboco creates metaphorical images that rescue the knowledge of the Wapishana, an indigenous people who live on the border between Brazil and Guyana, and questions the processes of extraction and resignification of indigenous knowledge. The gallery reported sevral sales of the artists.
Millan Gallery’s booth artworks from Daiara Tukano
Profiles | Latin-American Art
The Profiles / Latin American Art section aims to strengthen ARCO Madrid’s historical ties with Latin American art. This edition, curated by José Esparza Chong Cuy, features one artist per gallery, offering a more immersive, personal experience.
Showcasing ten artists, the section highlights Jota Mombaça, represented by Martins & Montero gallery; Agrade Camíz, with A Gentil Carioca; Cerrado, featuring the Sertão Negro project; and Ofelia Rodríguez, from the Bogotá and São Paulo-based Instituto de Visión.
A Gentil Carioca
A Gentil Carioca presents a solo exhibition by Rio-based multimedia artist Agrade Camíz, titled Onde o Vento Faz a Curva, inspired by Clarice Lispector’s essay on Paul Klee, Landscape with yellow birds. The exhibition evokes the idea of movement and path, a fluid and non-linear path that adapts to the path.
The Gallery Director highlights the acquisition of a work by TBA21 Thyssen-Bornemisza Art Contemporary.
A Gentil Carioca Gallery’s booth
Cerrado
Presented in the Profiles: Latin American Art section of ARCO Madrid, the Sertão Negro project brings together works by Dalton Paula, Abraão Veloso, Tor Teixeira, Lucélia Maciel and Genor Sales which has garnered the attention of several collectors, reinforcing their commitment to valuing art and black communities.
Founded in 2021 by artist Dalton Paula and researcher Ceiça Ferreira in Goiânia, the project stands out for integrating art, housing and food security in a collective initiative. Rooted in black cultural traditions, the space houses an art school, residences for artists, community kitchens and medicinal gardens.
The gallery highlights the sale of a total of nine works at the fair. On the first day of the fair, all Dalton Paula paintings sold out at €55.000 each. Of the three paintings, one was acquired by an American collector, while two went to European collectors. Additionally, two watercolors on paper were sold for €15.000 each.
During the fair, a book was launched, the proceeds of which will benefit the artists. The publication brings together works and reflections on the work of the participating artists, strengthening support for their production and expanding the reach of their creations in the artistic scene.
Cerrado Gallery’s booth view
Dalton Paula
Ganga Zumba, 2025
Gold leaf and oil on canvas
70 x 37 cm
Sold: €55.000
Dalton Paula
Nã Agontimé, 2025
Gold leaf and oil on canvas
70 x 37 cm
Sold: €55.000
Dalton Paula
Pacífico Licutan, 2025
Gold leaf and oil on canvas
70 x 37 cm
Sold: €55.000
Dalton Paula
Alufá Rufino, 2024
Watercolor on paper
32 x 29 cm
Sold: €15.000
Dalton Paula
Aqualtune 2, 2023
Watercolor on paper
33 x 30 cm
Sold: €15.000
Martins & Montero
In this edition the gallery presents a new project by Jota Mombaça, an interdisciplinary artist from North East Brazil whose work moves between poetry, critical theory and performance, often addressing issues of anti-colonial criticism and gender disobedience.
In addition to the works exhibited at the booth, Jota Mombaça, in collaboration with Editora Caja Negra, will launch his book NO NOS VAN A MATAR AHORA at the ARCO Madrid Speakers’ Corner. The lecture will take place on March 8, from 6:30 pm to 8 pm, and will offer a profound reflection on the themes present in his work.
Martins & Montero Gallery’s booth
Brazilian Art in the Spotlight of International Galleries
Lombardi Kargl
The gallery’s booth features works by Lenora de Barros, whose practice encompasses a profound investigation of language in its various forms – linguistic, visual, sound and spatial.
The gallery reports significant institutional and private interest in Lenora de Barros‘ works, mainly from Europe and South America. The same level of engagement is also observed with Camila Sposati, reflecting the strong international recognition of both artists.
Lombardi Kargl Gallery’s booth view
Lenora de Barros
Thing in itself, 1990
9-part, analogue black-and-white photograph on baryte paper,
mounted on aluminum.
Each 40 x 60 cm
Asking price: €8.500
Camila Sposati
Horizontes, 2024
Paper cut-outs, gouache
86 x 61 x 3 cm
Asking price: €7.800
Francisco Fino
The gallery is exhibiting a work from the Sonograma series from Vivian Caccuri, which transforms music tracks, conversations and audio recordings into abstract compositions. Using color, line, rhythm and length, the series visually expresses the relationship between time and space.
Francisco Fino Gallery’s booth view
Vivian Caccuri
Coração de pedra (Sonograma Series), 2025
Mosquito netting, waxed cotton, cotton, acrylic resin and brass
151 x 106 x 3 cm
Elba Benítez
The gallery presents a work by Vik Muniz, whose intricate visual games and puns engage viewers while exploring illusion and representation.
Elba Benítez Gallery’s booth
Vik Muniz
Cubist Self Portrait after Salvador Dali. Surfaces, 2023
Mixed media
127 X 91 cm
Asking price: €70.000
Baró
A curated collection of works by the same generation of artists, displayed by Maria Baró, illustrates their shared artistic dialogue. Baró’s curatorial work also situates this within a larger context, linking it to the rising global interest in artists like Lygia Clark, whose work continues to captivate international institutions and is included in major collections worldwide.
Tecla Tofano’s ceramics, a recent MoMA acquisition, are among the works in the booth, highlighting the increasing global interest in ceramics as an art form.
Baró Gallery’s booth view
Overview of Tecla Tofano ceramics
The emphasis on artists and Indigenous communities from the Amazon has reinforced the recognition of established figures known for their work on this subject, such as Annabella Geiger, Claudia Andujar and at the same time, it has propelled emerging Indigenous artists onto the international stage, offering visibility to previously underrepresented voices.
Notably, the strongest sales have been concentrated around Afro-descendant artists such as Dalton Paula, and Tadaskia , as well as Indigenous artists, reflecting the current trends in the art market.
Parallel initiatives and the presence of key players—including private collectors with accessible foundations, along with performances and discussions centered on shared concerns—have positioned art as a transformative tool, fostering collaboration and uniting initiatives.
The sacred geometry of Indigenous traditions and the well-established geometric abstraction in Brazilian art find a common ground, creating a space for human and artistic convergence. While sales may have been somewhat impacted this year by the increase in VAT for Spanish dealers, the fair nonetheless generated a strong sense of energy, collective purpose, and valuable institutional connections—laying the groundwork for future Brazilian projects on the global stage.
Parallel Events
Convergencias / Divergencias. Dos estéticas en diálogo
Casa de América
The Casa de América in Madrid presents the exhibition Convergences / Divergences. Two Aesthetics in Dialogue, which places in parallel the Ye’kwana aesthetic, originating from the Amazon rainforest, and the aesthetic of modern and contemporary Geometric Abstraction, based on a selection of works from the Collection of Venezuelan businessman and collector Juan Carlos Maldonado.
On the Brazilian scene, the exhibition highlights works by renowned sculptor Sérgio Camargo, known for his minimalist sculptures that explore geometry and space, and drawings by artist Willys de Castro, one of the precursors of Conceptual Art in Brazil, who stood out for his work with geometric shapes.
1924. Other Surrealisms
Fundación MAPFRE
The exhibition 1924. Other Surrealisms, which marks the centenary of the publication of André Breton’s First Manifesto of Surrealism, explores three main aspects: the critical reception of the Manifesto in Spain, the impact of the movement in the country, and the role of women in the group.
Maria Martins‘s Bronze como uma liana participates in the exhibition expanding the Latin American perspective on the surrealist movement. In collaboration with the Centre Pompidou, a variant of the exhibition showed in Paris highlighted Prometheus II, 1948 an other sculpture by Maria Martins previously part of the Jean Boghici collection, now owned by Marcell Fleiss of Galerie 1900-2000.
Maria Martins
Como uma liana, c.1946
Bronze
148 x 61 x 22 cm
Maria Martins
Prometheus II, 1948
Bronze
105 x 75 x 96 cm
Performance Uýra
Museo Nacional Centro De Arte Reina Sofía
In two acts indigenous artist Uýra transforms asphalt into a living forest, unveiling buried lands, memories, and waters silenced by colonial histories. Through ritual, movement, and collective participation, a vast root system emerges in public spaces, reawakening Grandmother Earth in the imagination of a sleeping humanity.
Oro Tapado
La Casa Encendida
Moderated by the Solidarity/Environment area, this discussion features Barbara Santos, Reynel Ortega, and Stephen Hugh Jones. Curated by María Wills, Oro Tapado seeks to reconnect with ancestral cosmologies, activating memory and revealing the underground forces that unite all beings. The conversation will explore themes of solidarity, environment, and cultural memory.
29th Edition of the ‘A’ Award: Celebrating Collecting and Its Contributions to the World of Art
On March 4, the ARCO Foundation, with the support of IFEMA MADRID, announced the winners of the 29th edition of the “A” Awards for Collecting. Among the collections recognized were:
Patricia Phelps de Cisneros, awarded the Honorary “A” Prize in recognition of her invaluable contribution to Latin American and Caribbean art. Founder of the Patricia Phelps de Cisneros Collection (CPPC) in the 1970s, she has been instrumental in preserving key artistic movements, ranging from geometric abstraction to indigenous and colonial art. Its collection has been shown in almost 400 exhibitions in 196 museums around the world, and it has made important donations to more than 20 institutions in the Americas and Europe.
In 2016, Patricia Phelps de Cisneros donated 102 works of modern and contemporary Latin American art to MoMA, including pieces by Lygia Clark, Lygia Pape, Hélio Oiticica, Willys de Castro and Mira Schendel, representing Brazil’s concrete and neoconcrete movements.
Juan Carlos Maldonado received the “A” Award for International Collecting for his dedication to geometric abstraction and Latin American art. Since 2005, his collection has expanded both chronologically and geographically. In 2016, he founded a space in Miami to promote exhibitions and broaden access to his collection. A member of the Museo Reina Sofía’s International Council and the ICA Miami’s Advisory Board, Maldonado continues to foster global dialog about Latin American art.
The venezuelan businessman and art collector has played a pivotal role in integrating Brazilian abstraction artists into his collection. He highlighted the connection between Indigenous sacred geometry and 1950s geometric abstraction, expanding the understanding of abstraction beyond Western art and emphasizing its roots in diverse, ancient visual languages.