ARTESANTANDER 2010

From 21 to 25 of July, 2010

From the beginning ARTESANTANDER has always been held in July. In order to create a first-class, competitive and open event, the right time of year had to be chosen: a time when the city and region are at their peak of vibrancy and the largest possible number of visitors are present. The magnificent summer of Northern Spain, in addition to acting as a magnet, has become over a time an essential element in ensuring the success of the occasion, a factor which, nonetheless, would be of little use without the hard work, creativity and enthusiasm of institutions and organisers in making each event bigger and better.
Under the premise that the fair must be capable of taking part and, if possible, collaborating in every cultural event held in its area of influence, emphasising its international nature as a means of evolution, enrichment and improvement, or even its very survival in such a competitive industry, and upholding the basic idea that it must be faithful to its origins, looking after and nurturing the artists and gallery owners, ARTESANTANDER has reached its nineteenth year stronger than ever, underpinned by its previous successes.
This year, with the solidity of Santander’s bid to become European Capital of Culture 2016 confirmed, the fair’s desire for constant growth and improvement has hit a springboard that will provide a new boost to its aspirations to become a leading cultural event. At the same time, a new channel for participation and collaboration is being opened with the aim of making the exhibition one of the main events on the cultural calendar. This connection with the cultural capital bid has started to materialise this year with its direct involvement in a very important part of the ARTESANTANDER programme.
Within this dynamic of growth and improvement, the fair is making changes this year to its selection committee, a renewal that will bring quality, freshness and prestige. From now on the committee will include Rafael Doctor (manager of the Santander 2016 Foundation), José Guirao (manager of Caja Madrid’s Casa Encendida cultural centre) and Miguel Cereceda (lecturer in Aesthetics and Theory of Art at the Autonomous University of Madrid, member of the board of directors of the Madrid Fine Art Circle and art critic for the ABC newspaper).
ARTESANTANDER’s international dimension already received a significant boost in last year’s event with the participation of Belgium as the guest country. The success brought by the presence of some of Belgium’s most prominent galleries and the good results obtained by them, despite the recession, has allowed the organisers to continue the programme of invitations that had been planned, and on this occasion Poland will come to Santander. The galleries that have already confirmed their participation are Poznań’s PIEKARY Gallery (from one of the other cities bidding to become European Capital of Culture in 2016) and Warsaw’s LE GUERN Gallery. Other prestigious Polish galleries that have yet to confirm their presence, with a focus on emerging art, are the LETO Gallery and RASTER Gallery, both in Warsaw.
In addition to the participation of Poland this year as the guest country in the PANORAMA POLONIA initiative, the General Programme for the fair and COTAUNO (representing Cantabria’s gallery owners), a special emphasis will be placed on the ‘new territories’ opening up thanks to the collaboration of the Santander 2016 Foundation, and eight PROJECT ROOMS will be offered. This selection of eight galleries, in a project organised by the prestigious art critic of the ABC newspaper, Óscar Alonso Molina, will bring to the fair and to the city the work of young artists who collaborate with prestigious Spanish galleries, until now unheard of in the fair.
The 2010 event will also include content that has become a regular feature in the fair and is distinguishable by its unquestionable success and popularity in past years. This year, thanks to the agreement between URCASA and Aparcamientos Santander, the Visiones Urbanas (Urban Visions) programme will take place once again, a project that takes the fair onto the streets to bring it closer to everyone. The added value this year lies in the Polish galleries’ opportunity to also use the chosen urban spaces, adding diversity to the visual spectacle that the project provides on the city’s streets.
All in all, ARTESANTANDER is progressing, growing and consolidating itself as a leading modern art fair in Northern Spain and one that is becoming increasingly well-known and prestigious on the international scene. While the industry in general is going through a delicate period, the Cantabrian exhibition, although still a small fair, will increase its number of participants to a very respectable 54 galleries this year. This growth is based on the fair’s determined commitment to a high quality exhibition offering and to the universality of a modern art that is becoming more and more attractive and familiar to everyone.