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Espacio Solo – and its accompanying Colección Solo – is a private contemporary art museum in Madrid, founded by Spanish industrialist Ana Gervás and entertainment executive David Cantolla in 2013 and expanded into its current form in 2018. David Cantolla is the founder of Zinkia Entertainment and a BAFTA award winner for the animated series Pocoyo.

Espacio Solo
Map
Established1 September 2013 (2013-09-01)
LocationRetiro, Madrid
Coordinates40°25′15″N 3°41′18″W / 40.42076579378246°N 3.688300105072749°W / 40.42076579378246; -3.688300105072749
CollectionsContemporary art
Collection size948
FounderAna Gervás & David Cantolla
ArchitectestudioHerreros (Juan Herreros+Jens Richter)
Websitewww.coleccionsolo.com

The collection comprises 948 paintings, sculptures and drawings by an international group of artists, including established and emerging artists working in figurative art, contemporary sculpture, pop surrealism and new media.[1][2][3] The art collection forms the core of several museum programs that aim to support artists and art education across Madrid with different art support projects, awards and grants.[4]

Exhibitions

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Colección Solo showcases in its museum Espacio Solo a diverse range of artworks through its rotating temporary exhibitions.

International exhibitions

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SPECULUM, a contemporary version of Bosch's masterpiece The Garden of Earthy Delights by SMACK. On view at Colección Solo's exhibition at Matadero Museum (Madrid)

In 2021, Colección Solo curated a special exhibition titled The Garden of Earthly Delights. Through the artworks of Colección Solo[12] at the Matadero Madrid Centre for Contemporary Creation.[13] The exhibition aimed to re-contextualize Bosch's masterpiece in the contemporary era and featured the works of 15 international artists[14] across various mediums, including digital animation, artificial intelligence, sound, painting, and ceramics.[15] The exhibition attracted over 90,000 visitors[16][17] and included works by artists such as Cassie McQuater, Dan Hernandez, and the Dutch collective SMACK,[18] who created a digital contemporary interpretation of Bosch's SPECULUM.[19]

Loans from Colección Solo such Gari Baseman's Secrets and Truth has been part of the Summerhall at the Edinburgh Art Festival in 2014 and 2015, D*Face's work Peace is a Dirty Word was loaned for the artist's first retrospective at CAC Malaga. Mario Klingemann's artwork The Butcher's Son has been donated to the Victoria & Albert Museum in 2021,[20] and Filip Custic's piece X=Y=Z was loaned to the Ohm Museum in 2022, among others.[21]

In 2023 Colección Solo coproduced with Japanese PARCO Museum[22] a filip custic's exhibition titled Human Product.[23] The artist explores the relationship between body, mind, and technology,[24] and how these three elements interact to shape our identity during a time when we are connected 24/7.[25]

Artistic Programs, Awards and Experimentation projects

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Colección Solo operates ONKAOS, a program dedicated to nurturing new media artists. Artists such as Mario Klingemann, Filip Custic, the Dutch collective SMACK, artist Chino Moya, and sound artist Koka Nikoladze are part of this new media support programm.

One project born through ONKAOS program is Mario Klingemann's work. Memories of Passersby I became the first AI artwork auctioned by Sotheby's.[26] Klingemann's other creations include "Appropriate Response," recognized at Ars Electronica 2020,[27] and A.I.C.C.A., an art performative sculpture art critic dog in 2023.[28]

Presented at Solo Space, A.I.C.C.A. is a performative sculpture—a dog-shaped robot generating critical essays on observed artworks autonomously.[29][30] Challenging AI's traditional role, it blurs sculpture, technology, and performance, raising questions about art criticism's subjectivity.[31] Inspired by vintage toys, A.I.C.C.A. employs a sophisticated algorithm to learn and make independent decisions based on patterns and training data.[32]

Batalla de Croya (2018), by Juan Díaz-Faes, at Colección SOLO museum (Madrid) 
Batalla de Croya (2018), by Juan Díaz-Faes, at Colección SOLO museum (Madrid)

Colección Solo has supported various artists through artistic residencies and support programs. Artists such as Juan Díaz-Faes, known for creating murals in cities like Hamburg, Madrid, and Miami, as well as Ryan Heshka, Raymond Lemstra, and Spanish artist Bnomio, known for his Memento Mori artistic actions with contemporary icons,[33] have been part of this initiative.

Additionally, Colección Solo celebrates international awards dedicated to different disciplines such sound art[34] or AI Art . In 2020, the PowSOLO Award[35] acknowledged the finest sound art from over 100 global submissions: 'Phonotic Readers' by artist Enrique del Castillo. This creation generates melodies and sound patterns through light, motion, and celluloid. In 2023 launched a prize to recognise the best artwork made with artificial intelligence[36] and the winner was Lars Nagler.

In addition, Colección SOLO supports various international art fairs with acquisition prizes. In 2023, Sandra Vasquez de la Horra's artwork title 'La liberación del mito" won at the ARCO Fair.[37][38] At Untitled Miami in 2022, Alba Triana and Pablo Benzo artists won SOLO's Acquisition Awards.[39] In 2022, Richard Burton won the Urbanity award,[40] followed by Hugo Alonso in 2023.[41] Promoting dialogue and experimentation in contemporary art, Colección Solo actively engages in projects and academic conferences.[42] One of these artistic experimentation initiatives is Ulyss3s project,[43] which fosters collaborations between artificial intelligence and artists from various disciplines. The project 's debut work was the triptych ‘Persistencia de la Narración’.

Espacio Solo

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Colección Solo is housed at Espacio Solo, a museum located in Puerta de Alcalá,[44] Madrid. The architectural design of Espacio Solo was designed and by the spanish architecture office estudioHerreros (Juan Herreros+Jens Richter), an architect awarded by the Madrid College of Architects (COAM) Prize in 2018[45] for his work on the museum building. The museum was built in a relevant building in the city of Madrid called the Millenium building, in the Plaza de la Independencia, popularly known as Puerta de Alcalá. The studio of Juan Herreros is building a new artistic space for Colección Solo in Madrid, which will consist of 4,000 metres for exhibitions and spaces dedicated to artistic and cultural experimentation. It is scheduled to open in January 2025.

References

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  1. ^ Hughes, Felicity (26 June 2022). "Madrid for art lovers: the best museums in town". Lonely Planet.
  2. ^ "Colección SOLO". BMW Art Guide by Independent Collectors.
  3. ^ Ferren, Adrew. "36 Hours in Madrid: Things to Do and See". The New York Times.
  4. ^ "Colección SOLO. A groundbreaking collection for an innovative space promoting digital art and new media in the heart of Madrid" (PDF). XIBT Magazine. pp. 98–100 – via Dropbox.
  5. ^ "Colección SOLO presents "Mu Pan y Otras Bestias". Juxtapoz.
  6. ^ "Still Huma". Time Out.
  7. ^ Landoni, Davide. "Viaggio nella Colección SOLO di Madrid, dove la contemporaneità è colorata ma perturbante". ArtsLife.
  8. ^ "Certeza". Independent Collectors.
  9. ^ Bolinches, Marie. "flip custic se joue les identities". Cana ARTE.
  10. ^ Huang, Mei. "S.M.A.C.K:AI迅猛发展,留给人类的空间是什么?". Art & Business China.
  11. ^ Riepe, Simon. "Tush Magazine".
  12. ^ "The Garden of Earthly Delights". thegardenofearthlydelights.art. Retrieved 2023-06-29.
  13. ^ Jones, Sam. "Madrid exhibition reimagines Bosch's Garden of Earthly Delights for digital age". The Guardian.
  14. ^ Fanjul, Sergio. "El Jardín de las Delicias, pixelado". El País.
  15. ^ Meyer, Manuela. "Ewig mahnt der 'Garten der Lüste'" (PDF). Wiener Zeitung. p. 19.
  16. ^ Keeley, Graham. "Garden of Earthly Delights reimagined in hit Spanish art exhibition". INewa.
  17. ^ Bogojev, Sasha. "Colección SOLO Presents The Garden of Earthly Delights in Madrid". Juxtapoz Magazine.
  18. ^ Zoutberg, Rop. "Kurt Cobain in hedendaagse Tuin der Lusten van Jeroen Bosch". Nos Television.
  19. ^ Boittiaux, Ines. "Cyber-Bosch au Jardin des délices". Beaux Arts Magazine.
  20. ^ "Collections". Victoria&Albert Museum.
  21. ^ ""Grief and Pleasure" is at OMM". OMM Museum.
  22. ^ Waite, Thom. "Filip Ćustić's new show explores society on the verge of transhumanism". Dazed.
  23. ^ Whiddington, Richard. "See Inside Artist Filip Custic's First Solo Show in Tokyo, Where His 'Super-Bionic' Sculptures Meld the Body and Technology". Artnet.
  24. ^ Waddoups, Ryan. "Filip Custic Wades Into the Subconscious". Surfacemag.
  25. ^ Silliti, Flavio. "Qui est Filip Ćustić, l'artiste qui redessine la tech et distord l'humain pour mieux comprendre les machines ?". Konbini Magazine.
  26. ^ Mulier, Thomas. "This Art Has Been Created by AI. Will Collectors Want It?". Bloomberg.
  27. ^ "Artist Talk: Mario Klingemann". Ars Electronica (in German).
  28. ^ "Mario Klingemann Creates A.I.C.C.A Robotic Pooch That Poops Out Receipts of Art Critiques". Hypebeast.
  29. ^ "Robot dog uses AI to print art critiques". USA Today.
  30. ^ De La Cruz, Sofía. "MEET A.I.C.C.A., THE WORLD'S FIRST AI DOG THAT POOPS ART CRITIQUES". Hypebae.
  31. ^ "Meet AICCA: Newest art critic roaming a Madrid museum". Forbes India.
  32. ^ Bindé, Josephine. "Un chien-robot critique d'art inauguré dans un musée madrilène". Beaux Arts.
  33. ^ Hernando, Silvia. "El artista Bnomio llena Madrid de carteles con el rostro de Putin fundido con una calavera". El País.
  34. ^ "Winners of the PowSOLO Awards for sound art". eFlux.
  35. ^ "Winners of the PowSOLO Awards for sound art - Announcements - e-flux". www.e-flux.com. Retrieved 2023-08-30.
  36. ^ fernandez, milena (2022-12-14). "SOLO AI '23 AWARDS". Colección Solo. Retrieved 2023-08-30.
  37. ^ "Sandra Vásquez de la Horra, Premio Adquisición Colección SOLO".
  38. ^ "Sandra Vásquez de la Horra, Premio Adquisición Colección SOLO en ARCO 2023". Mas de Arte.
  39. ^ "Untitled Fair". 5 December 2022.
  40. ^ ""www.urvanity-art.com"". Urvanity Art Fair. May 2021.
  41. ^ ""https://www.hugoalonso.info"". Hugo Alonso website.
  42. ^ Layered Creativity: Experiments in Contemporary art at Colección SOLO (Rebekah Rhodes), retrieved 2023-06-29
  43. ^ "Protection No Longer Assured, la nueva expo de Colección SOLO". ccmagazine.es. Retrieved 2023-06-29.
  44. ^ Leung, Ricko. "Espacio SOLO: Telling a Story of Our Time". Larry'ss List.
  45. ^ "COAM (Madrid)". 2018.