The Castellón Contemporary Art Fair (MARTE), held for 13 years, has concluded its most recent edition with consistent growth in visitors and quality, establishing itself as an important event for collectors, artists, and art enthusiasts in the Valencian Community. It is estimated that around 8,000 people visited the event at the Auditori de Castelló, exceeding expectations and breaking records in the number of works sold, pending subsequent confirmations.
The direct economic impact for the province, derived from visitor spending, is estimated at 375,000 euros. The Auditori i Palau de Congressos de Castelló hosted 20 art galleries and numerous institutional projects. Furthermore, the Marte Expedition initiative brought art to the streets and other locations in the province, including the exhibition “Castelló Col·lecciona. Elogi de l'incomplet” at El Convent de Vila-real (until June 16) and the collection “Fashion Art” by Manuel Fernández at the MACVAC de Villafamés (until October 10).
The Marte Social section stood out with a talk on artistic creation and artificial intelligence, featuring Safe Creative and Alsino Skowronnek. The work of CeramicRes 2024 was also exhibited with artists such as Leticia Martínez and Silvana Hurtado-Dianderas. The artistic residencies were strengthened with the participation of EME Residencia, Enate, and La Neomudejar. A free children's workshop by INCLUSIVE completed Sunday's offerings.
MIAU Fanzara presented intervened works under the project “Escultura i renovació fallera” (Sculpture and Fallas renewal), directed by David Moreno. The Diputació de Castelló paid tribute to Joaquín Michavila on the centenary of his birth, with a selection of pieces from its own collections. The Ayuntamiento de Castellón exhibited works from the Hábitat Artístic grants by Carlos Bonet and Tamara de Frutos, with the participation of the EASD de Castelló and publishers like Boom Art Community and UPV.
The invited artist, Juana González, recognized with several awards, presented works through the MARTE Curated program, which promotes accessible collecting with emerging and mid-career artists.
In the awards and acquisitions section, notable purchases include those by the MXM collection (work by Juana González), Alejandro Bethancourt (works by Juana González and Chanivet), César Monzonís (work by Juana González), LES & JON ART (work by Juana González), C64 ART (work by Pedro Cuadra), SERO (work by Amina Kouissar), Vila-Real Assessors (three works by Pedro Kouba), Manuel García (work by Mila Dobrevska), Petrarca (work by Pedro Cuadra), EME (work by Agustín Esteso), Arias Rego (work by Jaume Cremades), Fracaral (work by Ángeles Agrela), UBE (work by Soledad Sevilla), Barza (work by Dani Hache), MARTE (work by Jazzy Dope), and Distrito de Arte Torrijos (artistic residency for Laura Salguero).
The fair is sponsored by the Diputación de Castellón and the Ayuntamiento de Castellón, with support from the Generalitat Valenciana through the Consorci de Museos and the Institut Valencià de Cultura. Sponsors such as Alhambra, illy, and Bodegas Arráez (with barrels intervened by Borja Docavo and Adriá Miko) reinforce the presence of contemporary art.
