Interrelation through the heterogeneous. "Ciudad de Galerías" by Pedro Pitarch

Project description by Pedro Pitarch

A City of Galleries
The 42nd edition of ARCO is conceived as a "City of Galleries", as an ephemeral urbanism encapsulated inside halls 7 and 9 of IFEMA. The architectural design for ARCO2023 emphasizes the role of the galleries as protagonists of the fair. Circulation through the fair is that of an urban space, in which visitors walk its streets and avenues discovering works, spaces and events.

From the point of view of spatial design, the historical role of ARCO is claimed as "something more" than an art fair. ARCO played for many years the role that art biennials or museums played in other countries, building a place where the avant-garde, the disparate and the different had a place since there was no other framework that included them.

The spatial design of ARCO 2023 pays homage to this work of the fair. Unlike the conventional contemporary art fair scheme, in which cultural and public spaces are usually deliberately isolated from the gallery space, at ARCO 2023 they are actively used as articulators of the fair space. As "Public Squares" of the city ARCO2023.

Public spaces: social catalysts
Continuing with the “City of Galleries” scheme, the main public programs of the fair have been distributed in a heterogeneous way and with unique urban designs. The lunch corner, the forum, the terrace, the guest lounge or the presentation rooms act as social catalysts for the fair. Condensers of cultural activity and events, which instead of being concentrated and secluded, are dispersed and interrelated.


"Ciudad de Galerías" by Pedro Pitarch. Photograph by Miguel de Guzmán and Rocio Romero.

Both ArcoLunch, as well as the guest Lounge and the restaurant areas, have been located in locations that allow rapid loading and unloading logistics, as well as avoiding acoustic interference with other programs. Thus, the special programs are distributed heterogeneously throughout the fair, to create nodes of programmatic intensity that maintain the mixed nature of the proposal.

It is precisely this distribution that materializes the unique character of ARCO as "Something More" than an art fair. ARCO is an annual meeting place for the contemporary art scene, as a space for exchange, dialogue and cultural production. Almost like in classical cities, these spaces become agoras of the city ARCO023.

The Homogeneity of the Heterogeneous: Activating the hindquarters
Finally, through a heterogeneous spatial strategy in the distribution of programs, it is intended to achieve a homogenization in the intensity of the fair. The rear areas of ARCO are revitalized, intensifying its activity.

To do this, the programs that require more control configure a backbone that crosses Pavilion 9 from north to south, locating the meeting and cultural spaces in relation to a lateral public avenue.

The publications and magazines are relocated to the end of pavilion 7, claiming another type of collecting that complements that of the works of art in the galleries. The “Mediterranean” Space Section acquires a central position around which the cultural programs of Hall 7 orbit.

ARCO2023 is presented as an interior city that brings together the architectures of all the participating galleries, proposing an interior urbanism in which the galleries, artists, exhibitors and buyers are the protagonists.