Matadero Madrid kicks off its new season with the Back to the Book festival, an exhibition by Carlos Aires, and talks with choreographer Damien Jalet
The Delegate for Culture, Tourism and Sport, Marta Rivera de la Cruz, attended today the opening day of Back to the Book, the independent literature and publishing festival running until next Sunday at Nave Una and Casa del Lector in Matadero Madrid. Singer-songwriter Julieta Venegas, comic artist Paco Roca, and writer Lucía Solla Sobral lead the lineup of participants, which will also feature names such as Sara Torres, Moderna de Pueblo, Marta Sanz, María Bastarós, and Mónica Ojeda.
Following this, Rivera de la Cruz visited the site-specific installation They Shoot Horses, Don't They?, through which artist Carlos Aires has intervened in Nave 0 as part of the Abierto x Obras program. Running until January 24, the exhibition proposes a dance floor suspended between celebration and ruin. Curated by José Luis Romo, Aires takes as his starting point the traces of a former fire still preserved in Nave 0—the former cold storage room of the old slaughterhouse.
Additionally, Rivera de la Cruz met with Franco-Belgian choreographer Damien Jalet, one of the most prominent figures in contemporary dance. Centro Danza Matadero and Cineteca Madrid have organized a weekend program dedicated to his work, including a film retrospective, a dance masterclass taught by Jalet himself, and two public talks.
During the visit, the Delegate highlighted that "Matadero Madrid once again proves to be one of our city's premier spaces for contemporary creation," featuring a season that brings together "literature, publishing, visual arts, dance, and cinema," while "reinforcing its commitment to fostering encounters between creators and audiences." Furthermore, she celebrated that the venue "continues to grow and host top-tier national and international artists and proposals," without ever losing "its vocation as a space open to experimentation and fresh perspectives."
Matadero Madrid Press Office: comunicacion@mataderomadrid.org