5 Free Plans in Madrid from February 6th to 13th: Contemporary Art and Cinema
Despite the persistent winter weather, Madrid’s cultural agenda remains vibrant, offering a diverse array of free activities from February 6th to 13th. These events provide excellent opportunities to enjoy art and cinema in the days leading up to Carnival and Valentine’s Day. From thought-provoking contemporary art exhibitions to insightful film screenings, there’s something for everyone to explore in the capital without spending a cent.
Contemporary Drawing in Retiro Park
The Casa de Vacas Cultural Center, located in Retiro Park, is hosting the XXVII Gregorio Prieto Drawing Contest Exhibition until February 22nd. This exhibition showcases 43 selected works from 819 submissions by 559 artists, offering a broad and diverse perspective on contemporary drawing. The styles range from figurative approaches to abstract, conceptual, and experimental proposals. The exhibition is open daily from 10:00 to 21:00.
- Dates: February 5th to February 22nd.
- Location: Casa de Vacas Cultural Center, Paseo Colombia, 1.
- Transport: Metro Retiro station (Line 2).
Among the exhibited pieces are the award-winning works of this edition. The first prize went to Sebastián Bona for “¿Qué parte salvaje de mí actúa antes que mi voluntad?” (Which wild part of me acts before my will?), a work that delves into the primal impulses of fear and the mechanisms preceding conscious will. The second award was given to José Miguel Chico López for “Paisaje mediterráneo” (Mediterranean Landscape), a charcoal, ink, and varnish piece that constructs an abstraction loaded with conceptual tension, reflecting on technology and the posthuman condition. This biennial contest was established by Gregorio Prieto, a prominent painter of the Generation of ’27, to promote drawing as a living and constantly evolving language.
A Documentary at Casa de América
On February 9th at 18:00, Casa de América will feature Nicaragua with the screening of the documentary “Operación Guardabarranco: Un vuelo urgente hacia la libertad… y el destierro” (Operation Guardabarranco: An urgent flight to freedom… and exile). The film reconstructs the liberation and exile of 222 political prisoners on a flight to the United States three years ago, on February 9th, 2023. The documentary explores both the diplomatic operation and the human experience, intertwining testimonies from the released prisoners and the Nicaraguan regime. A discussion with Samantha Jirón and Irving Larios, two of the ex-prisoners, will follow the screening.
- Date: February 9th, at 18:00.
- Location: Casa de América, Calle del Marqués del Duero, 2.
- Transport: Metro Banco de España station (Line 2).
Last Days of ‘Ecos de Vida’
There are only a few days left to visit Cristina Babiloni’s exhibition “Ecos de Vida” (Echoes of Life), open until February 14th. This is an opportunity to delve into the universe of this artist born in Castellón, deeply connected to the natural world. The exhibition features a selection of her most recent paintings and sculptures, where oceans, the seabed, and terrestrial landscapes become settings for artistic exploration and reflection.
- Dates: Until February 14th.
- Location: Opera Gallery, Calle de Serrano, 56.
- Transport: Metro Serrano station (Line 4) or Rubén Darío (Line 5).
Babiloni works with burlap fabrics, sand, acrylic, cardboard, ceramics, and methacrylate to build imaginary ecosystems where the boundaries between painting and sculpture blur. In her latest series, her gaze shifts towards volcanic lands and primary materials, creating a constant dialogue between land and sea. Her creative process emphasizes the circularity of materials and gives an essential role to texture, energy, and movement.
A Visual and Psychological Investigation
La Casa Encendida hosts “The Fold” until April 26th. This is a visual and psychological investigation by Iranian artist Hoda Afshar into the French psychiatrist and photographer Gaëtan Gatian de Clérambault. For this, she uses an archive of images taken by the Frenchman in Morocco at the beginning of the 20th century, mainly featuring veiled Islamic women. For the first time, the artist works with archival material to examine the legacy of orientalist and colonialist photography and the control mechanisms that determine what we see and how we see it. The work combines different artistic and visual techniques and transforms the degradation of images into a critical gesture.
- Dates: January 27th to April 26th.
- Location: La Casa Encendida, Ronda de Valencia, 2.
- Transport: Metro Embajadores station (Line 3).
Michel Franco Mexican Cinema Cycle
The Fundación Casa de México is launching a film cycle dedicated to filmmaker Michel Franco. The director has achieved extensive international recognition, participating in festivals such as Cannes, Venice, and Berlin, which has established him as a central figure in contemporary Mexican cinema. The cycle will begin on February 12th with the screening of “Daniel y Ana,” the story of two siblings, 16 and 23 years old, whose lives will be forever changed after being victims of a kidnapping.
- Date: February 12th, at 19:00.
- Location: Fundación Casa de México en España, Calle de Alberto Aguilera, 20.
- Transport: Metro San Bernardo station (Lines 2 and 4) and buses lines 21, 147, and C03.
A Tour of Muraltalaz
The Madrid district of Moratalaz is home to a selection of 23 large-format murals that form an enormous open-air urban art exhibition. One of these pieces, by artist Leyre Pérez Velasco and titled “Persigue tu estrella” (Chase your star), has just been selected among the top 10 best murals in the world in the Best Mural of the World 2025 contest. This provides another reason to visit Muraltalaz, where visitors can delve deeper into the pieces along the route, using the QR codes that complement each mural to provide details about the works and their authors.
- Location: Moratalaz District.
- Transport: Metro Viñateros station (Line 9) and buses lines 71, 113, and 143.
