As we approach Galería Fernando Pradilla in the days before Madrid Gallery Weekend, it´s already a hub of activity. The press officer-cum-handyman Jon is helping to put the final installations in place for the Galería´s latest exhibition, Más que vivir from José Ramón . Although Galería Fernando Pradilla is found in Madrid´s affluent Salamanca district, that´s not stopping everyone here from mucking in.
We´d like to say Elena was also getting her hands dirty but as she was carefully holding up a drawing in white gloves with a tenderness often reserved for medieval manuscripts, it wouldn´t be strictly true. From the shelf groaning under the weight of books (and thankfully the chaotic nature of their ordering means we can be confident they are being read) to the billiards inspired table, everything in the space has a deep reverence for Art.
Easy then, you´d imagine, for people to be intimidated. However, with Madrid Gallery Weekend the aim is to dispell this notion and as Elena explains, it´s a vital part of the cultural calendar.
Galería Fernando Pradilla: “A very peculiar business”
“We are all small companies. Many of us are just ran by the owner, some have small teams. So it´s very important for us to become stronger because an Art Gallery is a very peculiar business. On one hand we are open to the public as commercial spaces but at the same time we are agencies that represent artists.”
Although if you were to peek your head through an Art Gallery door you might think it´s just someone looking pretty behind a computer, there´s an ocean of marketing for artists in a fiercely competitive space but also for the Galleries themselves, fighting for a new generation´s eyeballs.
“There´s a huge effort that goes in” Elena stresses “to getting them in institutions , museums…” but when it comes to the Galleries, Elena thinks it´s co-operation not competition that keeps them in the cultural spotlight. “Communication is vital and all of us need to get together in order to be stronger.”
“Art is not cheap” – Elena Fernández
Undoubtedly this long weekend will be a great joy but let’s be blunt , if plebs like me want to continue gallivanting around then someone does need to part with some cash. The look on Elena’s face is as blunt as her answer. “Selling art, it’s always been difficult because art is not cheap. For an artist to make a career it requires a huge investment of time, travel, you need a space so you have to rent that. For us as well, we need to have a space and do fairs all over the world to promote our artists.”
As Elena makes clear, if you are in this then it has to be for the long haul. “You open a shop, you have a product and you sell it. It’s not like that. It requires a strategy and you have to be passionate. The owner (Fernando Pradilla) has been taking huge risks with his Gallery in Columbia for 50 years and here for over 26. We have our ups and downs.” So where are we now, up or down? “I mean, we run with the global economy , if the global economy goes well, people buy art. Buying art is not just about the money, you have to be in the mood. “
“How do you want to be in this world?” – Elena Fernández
Being in the mood doesn’t just have to be taken as a financial statement but also a cultural one. With the culture coarsening, Elena does have her concerns. “No one seems to read anymore. In a world that runs so fast, not everyone wants (or is able to) find the time. You know, art is an intellectual effort.” Although Elena has moments of doubt and some grumbles about the modern generation, she is committed to her craft at Galería Fernando Pradilla and to her artists. So, why should the rest of us be?
“You invest in your life, how do you want to be in the world? You want to just past by or do you want to go deeper? For me, this intellectual effort is something so rewarding and you gain so much from it. Art is a way of understanding the world we are living in and to understand ourselves.”
As we make our way out, the work continues for the big opening and Elena jumps back onto the exhibition floor. In a world where everything seems to happen behind a screen, there is something to be said for any physical vocation that, for all the complaints of exclusivity, is still willing to demand a premium for the labour that goes in.
José Ramón Amondarain´s ‘Más que vivir’ exhibition will be open to the public in Galería Fernando Pradilla until October 2026. All photos are used with permission of Galería Fernado Pradilla and we do not imply ownership.
For the full interview, listen to the podcast below.
