Culture With You
Season 2024-2025
El Círculo de Bellas Artes Launching its 2024/25 season under the motto "Culture With You," the festival reaffirms its commitment to a shared and participatory culture, where debate, reflection, and collaboration are essential for addressing current challenges. This approach extends to multiple disciplines such as science, medicine, and education, in an effort to offer innovative solutions to complex problems like climate change. Furthermore, the motto expresses our gratitude to all those who make our programming possible, from institutions and collaborators to the public who support our activities year after year.
We have structured the season around four main themes, beginning with the climate crisis. We propose imagining a "Planet C" (a nod to the phrase "There is no Planet B"), in which critical thinking, engagement, civic engagement, science, and culture play a leading role in the search for solutions to climate change. This ecological concern is reflected in our Climate Refuge, a space created as an oasis for citizens to escape the high temperatures, which has also offered activities such as free workshops.
Our environmental commitment continues with exhibitions such as HyperObjects , which explores the impact of technology on the environment; Messenger Species by Álvaro Soler-Arpa, which examines the relationship between nature and toxic agents; and The Greatest Emergency , which brings together works by contemporary artists seeking answers to climate emergencies. In parallel, the Climate Autumn series , organized with the Autonomous University of Madrid, includes workshops, lectures, and debates focused on the ecological and social impact of digitalization, while Climate of Change offers a space to discuss the challenges of global change. The Science, Medicine, and Humanism series , in collaboration with the Lilly Foundation, underscores the alliance between science and culture to address these issues.
The second theme, Dream and Desire , is inspired by the centenary of André Breton's Surrealist Manifesto. Our program explores the power of imagination, the subconscious, and surrealism with exhibitions dedicated to Max Ernst and Salvador Dalí. We also continue our activities for Kafka Year, commemorating the centenary of the writer's death. We will organize lectures, readings, and screenings in collaboration with universities such as the Complutense University of Madrid.
The third pillar of our program is the Festival of Ideas , which aims to bring critical thinking to the streets of Madrid. This festival, created in collaboration with La Fábrica, invites the public to a broad, collective reflection on current issues. “Catharsis” is the central concept of the festival’s first edition, which proposes slowing down the accelerated pace of modern life to foster reflection and understanding in a world marked by uncertainty. We will have figures such as Eva Illouz, Byung-Chul Han, and Michael Sandel, who will participate in roundtables, speakers’ corners, and other activities. Among the highlights is the “Night of Franco-German Thought,” in collaboration with the embassies of these countries.
Finally, we celebrated the tenth anniversary of the Escuela SUROur institution has become a benchmark in the national and international art world. Through our educational offerings, such as the Master's Degree in Continuing Education in Arts and Artistic Professions, we have established ourselves as an artistic laboratory where theory and practice are integrated. Furthermore, the school has developed an extensive network of collaborators, professors, and students, fostering the creative talent that will enrich the art scene in the coming years.
In addition to these thematic blocks, we continue to offer our established programs, such as Círculo de Cámara y Jazz Círculoas well as new events such as the Ibero-American Festival of Sound Creation and the cycle Great Listenersdedicated to music for children aged 0 to 4. We also run the Madrid31 workshops and the EÑE Festival, with the theme of Democracy as the central focus in 2024.
Over the next few months, we offer a rich program of cultural, educational, and artistic activities that encourage reflection, debate, and the collaborative creation of a more just and responsible society. With "Culture With You," we reaffirm our commitment to continue being a space for cultural encounter and growth for everyone.