THE EDITORIAL
July arrives fully formed this week: courtyards open, cinema moves outdoors, institutions deliver serious work for free, and the city’s best nights start to happen after dark.
From Ana Locking’s suspended retrospective and Conde Duque’s newly opened Baroque show to Christina Rosenvinge at Matadero, organ music inside San Antonio de los Alemanes, and Snarky Puppy with Nate Smith at the Botánico, this is the week Madrid stops warming up and becomes summer.
AT A GLANCE
The show to book now: Snarky Puppy + Nate Smith at Noches del Botánico, Saturday 4 July. The most musically rigorous double bill of the summer. It is the one night where virtuosity, groove and open-air atmosphere all line up properly.
The free show you will regret skipping: Arte y misericordia: El Barroco de la Santa Caridad at Conde Duque. Just opened. Free. Valdés Leal is not decorative. This is Baroque painting with weight, drama and moral force, and it deserves more than a casual pass-through.
The one-off: Christina Rosenvinge at CinePlaza, Wednesday 2 July. One night, open air, her film roles woven into the music. Does not repeat. It is exactly the kind of Madrid summer event that feels small while it is happening and impossible to recreate afterwards.
The hidden room: San Antonio de los Alemanes, Saturday 4 July. Organ recital, frescoes floor to ceiling, almost nobody outside the neighbourhood knows it exists. Go for the music, but expect the room itself to do half the work.
The closing window: Ana Locking at Canal de Isabel II. Closes 12 July. Go this week. Twenty years of fashion, memory and emotional architecture are staged inside one of the city’s strangest exhibition spaces.
THE WEEKLY CURATION
FASHION
THE EVENT: Ana Locking: Nostalgia/Utopía
WHERE: Sala Canal de Isabel II, Calle Santa Engracia 125, Madrid
DATE: Until 12 July 2026
WHEN: Tuesday to Saturday 11:00 to 14:00 and 17:00 to 20:30 / Sunday and public holidays 11:00 to 14:00 / Monday closed
PRICE: Free
The first major Madrid retrospective of a painter the city has been quietly ignoring for decades.
Nostalgia/Utopía is not a fashion exhibition in the conventional sense. Twenty years of Ana Locking's work is presented inside a converted water tower on Santa Engracia, with pieces suspended in and emerging from large wooden crates as if the show froze mid-unpack. The staging is the argument: clothes as emotional and political language, caught between what they were and what comes next. The building alone is worth the journey.
The Edit Move
Go on a weekday. The building is part of the experience and it works better without a crowd. Give yourself time to move slowly through the crates.
For who it is
Anyone interested in fashion as emotional and political language. People who know Ana Locking will find the archive compelling. People who do not will leave understanding exactly why she matters.
For who it is not
Not for anyone expecting rails of dresses, chronological order, and neat labels. This is an installation as much as a retrospective. Not a quick visit.
FILM
THE EVENT: Cine en la Galería, Mirador de la Galería de las Colecciones Reales
WHERE: Mirador de la Galería de las Colecciones Reales, Plaza de la Almudena, Madrid
DATE: 2 and 3 July 2026 (final screenings)
WHEN: Access from 21:30 / Screening 22:00. No entry once it begins.
PRICE: €2
The best mirador in Madrid is also an outdoor cinema, and it costs two euros.
Capacity is 150 per session. The programme is Spanish-language without subtitles. The sunset over the city from this terrace is the whole argument. Two euros for the best mirador in Madrid and a film above you is the entire story.
The Edit Move
Get there at 21:30 for the sunset. Book online in advance, capacity is limited. Once it starts, no entry.
For who it is
Anyone who wants an evening that feels genuinely special without trying hard. People who care about Spanish cinema, and people who simply want to sit outside at night with the best skyline in Madrid in front of them.
For who it is not
Anyone who needs subtitles or wants to drop in casually. This is 150 people, no late entry, Spanish-language films. Worth knowing before you go.
EXHIBITION
THE EVENT: Yann Gross: Drift Multichannel Layout
WHERE: La Casa Encendida, Ronda de Valencia 2
DATE: From 2 July 2026, running through July
WHEN: Tuesday to Sunday 10:00 to 21:00
PRICE: Free
WEB: lacasaencendida.es
Yann Gross surrounds you with palm oil routes and you cannot look away.
Swiss photographer Yann Gross uses a massive multichannel layout to map the global migration of ornamental plants and the industrial agriculture systems behind them. The centrepiece, Elaeis 2026, treats video as physical architecture rather than a flat image. The specific sound textures require total presence to understand what the piece is doing.
The Edit Move
Plan a weekday afternoon visit at 17:00. Give the central video installation its full eleven-minute run without moving.
For who it is
Anyone who values contemporary photography alongside video engineering. Readers interested in systemic global resource networks and how visual art maps them.
For who it is not
Anyone looking for street-level travel photography or classic black-and-white print work.
FILM
THE EVENT: Christina Rosenvinge: un concierto de cine, CinePlaza de Verano 2026
WHERE: Matadero Madrid, Plaza de Legazpi 8. Metro Legazpi (L3, L6)
DATE: 2 July 2026, 22:15 h
PRICE: Around €10
WEB: mataderomadrid.org
Christina Rosenvinge opens CinePlaza with a concert that only works once.
Opening night of CinePlaza 2026. Christina Rosenvinge performs a one-off cine-concert threading through her own film roles, in the open air at Matadero. Music and cinema woven together, not a standard setlist. Over-16s only. The cine-conciertos sell before the standard screenings do.
The Edit Move
Book the cine-concierto format first. This is the opening night of the festival's strongest format and it does not repeat.
For who it is
Anyone who grew up on Spanish indie. People who like a concert with a through-line. Anyone who wants to be at the opening night of an institution.
For who it is not
Anyone after a standard gig. This is music and cinema in one. A one-off, not a setlist.
MUSIC
THE EVENT: Tiempo Juntos: 20 años de Casa Árabe
WHERE: Sede de Casa Árabe, Calle de Alcalá 62
WHEN: Monday to Sunday 10:00 to 20:00
PRICE: Free
WEB: casaarabe.es
Two decades of Spain-Arab diplomatic history, inside a Neo-Mudéjar palace beside Retiro.
A documentary archive collection mapping the cultural and diplomatic relationships between Spain and the Arab world, housed inside their Neo-Mudéjar brick building on Alcalá. Rare photographic arrays, diplomatic correspondence, and mid-century documents. One of the most overlooked institutional spaces in central Madrid. Free entry throughout July.
The Edit Move
Go on a Friday afternoon at 16:30. Spend time with the mid-century diplomatic photo logs before checking the interior tiling. Avoid midday at weekends when Retiro crowds spill over.
For who it is
Readers who find Mediterranean trade networks, diplomatic archives, and original Neo-Mudéjar architecture genuinely interesting.
For who it is not
Anyone expecting a large-scale contemporary art presentation. This is historical documentation in a quiet institutional space.
EXHIBITION
THE EVENT: Arte y misericordia: El Barroco de la Santa Caridad de Sevilla
WHERE: Conde Duque, Calle Conde Duque 9 to 11. Metro Plaza de España or Noviciado
WHEN: 30 June to 22 November 2026 - Tue-Sat: 10-14 h and 17:30-20 h / Sun: 10:30-13:30h
PRICE: Free
WEB: veranosdelavilla.com
Murillo, Valdés Leal, and Pedro Roldán arrive at Conde Duque and the Baroque has teeth.
The three masters of Seville's Santa Caridad arrived at Conde Duque on 30 June. Valdés Leal's memento-mori work is famously unsettling: this is not decorative religious art. It has weight and it does not flinch. A serious, cool counterweight to every open-air listing in this issue. Just opened. Free.
The Edit Move
Go on a weekday for the calm. Valdés Leal first, then take the courtyard on the way out. If you are going to a Veranos de la Villa concert at Conde Duque this summer, arrive forty minutes early and do both.
For who it is
Anyone who likes Baroque with weight. People going to Conde Duque for a concert who want to arrive with purpose.
For who it is not
Anyone after contemporary or light visual work. This is religious Baroque: dark and intense by design.
KIDS
THE EVENT: BubbleArt Show
WHERE: Institut Français de Madrid, Calle del Marqués de la Ensenada 12. Metro Colón
WHEN: Saturday 4 July 2026, 12 h. 60 minutes.
PRICE: €16 kids / €20 adults
WEB: feverup.com
Sixty minutes of light and bubbles at the Institut Français, for children who deserve something well-made.
A light-and-bubble performance for families at the Institut Français. Limited capacity per session, book in advance. The venue is a beautiful building five minutes from Colón. Easy Saturday morning with children before lunch in the neighbourhood.
The Edit Move
Book via Fever ahead of the weekend. Limited capacity per session.
For who it is
Families with children aged 3 to 10. Adults who are happy to be genuinely delighted by something simple and well-made.
For who it is not
Anyone expecting a narrative show or extended theatrical experience. This is visual, sensory, and short.
MUSIC
THE EVENT: Festival Internacional de Órgano: Alberto Dossena (Italy)
WHERE: Iglesia de San Antonio de los Alemanes, Calle de la Puebla 22, Malasaña. Metro Callao or Gran Vía
WHEN: Saturday 4 July, 20 h. No late entry once it begins.
PRICE: €12 (benefit concert for the Hermandad del Refugio)
The most beautiful room in Malasaña has an elliptical ceiling, walls covered in frescoes, and almost nobody knows it exists.
An elliptical church with walls and ceiling covered floor to ceiling in frescoes by Rizi, Carreño, and Giordano. Known as the Sistine Chapel of Madrid. The acoustics of a plaster ellipse are the entire point.
Italian organist Alberto Dossena performs as part of the international organ series. Almost nobody outside the neighbourhood knows the church exists. Proceeds go to the Hermandad's charitable work. No booking required: turn up with the €12.
The Edit Move
Walk in from Malasaña and arrive a few minutes early. Sit where you can see up. The frescoes wrap the entire ceiling. Once the organ starts there is no entry.
For who it is
Anyone who wants a pretension-free Saturday evening in one of the most beautiful rooms in the city, organ music or not. People who walk Malasaña's edges and have never stepped inside this church.
For who it is not
Not for anyone after amplification, a bar, or a casual drop-in. This is a serious recital in a sacred space. You sit and listen.
MUSIC
THE EVENT: Snarky Puppy + Nate Smith, Noches del Botánico
WHERE: Real Jardín Botánico Alfonso XIII, Av. Complutense s/n, Madrid
DATE: 4 July 2026
WHEN: Doors 19:30 / Nate Smith 19:30 / Snarky Puppy 21:30
PRICE: From €35
Snarky Puppy and Nate Smith on the same bill is the most musically serious evening the Botanical Garden has offered this summer.
Grammy-winning collective Snarky Puppy, led by bassist and composer Michael League, performs with up to forty musicians live. Opening is Nate Smith, one of the most inventive drummers working today. The combination of Smith's solo set and Snarky Puppy's full live architecture makes this the Botánico double bill of the summer.
The Edit Move
Buy for the double bill and arrive for Nate Smith. Missing him is the only mistake available to you on this evening.
For who it is
Readers who go to record shops. Anyone who follows jazz, funk, or ensemble music seriously. People who want to feel the difference between a band and an orchestra without going to a concert hall.
For who it is not
People looking for a singalong or a recognisable radio set. This is instrumental, dense, and rewards attention.
MUSIC
THE EVENT: Tomora (AURORA x Tom Rowlands), Noches del Botánico
WHERE: Real Jardín Botánico Alfonso XIII, Av. Complutense s/n, Madrid
DATE: 8 July 2026
WHEN: Doors 19:30
PRICE: From €45
AURORA and Tom Rowlands of The Chemical Brothers have made a project together and it sounds like nothing else on the Botánico programme.
Tomora is the collaborative project of Norwegian singer AURORA and Tom Rowlands of The Chemical Brothers. Their debut album Come Closer arrived this year. The live show builds from electronic architecture and AURORA's voice into something that sits between a rave and a ritual. The Botánico date is one of a small number of European stops this summer.
The Edit Move
Go without listening to the album first. The live set is the better introduction.
For who it is
Readers who follow AURORA, The Chemical Brothers, or anyone drawn to electronic music with genuine compositional intelligence behind it. People who want a Botánico evening that does not feel familiar.
For who it is not
People looking for a straightforward pop show. This is a new project in its first live year. It will ask something of you.
FILM
THE EVENT: Veranos de la Villa 2026: ORCAM Opening Gala
WHERE: Patio Central, Condeduque, Calle Conde Duque 9. Metro Noviciado or Plaza de España
DATE: 8 July 2026
WHEN: Gates open 19:30 / Orchestra 21:30
PRICE: 24€
The Veranos de la Villa summer season opens at Conde Duque, and the Orquesta y Coro de la Comunidad de Madrid plays Zarzuela in the courtyard.
The Orquesta y Coro de la Comunidad de Madrid performs Zarzuela arrangements in the massive open-air courtyard at Conde Duque. The first major Patio Central concert of Veranos de la Villa 2026. Immense acoustic scale before the rest of the festival fills the calendar.
The Edit Move
Arrive when the gates open at 19:30 and watch the dusk settle over the barracks stone before the music starts. This is the one evening where arriving early is half the experience.
For who it is
Readers who want to witness the opening of the city's summer courtyard season through high-fidelity classical composition. Anyone who has stood in the Conde Duque courtyard at night and wanted more of it.
For who it is not
Anyone who needs loud amplification, electronic pop, or indoor seating.
ON THE HORIZON
Veranos de la Villa: programme runs all July at Conde Duque. The full summer programme is live. Highlights in the coming weeks include Farruquito and his Quinteto (12 July), Los Valdés: Gigantes del Piano (11 July), Malavika Sarukkai: Beeja (11 to 12 July), and Lila Downs (22 July). Check veranosdelavilla.es for the full schedule and book early. Several dates will sell.
Ewa Juszkiewicz at Thyssen-Bornemisza, running until 6 September. The Polish painter who distorts and erases the faces of Old Master female portraits, replacing them with hair and fabric. One of the most talked-about contemporary painters working today, in a permanent-collection house. Free on Mondays. museothyssen.org.
Carmen Laffón: Variaciones at Thyssen-Bornemisza, running until 27 September. 80 works, 60 years of the Sevillian painter's figurative world: baskets, salt mines, vines, sea. Free Saturday evenings 21:00 to 23:00. museothyssen.org.
Found something the Edit should know about? A show, a space, a restaurant, a gallery, a neighbourhood event that deserves more people in the room. Send it to [email protected] and if it passes the gut-check it goes in the next issue.
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