The VIII Catalina D’Anglade Art Prize, awarded at ARCOmadrid, has been granted to Madrid-born artist Álvaro Urbano for his work VEINS (2024), in which he once again hybridizes architecture and natural elements— the latter often being active subjects in his work. The piece alludes, in his words, to the representation of a discreet place, a place of passage or waiting. “You wouldn’t stop to look at it on the street, but to me, it reflects the poetics of the moment.” Anglade appreciated how the winner manages to synchronize parody and homage. He often structures his projects as scenes or sequences of chapters, creating immersive atmospheres with techniques borrowed from cinema or theater, turning the viewer into an active character in his work. With these tools, he has become a prominent ambassador of Spanish art for his generation. This award includes both the acquisition of the winning piece— which can be seen at the Travesía Cuatro stand— and support for the production of a new project that combines art and design; Urbano’s work will be presented in 2026. Previous winners of the prize include Fernanda Fragateiro (2017), who created poetic shelf-sculptures; Secundino Hernández (2018), who designed a collection of lamps that brought his brushstrokes into three dimensions; Luis Gordillo (2019), who transferred his drawings onto an unprecedented medium; Steegmann Mangrané (2020), who developed a candelabra composed of seven brass oil lamps; June Crespo (2021), who opted for a concrete seat with interchangeable cushions; and Ester Partegàs (2022), who conceived a mirror printed with photographs of bread crumbs with a moon-like effect. The piece by the 2024 winner, sculptor Susana Solano, will be unveiled next September. Urbano has drawn inspiration from artists such as Federico García Lorca, Oscar Wilde, and Luis Barragán to articulate atmospheric and dreamlike proposals on past desires and failed intentions. To achieve this, he often incorporates plants and animals, which interact with the architectural space where they are exhibited. He currently lives and works in Berlin.