The councillor for Culture, Elena Serrallé, has announced the 2026/2027 ‘hablemos de arte’ programme from the Universidad Popular, which will include seven events from November to April. These sessions aim to explore various artistic expressions, delve into the careers of prominent creators, and reflect on the transformations in contemporary creation.
All activities will take place at 19:00 in the conference hall of the Casa de la Cultura José Saramago, with free entry until capacity is reached. Serrallé emphasised that “bringing art closer to the public provides more opportunities to learn, think, and engage with culture.” She noted that this initiative reflects a municipal cultural approach that focuses on both programming and audience education, stating, “enjoying a work can also spark a desire to understand it better.”
The councillor highlighted the role of the Universidad Popular as an institution that facilitates access to knowledge, stating that ‘hablemos de arte’ invites participants to engage with creation out of curiosity, without needing prior training, and encourages them to listen, ask questions, and share diverse perspectives.
Serrallé expressed gratitude to the management and team at the Universidad Popular for their efforts in preparing this programme, as well as to the professionals, artists, associations, and groups involved, asserting that “thanks to this collaboration, we can offer a programme that traverses art history while also addressing current questions about creativity, inclusion, and the possibilities of collective work.”
She encouraged the public to participate in these activities, highlighting that “the Universidad Popular provides us with the opportunity to continue learning close to home, discover new interests, and dedicate time to a culture that helps us better understand what we see.”
The programme will kick off on 12 November 2026 at 19:00 with ‘63 days in the Casa Amarilla: Van Gogh and Gauguin in Arles’, presented by Diego Gómez Sánchez, a doctor in Fine Arts, painter, and educator at the University of Castilla-La Mancha. This lecture will discuss the coexistence of both artists in the French town from 23 October to 24 December 1888, their project to create an artistic community, and the intensity of the weeks they shared, filled with shared concerns, work, and differing approaches to painting.
On 4 December at 19:00, the cultural association Estamos a Tiempo will present ‘MERAKI: Habitar la diversidad’, which explores the capacity of the performing arts to promote inclusion and collective creation. The event will begin with a performance by the company, followed by the premiere of the documentary ‘MERAKI’, which chronicles their journey and creative processes. After the screening, there will be a discussion with the performers, open to audience participation.
The final event of 2026 will take place on 15 December at 19:00, featuring a debate titled ‘What will art be after AI? A discussion on the future of creativity’, led by Clara Lozano and Fran Milla. Drawing from their experiences as an artistic photographer and artificial intelligence developer, they will engage in a conversation about the role of technology in creation, the value of the artistic process, and the relationship between authorship and the emotions conveyed by a work.
The cycle will resume on 26 January 2027 at 19:00 with ‘La casa por la ventana’, presented by the artistic collective Martirio 51, which emerged in 2025 within the independent artistic scene in Valencia and comprises seven emerging artists. This multidisciplinary space will share their experience of building a common project for creation, addressing aspects such as event and exhibition organisation, the construction of a unique identity, and the possibilities of collaborative work in artistic practice.
On 3 February at 19:00, art historian María del Carmen León, specialising in contemporary art, pedagogy, and cultural management, will present ‘Maruja Mallo: de verbenas, páramos y cosmos’. This lecture will trace the evolution of the artist from her early scenes of popular festivities, her connection to the Vallecas School, her experience of exile, and the influence of American landscapes and myths, culminating in the geometric and cosmic themes of her later works.
The next activity will be held on 16 March at 19:00, titled ‘What if we dance? Ephemeral artistic practices and contexts from rural areas’. Led by Isis Saz Tejero, a doctor and associate professor of Art History at the University of Castilla-La Mancha, this talk will analyse the relationship between ephemeral performance practices and the body in environments outside major urban centres, as well as the potential of contemporary art to explore cultural memory and territory.
‘Hablemos de arte’ will conclude on 27 April at 19:00 with ‘The black sheep: history and prehistory of tattooing’, presented by Guillermo Muñoz Curbelo, a graduate in Fine Arts and professional tattoo artist. Drawing on the discovery of Ötzi, a man from 5,300 years ago whose body bore 61 tattoos, this lecture will offer a journey through the traces of this practice across different eras and cultures, from antiquity to its rediscovery in the West during Captain James Cook's expeditions.
