Culture is in the South: Casa Encendida and Matadero

Some people divide Madrid in two main areas: above and below Calle Atocha. For some time, this street was the city limit and there were barely any cultural events going on across it. However, that was before. The Lavapiés district today has many art galleries, bookshop-cafés and street activities, making it a hub for cultural events.

On the border with Embajadores is La Casa Encendida, a cultural institution that charges nothing for entry and whose café, with an excellent lunchtime menu, is one of the most pleasant places to eat in the whole city. Here, you will also be able to enjoy conferences, workshops, exhibitions, film cycles, concerts…

You can check its programme right here, and don’t forget to miss out on the exhibition Generation 2016, which exhibits the works of promising young artists selected by a prestigious jury every year. Also interesting are performances such as Rachel Lamot’s The Runners, which reflects on whether there is any sense or not in physical activity. See it on Sunday 6^th of March at 9.00 p.m. in the courtyard.

If you keep going south, using the excellent transport connections (just a few minutes on the Metro’s Line 3, to Legazpi), you get to Matadero Madrid, an exemplary space when it comes to the renovation of old industrial facilities for new and artistic use. Its programme is ever-changing and, like Matadero’s, it includes all artistic disciplines. One of them is the exhibition The office of San Jerónimo, commissioned by the prestigious painter Eduardo Arroyo, which focuses on the relationship between literature and painting. Enjoy it in the section called Casa del Lector, a space dedicated to popularising reading that also hosts many different courses and workshops.

Lastly, don’t miss out on a visit to La Cantina, La Cineteca or using its many services, such as renting bicycles to cycle around the whole area of Madrid Río.

Categories: Arte y cultura