Ticket sale is open. Register here. 

Talking Galleries returns to MACBA on 5–6 October 2026 for the 12th edition of the Barcelona Symposium, its flagship annual event bringing together gallerists and leading voices from across the art world for two days of debate, exchange and networking. 

This year’s programme will address some of the key questions shaping galleries and the art market today: from the evolving role and relevance of galleries and the motivations of next-generation collectors to the changing online art market, the current state of digital art, and the growing intersections between art and luxury.  

Alongside these debates, the Symposium will continue to place the experience of gallerists at the heart of the programme, with conversations exploring how distinctive gallery programmes are shaped and sustained over time, as well as dedicated interviews reflecting on the careers of leading international gallerists. 

With the participation of: Ignasi Aballí (artist), Georgina Adam (journalist and author), Montse Badia (Art Historian and Critic), Jennifer Chert (ChertLüdde), Carolina Ciuti, (Curator/exibart.es), Massimo De Carlo (MASSIMODECARLO), Natasha Degen (Sotheby’s Institute of Art, New York), Michael Elmgreen (Elmgreen & Dragset), Alexander Forbes (Artsy/Artnet), Marc Francés (collector), Victor Gisler (Mai 36 Galerie), Carles Guerra (curator and researcher), Llucià Homs (Talking Galleries), Phin Jennings (writer and researcher), Samuel Leuenberger (curator/SALTS), Mischa Lustin (Galerina), Pedro Maisterra (Maisterra), Divya Pande (Victoria Miró), Rosario Peiró (Museu Picasso Barcelona), Tom Seymour (The Art Journal), Pau Waelder (Niio Art), and Jocelyn Wolff (Galerie Jocelyn Wolff).

The two-day programme will be complemented by coffee breaks and lunches, a guided visit to the exhibitions at MACBA and a Monday evening cocktail dinner. On Tuesday afternoon, the Symposium will be followed by a public screening of the documentary Warhol-Vijande: Más que Pistolas, Cuchillos y Cruces (2025). 

9am – 9.45am
Arrival & Registration

9.45am – 10am
Welcome Words

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“Four Decades of Gallery Making: Victor Gisler in Conversation”

10am – 11am
Conversation
Victor Gisler, Co-Founder, Mai 36 Galerie, Zurich
Montse Badia, Art Historian and Critic

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“What Are Galleries For Today?”

11am – 12.15pm
Panel discussion
Michael Elmgreen, Artist, Elmgreen & Dragset
Carles Guerra, Artist, Independent Researcher and Curator
Samuel Leuenberger, Independent Curator/ SALTS
Moderated by Carolina Ciuti, Independent Curator/Director, exibart.es

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Coffee break

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“The Motivations of Next-Gen Collectors: Why, What and How They Buy”

12.45pm – 2pm
Panel discussion
Georgina Adam, Journalist and Author
Marc Francés, Collector, Barcelona / Brussels
Mischa Lustin, Co-Founder, Galerina, London
Moderated by Georgina Adam

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Lunch break

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“The Evolving Online Art Market: New Buyers, New Tools, New Opportunities”

3.45pm – 4.45pm
Presentation and conversation
Divya Pande, Head of Sales, Victoria Miro, London
Presented and moderated by Alexander Forbes, VP of Partnerships, Artsy and Artnet

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“Shaping a Gallery Programme”

4.45pm – 5.45pm
Conversation
Jennifer Chert, Co-Founder and Director, ChertLüdde, Berlin
Jocelyn Wolff, Founder, Jocelyn Wolff Galerie, Paris
Moderated by Phin Jennings, Writer and Researcher

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“Reporting the Art Market: Power, Trust and Transparency”

5.45pm – 6.30pm
Lecture
Tom Seymour, Arts Journalist, The Art Journal

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8.30pm – 11pm
Welcome cocktail at the Almanac Barcelona hotel (Only for ticket holders)