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Most people know Madrid as a city with some of the world's greatest art museums: the Prado, the Thyssen, the Reina Sofia. But the Spanish capital may not spring so quickly to mind if what you want to see is a five-screen video installation featuring thousands of tropical moths by award-winning Turkish artist Kutlug Ataman.

For those in the know, however, Madrid annually becomes the destination for those seeking bold, original, even groundbreaking art. From Feb. 10-14, the city is home to the International Contemporary Art Fair, or ARCO, with new works from 290 galleries in 35 countries. "What makes this fair different from others is it is not dominated by the Anglo-Saxon world," says Javier López, the owner of the Javier López gallery, a premier Madrid space that specializes in photography and new media.

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This year a special exhibition will be held at the Juan Carlos I Fairground focusing on the work of Mexican artists. Two in the spotlight are Francisco Toledo and Gunther Gerzso, whose work uses aspects of pre-Columbian icons and magical realism. Also at the Fairground will be an exhibition focusing on Scandinavian art. The fair will also feature the Black Box, a 250-sq-m, two-story-high new-media venue using video, 3-D projections and even artificial intelligence.

"ARCO is the most important week of the year for Spanish art," says Maria Porto, director of the Madrid branch of Marlborough, a London-based gallery. The fair was launched in 1982 by a small group of artists and curators eager to make the international connections that were denied them under the previous 40 years of authoritarian rule. Since then, ARCO has also emerged as an intellectual forum. This year, visitors can sit in on discussion panels featuring 200 artists, collectors, academics, curators and gallery owners. So wear comfortable shoes—there's a whole world of art to see. Daily admission fees range from $39-65; tel: (34-91) 722 50 00; www.arcospain.org

• Samuel Loewenberg
• ARCO showcases the latest and greatest contemporary art from all over the globe