Cultural Partnerships & PR — Madrid

Distil Ennui Studio is seeking a cultural partnerships and PR professional who is currently based in Madrid to work directly with British artist Alexander James Hamilton on the establishment of a new studio and presentation space in the city.

This is not a conventional gallery PR position.

The immediate objective is very specific: to begin building the relationships, audiences and cultural programme around the Madrid space before its doors open and through its first quarter.

Hamilton has spent much of the past decade working away from the conventional gallery system in rural Spain, concentrating on bodies of work developed across a four-decade practice. That period has included Renaciendo, an artist-led intervention within the historic Carmelite convent in Budia, Spain, which had lain abandoned for more than 170 years and was subsequently discussed by Professor Javier Poyatos Sebastián in an article titled Creative Ruralism. It also included the exhibition Goya Reborn in Water, presented within the Castillo de la Piedra Bermeja in Brihuega, Spain.

Further context

Goya Reborn in Water

https://www.distilennui.com/blogs/studio-journal/goya-reborn-in-water-an-exhibition-inside-the-10th-century-castillo-de-la-piedra-bermeja-brihuega

Renaciendo: Creative Ruralism

https://www.distilennui.com/blogs/studio-journal/creative-ruralism-academic-text-by-professor-javier-poyatos-sebastiain-from-the-polytechnic-university-of-valencia

The Madrid space will draw upon a current inventory of more than 300 museum-standard works spanning four decades, including photography and sculptural works, allowing changing presentations to be curated across the practice.

The next stage is Madrid.

We are looking for somebody who knows the city from the inside and can help establish the relationships around this new space from the outset.

The initial appointment will focus on the period immediately before opening and the first months of operation.

The role will include:

• identifying and qualifying prospective collectors, curators, art advisers and cultural contacts
• developing relationships with Madrid-based cultural organisations, embassies, institutions, universities and colleges, design and architectural communities and other potential partners
• arranging introductions and private studio appointments
• identifying organisations and communities for whom the space could become a meaningful meeting place
• helping to develop a programme of partner-led events and private presentations
• developing appropriate relationships with the Madrid press and cultural media
• maintaining an organised prospect and relationship list

We are not looking for publicity for its own sake, large opening-night numbers or generic social media activity. Hamilton is an established artist with meaningful cultural and institutional connections quietly developed in Spain over the past decade. The Madrid space will offer direct access to the artist, his working practice and a substantial body of work spanning four decades.

The purpose is to establish a serious network around the artist and the new Madrid space, and to convert that network into sustained engagement.

The right person must be based in Madrid and fluent in Spanish and English. They should be independently minded, dynamic and highly organised, with strong knowledge of the city and the confidence to make introductions and approach people personally.

This is initially a paid freelance appointment for approximately three months, with a deliberately focused scope and realistic time commitment. We are a small independent studio, so this is not an agency-scale PR budget. We would rather be transparent about that from the outset.

For the right person, this is an opportunity to become involved at the beginning of a substantial new chapter in an established artist’s practice and to help shape how that presence develops within the cultural infrastructure of Madrid and beyond.

There is clear potential for the appointment to develop into a full-time role as the project progresses.

To apply

Please send a concise introduction together with your CV or LinkedIn profile.

We are particularly interested in your existing relationships within Madrid’s cultural and professional communities. Practical knowledge of the city and the ability to make meaningful introductions will carry considerable weight in our selection process.

In place of a conventional covering letter, we would particularly like you to answer one question:

If you had eight weeks before Alexander James Hamilton opened a new studio in Madrid, who are the first six people, organisations or communities you would want to bring into the conversation, and why?

Please answer from your own knowledge, experience and personal contacts in Madrid. This question is central to our selection process because it is intended to reveal the depth of your knowledge of the city and the relationships you have already established. Generic AI-generated responses will carry little weight.

Applications from individuals and independent consultants are particularly welcome.

Please do not apply by LinkedIn direct message or WhatsApp.

• Applications should be sent by email to [email protected]