Madrid Restaurant, committed to art

The restaurant project was born with the ambition of wanting to make food an artistic experience. We enjoy eating to be an absolute pleasure for all the senses, and each creation is a sublime bite that impregnates our visitor with a different touch of taste, smell and colour. We do not want to leave you indifferent; we want to be able to make you close your eyes and awaken your emotions.

Through fusion cuisine, we have found an inexhaustible source of mixtures, always keeping our purpose to surprise and excite. And we realised that this is what an artist is looking for with his work. As the artist thought, in ART & SUSHI, we work daily to transfer the art to our customers and friends. For our "Sushiman" team, each dish is a blank canvas, in which they create in freedom and with their own hands a unique piece for you.

We decided never to lose that essence and not to forget it; we took it to the extreme of engraving it on fire, even before our kitchen name: ART & SUSHI.

But you know that, in general, the artist's life is not easy. And many times, we cannot appreciate or understand their art. Other times, they are ahead of their time or were extravagant, and we do not perceive their genius. Great renowned artists such as Van Gogh, El Greco, Rembrandt, Monet or Cézanne went through hardships for some of these reasons.

That is why we decided to walk in symbiosis with them and help them altruistically. To walk hand in hand with artists of all kinds, offering them our space in the heart of Madrid, to exhibit their works transiently and intensely, like a bite of a "nigiri" of foie.

We did not want to be satisfied with exhibiting only paintings, but we also did it with photographs and sculptures that transport our diners to a different and new place every quarter. We want to help the artist and his art to reach all the passers-by in Madrid, to make himself known and to serve as a source of food, thus closing the circle of life and letting his art flow. This is why all the works are for sale, and all proceeds go 100% to the artist or, in some cases, to a charitable cause that the artist himself decided to support.

Our commitment is firm and goes even further; we give work to actors, musicians, philosophers and writers who chat or debate with diners in a lively, casual and cordial way while serving another glass of Chardonnay.

Our manager, jesús Castells, actor and writer, can be seen on the History Channel playing Fernando de Magallanes in "La Primera Vuelta al Mundo" or reading one of his funny books, which he likes to give away in the room. @jesuscastells

(Foto de Nines Mínguez)

Everything breathes creation. Our illusion is to be able to work with local artists and artisans who bring something unique and special to our dishes. The ceramic pieces that hold the soy and wasabi, the ones that have the chopsticks or the colourful tableware are all handmade with essences of the land by Marta Morales. You can see them on Instagram @tierraunica.es

On some magical nights, the soprano Cristina Domínguez Sar gave us a passage from Verdi's Traviata, making a toast between the starters and the main course of the Gourmet Menu. She also made us part of the launching of her album and the VIVA recital she gave with the Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Cristian Frattima, where they premiered "The Four Singular Songs", a song of immeasurable Love to Life with a message full of hope for all those who are fighting cancer. https://www.cristinadominguezsar.com/

(Fotografía de Juan Martín)

One of the artists who passed recently is Pilar de Florencia; in her "Fields of Colors", she showed us peace and harmony. The artist uses colours and different materials to paint small worlds. These circles of light, movement and flowers remind her of the important things: fragility, will, energy, resistance, the nature of things and the possibility of experimenting outside the narrow margin of routine. @pilardeflorencia

(Fotografía Marta Aparicio)

Xavi Carbonell, sculptor. His "Niños" literally sneaked into the tables from www.arteinversion.com and shared little secrets with the diners to the sound of flashy colours...

"A classroom of rowdy children, a rain of sweets after breaking a piñata that floods everything, a carnival dance, a rock concert, the hustle and bustle of the big city. Small beings, in the childlike manner of the artist, seem to dance to the sound of music under an explosion of colour. An explosion of life, of energy, of optimism, of naturalness, of happiness, in a personal universe. Or they were invented. Or maybe it's the artist's delirium or ours. Maybe it is life itself. Maybe it is an invitation to go through those childhood memories through which we pass in maturity. Everything can be and can be nothing. Only they know. Only the artist knows it (or neither)." Victoria Arribas Roldán

Europa Press photographer Ricardo Rubio, a tireless traveller with his camera on his back, also visited our gallery. He has been around the world several times and has imagined each photograph before shooting. The result is unpredictable, but the images remain forever in the retina.

More than 15 years ago, he began to frequent the pits of the most prestigious concerts and the most independent music halls in our country. Hundreds of thousands of snapshots make up a portfolio of songs turned into images, and some of them are exhibited on the walls of Art & Sushi.

Each photo is an infinite place in the collective memory of everyone there. Because that is the merit: to be where each image takes place. Pressing the shutter is just another detail. But witnessing the communion between the photographer and the star of the stage is a unique coven.@ricardorubiooficial

(Fotografía de Ricardo Rubio)

We also enjoyed the magnificent work of the painter Marta Hernández-Gil in our temporary exhibition of Art & Sushi. Marta is an Extremaduran, fond of the countryside, music and reading, and her passion for painting. Her project @mhgcuadros arose when her best friend encouraged her to sign up for painting classes, and since then, she has not stopped painting at any time. Her abstract art has a decadent air, although she often likes to find a special meaning to the work, associating its design to a place or referencing objects characteristic of a specific story.

EL TIEMPO ¡TODO LOCURA! Consists of 16 works created since 2020, including illustrations and watercolours by Maca Calma. A reflection of the fierce 20s (of the 2020s, our 20s), seeking to capture the feelings of today's society. The intention to celebrate the day to-day, the desire to meet with family, friends, concerts, travel...

It contains moments of going out and strict confinements—illustrations made by hand with later digitised colour. Minimalist watercolours are full of tranquillity that will leave diners with a good taste in their mouths and optimism.

Maca Calma's work stands out for a personal hybrid style between manual and digital illustration, achieving an original effect based on abstraction and mastery of colour as a transmitter of sensations. Her black and white projects, on organic themes, mix the sumi-é Japanese watercolour technique where the well-assimilated influences of her travels in India, China, Easter Island and Japan can be perceived. @ilustracionesconcalma

In the words of Pamela Sprätz Ugarte, Culture technician of the City Council of Valdemorillo: "The work of Maca Calma stands out for the lines and colours that combine with subtlety to transmit sensations that connect us with the emotions lived and those that we still have to live, inviting us to reflection".

The closing door holds a urban art treasure, the Maca Calma butterfly, where the passerby on Carranza Street can take a "selfie" with his pet.

Gema Álvaro is the last painter who will accompany us until the beginning of next year. With her exhibition "Con el pájaro en la cabeza", she intends to bring to the forefront all those who have a dreamy approach to life, and it is not because they do not wish to have a more realistic and earthly approach but because they need to imagine another world. Birds in the head have always been related to immaturity, with little judgment, for thinking about absurd things, something that, from his point of view, is necessary. For this, he has created a series of dreamy and dreamlike characters, all accompanied by his faithful bird. They are paintings on canvas and paintings on wallpaper. The technique used is oil accompanied by backgrounds made with watercolour gouache and acrylic ink. @gemagemacion

Our commitment to art is firm, and we want it to transcend beyond. If, in addition to enjoying it, you want to take a piece of the artist's soul to enhance your home or to make an excellent gift, you will have contributed in some way to our cause. 

Art & Sushi. Art and sushi, in its purest form.

@artandsushi.madrid