Emerging Artistic Actors in Usera. A Map of Art on the Outskirts of Madrid

Abstract

This article examines the displacement of artistics agents towards the Usera district in southern Madrid, a phenomenon that forms part of a broader dynamic of territorial reconfiguration within Madrid's cultural ecosystem. Following decades of concentration in the urban centre, artists and cultural spaces have progressively migrated towards the southern periphery, initially consolidating in the Carabanchel district and currently positioning Usera at a moment of cultural ferment. The present study constitutes an exhaustive cartography of this process, analysing emerging artistic agents and their operational strategies. Through rigorous fieldwork, the research investigates the causes of displacement, the mechanisms of local implantation, and the communicative strategies these actors deploy to construct differentiated identities that facilitate both their integration within the original neighbourhood fabric and the attraction of new audiences. The investigation documents the current image of the district as a foundation for future comparative studies, thereby contributing to a critical understanding of these dynamics and to the prevention of gentrification processes that frequently accompany the cultural transformation of peripheral spaces.