Cómpeta Art Walk 2026
18–20 September 2026 | Three Days of Art in the Heart of Andalusia
Casa España Journal – Discover the Real Andalusia
For three days in September, the white mountain village of Cómpeta becomes something quite extraordinary.
Doors open. Private spaces become galleries. Museums fill with contemporary art. Artists welcome visitors into their creative world. Paintings, sculptures, installations, textiles, ceramics, mixed media, photography and experimental works appear throughout the village.
From Friday 18 to Sunday 20 September 2026, Cómpeta hosts the 17th Cómpeta Art Walk – Paseo del Arte.
This year's edition brings together 45 artists from 14 nations exhibiting across 23 venues throughout Cómpeta. The artists have connections throughout the region, from Málaga and the Axarquía to Almuñécar and Órgiva. Live music, local food and wine add to the programme.
CÓMPETA ART WALK 2026
18–20 September 2026
Cómpeta · Málaga · Andalucía
45 artists · 14 nations · 23 venues · 3 days of art
And perhaps the most beautiful part?
The village itself becomes the gallery.
A Walk Through Art Like Never Before
The official 2026 campaign describes the event perfectly:
“A walk through art like never before.”
Cómpeta is already made for walking.
Its narrow streets climb between whitewashed houses, small squares, traditional buildings and unexpected viewpoints towards the surrounding mountains.
During the Art Walk, another layer is added.
You might enter a museum to discover contemporary sculpture, walk down a narrow street into an artist's studio, encounter an installation in an unexpected space and then stop for coffee before finding the next exhibition.
There is no need to rush.
In fact, you shouldn't.
The journey between the artworks is part of the experience.
45 Artists – 23 Spaces – One White Village
The scale of the 2026 Art Walk is impressive.
The official programme brings together 45 artists across 23 exhibition spaces, selected for their individual concepts, distinctive styles and artistic quality. Painting, sculpture, textiles, ceramics, photography, bronze, wood, stone, steel and other media are represented.
But numbers only tell part of the story.
What makes the Cómpeta Art Walk different is the relationship between art, artists and place.
This isn't an anonymous exhibition hall.
This is a living Andalusian village.
Artists to Look Out for at Cómpeta Art Walk 2026
With 45 participating artists, there is far too much to reduce the Art Walk to a simple ranking.
And that isn't the point.
Part of the pleasure is walking into an exhibition without knowing exactly what you'll find.
Nevertheless, several artistic positions in the 2026 programme particularly caught our attention.
Anton Dijkgraaf – Untamed Pop Art
One of the names high on our list is Anton Dijkgraaf.
His work occupies an expressive and deliberately unconventional territory. The official curator's statement references influences ranging from Julian Schnabel and Jean-Michel Basquiat to Francis Bacon, while describing Dijkgraaf as one of the remaining representatives of a rebellious form of Pop Art.
His work combines artistic references, travel experiences, encounters with different cultures and a distinctly non-conformist attitude.
This isn't art designed simply to match the sofa.
It's work intended to provoke a reaction.
Dijkgraaf will exhibit at the Museo de Aceite.
Casa España Journal pick: definitely one to see.
Fernanda Yeste – When Art Becomes an Experience
Argentinian-born Fernanda Yeste lives in the countryside around Cómpeta and works beyond the conventional boundaries of painting.
Wood, paper, paint and found objects become three-dimensional objects and installations.
Her artistic thinking connects elements of indigenous Latin American mythological culture with her experience of contemporary European life.
For Art Walk 2026, Yeste is presenting an installation designed to interact with the perceptions and reactions of visitors themselves.
The viewer is no longer simply standing in front of the artwork.
The encounter becomes part of it.
Inside Out – Tansy Roake, Mix Amylo & Sanne Maes
One exhibition deserves to be considered a destination in its own right.
Inside Out brings together three artists – Tansy Roake, Mix Amylo and Sanne Maes – from the UK and Netherlands and based in Órgiva, Granada.
Their exhibition combines:
painting,
sculpture,
video art,
and drawing,
presented from a female perspective.
The official Art Walk programme goes considerably further than simply recommending the exhibition, describing Inside Out as potentially the most surprising show of the 2026 Art Walk.
And then there is the venue.
You'll find Inside Out at the wonderfully named Fábrica de las Bragas.
Put this one on the list.
Lieuwke Loth – Metal, Form, Light and Shadow
Dutch artist Lieuwke Loth lives in the countryside around Cómpeta and runs her own gallery in the centre of the village, Galería de la Luz de Vida.
Her distinctive works use three-dimensional laser-cut metal to create figurative compositions.
But the metal itself is only part of the work.
Light becomes another material.
As the pieces cast shadows onto walls, windows or architectural surfaces, their surroundings become part of the composition.
Her gallery is one of the venues participating in the 17th Cómpeta Art Walk.
Eva Jünger – The Female Condition
German-born Eva Jünger, now based in Almuñécar, approaches sculpture and conceptual art from another direction.
Her objects, drawings and delicate textile works explore themes surrounding female identity, vulnerability, endurance and the female condition.
Some of the works appear almost ephemeral.
But their subject matter isn't.
Her exhibition forms part of the group presentation at the Museo de Artes y Costumbres, which the official Art Walk programme identifies as one of the important exhibition locations of the 2026 event.
Mitch France – Light, Colour and the Rhythm of Jazz
British painter Mitch France lives in the countryside west of Canillas de Albaida.
His work is characterised by light, warmth and colour, with inspiration drawn from places including Cuba and Morocco.
Street life becomes a recurring subject.
His compositions incorporate structural elements reminiscent of Cubism and Paul Klee.
There is also music behind the paintings.
France plays saxophone, and the curatorial text connects the atmosphere and visual rhythm of his work with jazz.
His work will be exhibited at Wen Interior on Avenida de la Constitución.
Lídice González – Nature Transformed into Art
Cuban-born Lídice González approaches nature from a completely different perspective.
Butterflies, insects and other small creatures become the starting point for intensely detailed, colourful works.
These natural forms are transformed into intricate mosaic-like compositions – some incorporating gold.
Her art feels celebratory, decorative and exuberant without losing the precision behind its construction.
González is part of the group exhibition at the Museo de Artes y Costumbres.
Karin van Beeck – Reinvention Through Sculpture
Belgian artist Karin van Beeck provides one of the more unusual material stories in this year's programme.
Having previously worked with painting and photography, she has reinvented her practice through sculpture.
And the material?
Papier-mâché made from egg boxes.
What begins as an ordinary grey material is transformed into surprisingly delicate sculptural objects.
Her works will be shown at Casa de Artistas, a new art venue in Cómpeta.
It's precisely the kind of unexpected discovery that makes an event like the Art Walk interesting.
Eric Berger – Elements in Motion
Among the artists participating in the Cómpeta Art Walk 2026 is Eric Berger.
His current body of work, Elements in Motion, explores the elemental forces that continually shape our planet.
Fire. Water. Earth. Movement.
These aren't subjects Berger attempts to reproduce literally.
They are starting points for exploring energy, transformation, surface and materiality.
Colour becomes flow.
A brushstroke becomes movement.
Sand becomes landscape.
Layers are created, covered, disrupted and exposed again.
Working primarily with oil on canvas, together with works incorporating additional materials and textures, Berger creates abstract surfaces that evoke landscapes and a planet in permanent transformation.
Environmental and climatic change form part of the conceptual background of the series without turning the paintings into illustrative environmental statements.
Instead, the works remain deliberately open.
A surface might suggest water.
Another geological formations.
Fire.
Erosion.
Aerial landscapes.
Or something entirely different.
The interpretation remains with the viewer.
From the Landscape to the Canvas
There is also an interesting relationship between Elements in Motion and the landscape surrounding Cómpeta.
The Axarquía is defined by elemental contrasts.
Dry mountain slopes meet the Mediterranean.
Rock meets water.
Intense sunlight creates deep shadow.
Red and ochre earth contrasts with brilliant white villages.
Vegetation changes dramatically with season and altitude.
The paintings don't depict these landscapes directly.
But the energy, structures and processes of transformation found in nature are closely related to the ideas behind the work.
That makes Cómpeta an especially appropriate place in which to encounter the series.
For readers of the Casa España Journal there is another connection: Berger is also behind Casa España and the Casa España Journal.
Art, landscape and life in Andalucía therefore come together in a very personal way during this year's Art Walk.
Contemporary Art in an Andalusian Village
Perhaps the most fascinating aspect of the Art Walk is the variety of artistic languages found within such a small mountain village.
Painting sits beside sculpture.
Conceptual installations meet textiles.
Traditional materials coexist with video, digital work, found objects and experimental techniques.
And all of it happens among white houses, steep streets and everyday village life.
That contrast is perhaps the Art Walk's greatest work of art.
Meet the Artists – Not Just the Art
There is another important difference between an Art Walk and a conventional museum visit.
The artists are here.
You may have the opportunity to meet the person who created the work you're looking at.
Ask why.
Ask how.
Ask about the material.
Or simply listen.
A five-minute conversation can completely change the way you understand an artwork.
The official Art Walk itself emphasises this personal aspect of the event: it isn't only about art, but also about the people behind it.
More Than an Art Exhibition
Even if you're not an art collector, the Cómpeta Art Walk is an excellent reason to visit.
Between exhibition spaces you'll discover the village itself:
whitewashed houses,
narrow streets,
Plaza Almijara,
small bars,
restaurants,
traditional architecture,
mountain views,
local shops,
and corners you might otherwise simply walk past.
Add the programme of live music, local food and regional wine, and the Art Walk becomes a cultural weekend rather than simply an exhibition.
The Art of Getting Lost
Here's our advice:
Don't attempt to optimise your Art Walk.
Yes, take the official map.
Yes, identify a few artists you definitely want to see.
But leave space between them.
Walk down the wrong street.
Enter a venue because the door is open.
Look at something you wouldn't normally look at.
Stop for a drink.
Talk to somebody.
Change your plan.
Cómpeta is small enough to explore and complicated enough to get pleasantly lost.
That's part of the experience.
Make It an Art Weekend in Andalusia
The Art Walk doesn't need to be the only reason for travelling to Cómpeta.
Use it as the centrepiece of a longer September escape.
Day 1 – Arrive in Cómpeta
Check into Casa España.
Walk through the village.
Have dinner around Plaza Almijara.
Forget what time it is.
Day 2 – Art Walk
Start with several of the exhibitions you particularly want to see.
Then abandon the plan.
Lunch in Cómpeta.
More art in the afternoon.
Live music in the evening.
Day 3 – Art, Artists & Village Life
Return to artists you missed.
Spend more time in the museums and studios.
Have a long lunch.
Enjoy the final evening of the Art Walk.
Day 4 – Discover the Axarquía
Now leave the village.
Explore another pueblo blanco.
Walk in the mountains.
Visit Frigiliana.
Drive towards Nerja and Maro.
Or do absolutely nothing.
That is also allowed.
September in Cómpeta
September is one of our favourite periods in Andalucía.
The intense peak of summer begins to ease, but outdoor life continues.
The Mediterranean is still inviting.
The mountains are waiting behind the village.
Restaurants and terraces remain part of everyday life.
And the softer light towards the end of the month can be wonderful.
For visitors arriving from northern and central Europe, September offers another advantage:
summer doesn't have to end quite yet.
Stay at Casa España for the Cómpeta Art Walk
If you're travelling specifically for the Art Walk, staying in Cómpeta changes the experience completely.
There's no need to treat it as a hurried day trip.
Spend the morning exploring exhibitions.
Have lunch.
Return in the afternoon.
Stay for music and dinner.
Then head back to Casa España.
Our holiday home provides a private base for 2–4 guests and combines access to Cómpeta with the peace of the surrounding mountain landscape.
At Casa España
2 bedrooms
2 bathrooms
Private jacuzzi
Panoramic mountain views
Fully equipped kitchen
Air conditioning
Wi-Fi
Outdoor living spaces
Personal local recommendations
Casa España Experiences
Wake up in the mountains.
Spend the day surrounded by art.
Come home to the jacuzzi.
There are worse ways to spend September.
Casa España Autumn Special
The Art Walk also falls within our autumn season.
For selected stays during September, October and November 2026, Casa España offers special seasonal rates.
Autumn Special
2 guests from only €95 per night*
That makes the Cómpeta Art Walk an excellent opportunity to combine a cultural weekend with a longer stay in southern Spain.
*Selected dates and stays only. Subject to availability and applicable booking conditions.
Frequently Asked Questions
When is the Cómpeta Art Walk 2026?
The 17th Cómpeta Art Walk takes place from Friday 18 September to Sunday 20 September 2026.
How many artists are participating?
The official 2026 programme announces 45 artists from 14 nations.
How many exhibition spaces are there?
Art will be presented across 23 venues around Cómpeta.
What kind of art can I see?
The programme encompasses numerous disciplines and materials, including painting, sculpture, textiles, ceramics, photography, bronze, wood, stone and steel, as well as mixed-media and installation work.
Is it only for serious art collectors?
Absolutely not.
The event is equally interesting for travellers interested in contemporary art, culture, architecture, design, Andalucía and village life.
Is there anything besides visual art?
Yes. The official programme also announces live music each evening as well as local food and wine.
Can I walk between the venues?
That's one of the central ideas of the event. Exhibition spaces are spread throughout Cómpeta. Remember that this is a mountain village with steep streets, so comfortable footwear is advisable.
Where should I stay?
Staying in Cómpeta allows you to experience the event without having to drive away each evening. Casa España accommodates 2–4 guests and makes an excellent base for combining the Art Walk with a longer Axarquía stay.
Don't Just Look at the Art
Look at the spaces.
Look at the village.
Meet the artists.
Ask questions.
Have coffee somewhere you hadn't intended to stop.
Walk down a street simply because it looks interesting.
Stay for dinner.
Watch the light disappear behind the mountains.
The best cultural events don't exist separately from the place in which they happen.
They help you understand it.
And that's precisely why the Cómpeta Art Walk belongs in the Casa España Journal.
It isn't simply an exhibition.
It's another way to discover the real Andalucía.
Stay for the Art. Stay for Andalucía.
Use the Cómpeta Art Walk as your reason to come.
Then stay for everything else.
The mountains.
The pueblos blancos.
The Mediterranean.
The food and wine.
The art.
The September sunshine.
And those long Andalusian evenings when there's suddenly no reason to check the time.
Casa España Holiday Home
Cómpeta · Axarquía · Andalucía
For 2–4 guests
Private jacuzzi · Panoramic mountain views · Private experiences · Personal local recommendations
BOOK DIRECT
www.casaespana.org
Stay. Explore. Experience.
Casa España – Discover the Real Andalusia.
Offizielle Event-Seite: Cómpeta Art Walk 2026
Künstler 2026: Meet the participating artists
Continue Exploring the Casa España Journal
The Ultimate Guide to Cómpeta
Discover our mountain village beyond the Art Walk.
The Ultimate Guide to the Axarquía
Our complete introduction to this extraordinary corner of Andalucía.
25 Hidden Places in Andalusia
Travel beyond the obvious.
The Best Beaches Near Cómpeta
From Maro to hidden Mediterranean coves.
The White Villages of Andalusia
Discover the pueblos blancos surrounding Casa España and beyond.
Hiking Around Cómpeta
Walk straight from village life into the mountains.
Next: Best Restaurants in Cómpeta
Our personal guide to eating and drinking in the village.
