CAC Vélez-Málaga in summer: art, jazz and a leisurely stroll to enjoy the town at a relaxed pace

In summer, Vélez-Málaga can also be seen from a different perspective. Beyond the heat and days spent on the beach, there are places that invite you to step inside, slow down and let yourself be carried away by what’s happening within.

The CAC Francisco Hernández has for years been a go-to destination for anyone looking for contemporary art in Vélez-Málaga. It is housed in a small mansion on Calle Félix Lomas and, in summer, its programme combines an interesting exhibition with jazz concerts in the courtyard.

The CAC Francisco Hernández this summer: the ‘Vidas Figuradas’ exhibition and a jazz series

This year, the Francisco Hernández Centre for Contemporary Art is hosting ‘Vidas Figuradas’, an exhibition by Antonio Maya that brings together over a hundred works and offers a journey through the different stages of his career. The exhibition features drawings, paintings, prints and works in other media, illustrating how his artistic vision has evolved over time. This exhibition is of interest both to those who enjoy contemporary art and to those who focus on the creative processes, the materials used and the way in which a work takes shape over time.

There is a wide selection of paintings in various formats: from large, almost monumental pieces to small works and elegantly elongated rectangular formats that create fascinating interpretations and interactions within the space.

The exhibition is rounded off with prints, drawings, screen prints and sculptures. A veritable repertoire of artistic languages and techniques that intertwine to explore the artist’s journey, his versatility and the way he harnesses the qualities of different media to bring his ideas to life.

And to round off the cultural programme in Vélez-Málaga, this exhibition is complemented by the open-air jazz series held every Wednesday in the CAC’s courtyard during the summer months. This combination of exhibition, music and shared space makes for a wonderfully relaxed cultural outing, requiring no great preparation and offering the added bonus of being free of charge.

Practical information for your visit to the CAC Vélez-Málaga

• CAC Francisco Hernández
• 27 Calle Félix Lomas, Vélez-Málaga
• Tuesday to Saturday, 10.00–14.00 and 17.00–20.00
• Free admission
• Exhibition: ‘Vidas Figuradas’ by Antonio Maya, until 11 October 2026
• Jazz at the CAC: every Wednesday in July and August at 21:00

Round off your cultural experience with a taste of local life

Just a few minutes’ walk from the CAC Francisco Hernández, on Calle Cruz Verde, you’ll find Axárquica. It’s a small, intimate local cultural and creative space, closely tied to the day-to-day work of creation – and it is precisely for this reason that it can be part of a particularly lovely afternoon for anyone who enjoys discovering places where culture is experienced in a more intimate way.

This summer, you can also visit the exhibition Intercambios Gráficos there, a show featuring works by 23 artists from 12 countries. These are pieces that engage in a dialogue with one another through techniques such as linocut and experimental printmaking, inviting you to approach the work with time, curiosity and a desire to examine the details.

‘Intercambios Gráficos’, an exhibition of printmaking at Axárquica

Sometimes that’s exactly what you fancy: stepping out of an exhibition, walking for a few minutes through the historic centre, and then popping into a smaller venue, one that’s more attuned to conversation, to creative processes and to the human scale of things (and with air conditioning, which is much appreciated in summer in Vélez-Málaga).

At Axárquica, a visit is not limited to what is displayed on the exhibition walls. Intercambios Gráficos brings together work by 23 artists from 12 countries who work with printmaking and linocut techniques, experimenting with experimental print runs and collaborative projects, whilst highlighting the traces of the artist’s hand and the printmaking studio in the creative processes. Each piece retains something of the technical decisions behind it: the type of plate, the pressure applied, the order of the layers, the chosen colour — and taking a leisurely look is almost like peering into that process.

That’s why it tends to resonate particularly well with people who enjoy art not just as viewers, but also as those curious about how it’s made. If you’re interested in finding out a bit more about how this exhibition came about and about the opening of the space itself, you can read the other piece we wrote about the opening of Axárquica and ‘Intercambios Gráficos’.

An afternoon of cultural programme in Vélez-Málaga

A couple of hours in the afternoon is enough to walk from the CAC to Axárquica through the historic centre, taking your time to enjoy both places.. You can start with the exhibition at Félix Lomas, then head over to Cruz Verde, strolling through quiet streets, and round off the day with some art, conversation and, if it’s on, a concert at the Peña Flamenca, which is just a few minutes’ walk from our venue.

There’s no need to turn it into a fixed route or a perfect itinerary. Sometimes the most enjoyable thing is precisely that: stepping into a space, carrying on walking, stopping wherever something catches your eye, and discovering that a simple afternoon can end up being much richer than it first seemed.

What keeps happening when you step outside

There is something about seeing artworks in person that no screen can quite capture: their actual size, their textures, the light in the room, the silence or the background murmur, the feeling of sharing the space with other people. These are small details, but they make the experience linger in the memory in a different way.

That’s why a visit often doesn’t end when you walk out the door. Sometimes it continues in a conversation, in an idea that lingers, or in the desire to return and take a closer look. And that, ultimately, is also part of the value of cultural spaces when they are truly integrated into the life of a city.

If you pop into the CAC Vélez-Málaga this summer and decide to carry on walking a little further, we’ll be right here, close by, making space for creativity and for things to be savoured at a leisurely pace.

If you’ve read this far, thank you for taking a moment to read my words.
Paula.