International Mini Print Cantabria

The International Mini Print Cantabria is a proposal of SM Pro Art Circle organization directed by Andrea Juan and Gabriel Penedo Diego.

Our passion for printmaking, and especially for this format, along with our desire to bring together contemporary artists from around the world for an exhibition in our region, and to give our community the opportunity to enjoy it, has driven us to develop this project and work towards incorporating Cantabria into the international Mini Print circuit.
The incredible growth in the number of participating artists and works presented over the first eight editions tells us we are on the right way.

In 2018, we proposed to the Port Authority of Santander (Cantabria, Spain), which manages the Cabo Mayor Lighthouse Art Center, a joint effort to organize the first edition of the Mini Print Biennial under the theme "The Sea and Lighthouses," within the framework of Impact 10 - Encuentro, an International Multidisciplinary Printmaking Conference that we organized in the city of Santander.
Although it began as a Biennial, the immediate success in attracting participants, the excellence of the works presented, and the wonderful public reception led us to want to transform it into an annual event, where the world of printmaking would gather in Santander, guided by the light of its most emblematic lighthouse, the Cabo Mayor Lighthouse. Therefore, starting in 2019, and once again in partnership with the Port Authority, we began the journey of making the International Mini Print Cantabria increasingly larger and more inclusive.

The third and fourth editions reaffirmed the commitment to the initiative shown by those who have joined us in this endeavor and the resilience of the artists in continuing to create magnificent works of art despite all the challenges posed by the pandemic. These were difficult years, especially 2020, but also rewarding thanks to the support received, which translated into constant growth in both the number of artists and the works presented.

All subsequent editions have seen extraordinary participation and sustained growth, both in terms of quantity and the quality of the works. Although it may seem impossible, each year, the jury faces an increasingly difficult task in selecting the awarded works, having to choose from many wonderful pieces of diverse and refined techniques and different, yet always beautiful, aesthetic visions on the competition's theme.

We are now in 2026, opening the call for entries for the 9th Edition of the Competition. 
A year in which, once again, we are challenged by adversity.
The severe wind and rainstorms that have been battering Cantabria have caused damage to the roof covering the Isla Mouro Hall, home of Mini Print Cantabria since its second edition, within the Faro Cabo Mayor Art Center. These are not serious structural damages that affect the entire Center, but they are significant enough to prevent the use of the Hall until repairs are carried out.
The repair timeline is not yet defined, as the Port Authority of Santander (APS) is considering taking advantage of the situation to carry out a more extensive renovation of the hall.

Due to these exceptional circumstances, coupled with the impossibility of relocating the exhibition to another space within the Faro Cabo Mayor Art Center, the organizers of the competition have decided, by mutual agreement, to move the exhibition of the 9th Mini Print Cantabria to the Exhibition Space at the Archive of the Port Authority of Santander.
This space, along with the Palacete del Embarcadero, the Nave Sotoliva, and the aforementioned Faro Cabo Mayor Art Center, forms the exhibition spaces net that the Port Authority of Santander offers to the arts.

We have taken advantage of the change of venue for the exhibition to further expand the theme of the Contest; this year it will be: "Open Sea. Reality, imagination and poetics".

We appreciate the cooperation of the Port Authority of Santander in finding a swift solution to this serious unforeseen event, and we thank El Diario Montañés and Grupo Nueva Dársena for their continued support.

We hope to see your artwork at the 9th International Mini Print Cantabria Exhibition and, above all, we hope you can visit the exhibition and enjoy, with us, this wonderful and iconic space.

We move forward, but not without expressing our gratitude for all the support and assistance received… Thank you, thank you so much, to everyone!!!

Andrea Juan and Gabriel Penedo Diego
Directors of SM Pro Art Circle

February, 2026
Awarded Eighth Edition
2025