However, this is not always true: many people think that art should be near people, and become something that people can relate to daily. Approaching art should not be a right and privilege of few people, on the contrary, art should be accessible to all especially for tourists that spend its funny holidays in Madrid . The organisers of Cow Parade, an open-air art exhibition that is held in Madrid from the 16th January to the 21st March, certainly belong to the latter school of thought.

Cow Parade, indeed, is considered as the world's largest public art event, and is periodically held in various cities all around the world, but instead of being hosted in enclosed spaces, works are displayed outdoors, in various areas of the city: streets, parks, stations. In this way everybody has the chance, simply taking a walk in his/her own city, to have a direct contact with the world of art, without entering a museum or buying a ticket. But the most surprising peculiarity of this exhibition is the form of the works: full-sized, fibreglass cows that various artists are asked to decorate and personalize, transforming them in real works of art. Cow Parade can therefore be considered as an atypical exhibition, which can amaze and amuse. One of the aims of the exhibition, indeed, besides making people learn to appreciate art, is making people understand that art can break down barriers and preconceived ideas, creating unusual artistic and expression forms that can question the common way of thinking.

Cow Parade is certainly an interesting instrument to break down any kind of barriers, even between counties, as this special event, first realised in 1998 in Zurich by the Swiss sculptor Pascal Knapp, has been held in many cities all over the world: from Sydney to Buenos Aires, from Tokyo to Milan, from Auckland to Las Vegas. This year, between January and March, Spain will host the parade, and Madrid will become colourful thanks to the works realised by well-known and emerging Spanish artists and very interesting for young travellers. This means that, although on the one hand Cow Parade is an international event, on the other hand it is intended to support local artists, giving them the possibility to express their own creativity on a very important stage. Cow Parade is not a bare touring exhibition, but an event that, maintaining its basic features, changes every time it is held in a different city, making people understand how, in different cities, artists express themselves in a different (or similar) way.

Another important aim of the exhibition is benefiting charity: at the end of the exhibition, indeed, cows-works of art are auctioned, and the proceeds are given to charity.

If you have a passion for art and you wish to experience something new, or if you are not an expert and you wish to approach this world in the most immediate and amusing way, book now a cheap hostel in Madrid, go to Spain and enjoy Cow Parade.

Tickets: free event

Date: 16th January 21st March 2009

Location: Madrid, Spain