Colombian art is having a moment

A new generation of Colombian artists and curators are benefiting from international exposure as the country’s political crisis recedes; art galleries, foundations and collectors are growing in numbers while its national economy flourishes. Hans Ulrich Obrist called this change the “Colombian milagro [miracle]” during an Art Basel Miami Beach talk back in December 2013.

The annual art fair in Bogotá, Artbo (24-27 October), launched ten years ago by the Bogotá Chamber of Commerce, has played a crucial role in galvanising Colombia’s art scene.
The fair has gained momentum since Maria Paz Gaviria, an art historian and daughter of a former Colombian president, took over three years ago. Gallery applications for the fair increased by 30% this year, Gaviria says. But one key ingredient of the fair’s success, she explains, is that it has frozen its size while offering a platform for new international art galleries and emerging talents. Only 20% of the 65 galleries in its main section are from Colombia, and while they tend to showcase Latin American artists, the fair features galleries from 30 different cities. Artbo offers a balance between veterans like Galeria Luisa Strina from São Paulo, Leon Tovar from New York and Ruth Benzacar from Buenos Aires, and young art galleries like Revolver from Lima, Mor-Charpentier from Paris, and Diablo Rosso from Panama City...

Jorge Pérez, of the Pérez Art Museum, Miami (Pamm), attended the fair this year and told the Colombian newspaper El Tiempo that, “Colombia has the best young artists in the world today”.

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