BOGOTA.- The 12th edition of ARTBO, the International Art Fair of Bogotá, a program of the Chamber of Commerce of Bogotá, welcomed 74 galleries from 28 cities presenting 3,000 artworks by 500 artists from 27 to 30 October 2016. Besides the Main Section of the fair, ARTBO showcased other 7 curated sections: Proyectos, curated by Jens Hoffmann; Referentes, curated by Pablo Léon de la Barra and Ericka Flórez; Artecámara, curated by Fernando Escobar; Articularte, curated by Laagencia; Sitio, curated by María Belén Sáez de Ibarra; Foro, curated by Magali Arriola and Mario Garcia Torres including Collectors Talks, curated by Abaseh Mirvali and Libro de Artista, curated by La Silueta.

“I am happy to say the 12th edition of ARTBO has shown a high-quality artistic program that was praised by visitors and increased the dynamism of the local art market. This year ARTBO had a record number of national and international visitors, which shows that it is fulfilling its mission of serving as a platform for contemporary art in Colombia“, says Maria Paz Gavíria, director of ARTBO.

Growing from 12,000 visitors during its first edition to over 35,000 in 2016, ARTBO is considered a key player in the international art circuit. The high attendance of international visitors is also an important incentive for tourism in Bogota and Colombia, as many of ARTBO’s returning and new guests enjoy the opportunity to get to know the country, one of the most diverse in Latin America.

Over the 12 years of its existence, sales at ARTBO have increasingly grown stronger, while the fair maintains its highly selective approach to its gallery selection and its quality, experimental and non-commercial program. Today, ARTBO is not only one of the main commercial platforms for art in Latin America but also a must-visit space for cultural exchange and research, with a wide international presence of leading and emerging galleries and institutions.

This edition of ARTBO presented a selection of international leading, emerging and cutting- edge galleries, making it a unique art fair within Latin America, with a proposal different from any other fair.

The Main section hosted galleries from around the world including Berlin, Buenos Aires, Sao Paulo, Havana, Santiago de Chile, Mexico City, London, Punta del Este, Madrid, New York, Guatemala City, Zurich and Santiago de Chile, amongst others.

While Proyectos - Figurativismo, curated by Jens Hoffmann brought together fifteen galleries from eleven cities in the world, each in charge of the exhibition of a single artist whose work explored the representation of the human figure through painting.

The third edition of Referentes - Invisible Forces: First Assembly of Art Critics before the Crisis of Non-objectualism, curated by Pablo León de La Barra and co-curated by Erika Florez explored the historical context which provides a wider perspective of the artworks and artists exhibited in ARTBO; and Artecámara - Localizaciones, Lugares, Locales, Dislocaciones, curated by Fernando Escobar promoted the work of promising Colombian artists, remaining one of the main platforms for young art in Colombia. Sitio, on its second edition curated by María Belén Sáez de Ibarra offered galleries the possibility to propose artworks, projects or actions that transcend the galleries’ booth area.

For this edition of the fair, Magali Arriola and Mario Garcia Torres curated Foro, creating a program that mixed artistic interventions, conferences, narratives, confessions and performances, while for the first time ARTBO presented a Collectors Talks program curated by Abaseh Mirvali. It explored the art market and the role of the collector as an active agent regionally and internationally.

Libro de Artistas, curated by La Silueta created a space for the visitors of the fair to engage with works of artists that use books as a medium and Articularte, curated by Laagencia was the educational platform of the fair, engaging audiences with contemporary art practices through interactive activities.

WHAT THE GALLERIES SAID

Greenspon Gallery, New York, US - Chris Viaggio (partner): This is our first time in Colombia and it has been a very exciting experience. We have brought a young artist that was pretty unknown and the acceptance has been very good. For us, is essential to network with and get to know the Colombian audience.

La Cometa Gallery, Bogota, Colombia - Lucas Jaramillo (sales representative): We have been taking part in ARTBO for 10 of its 12 years and once again it has been a really positive experience, we have had a very successful fair this year. We noticed more interaction by contemporary artists and important collectors and interesting institutions such as museums and foundations from all over the world.

Fortes Vilaça Gallery, Sao Paulo, Brazil, Matheus Chiaratti (sales representative): This was the first time we took part in ARTBO. We are aware of the importance that ARTBO has for the Latin American art scene, therefore we decided to join. Being here is an amazing opportunity to meet new audiences and make our gallery, artists and program known by them.

El Apartamento (La Habana) - Liadna Rodríguez (Curator): We are very happy about coming to ARTBO because everything was so well organized. The whole fair itself is a high-level platform and visitors interact a lot. This is our first time at ARTBO and even though in our business it takes time to create a bond with collectors, we have closed great deals at ARTBO and we are very happy about it.

Espaivisor Gallery, Valencia, Spain - Mira Bernabeu (Gallerist): This is the 5th time we have taken part in ARTBO and we have noticed how the fair and the art market in Colombia has developed. The small fair from five years ago became a large-scale event with the participation of high-level visitors and collectors.

P420, Bologna, Italy - Chiara Tiberio (Director): We’ve managed to engage with very interesting new people. This is a very interesting art fair and the ideal place to promote artists in Latin America. We have closed a number of deals so far and hope to close some more soon.