Four days of deep immersion into Colombia's art scene in August last year left uber-curator Hans Ulrich Obrist enthralled by the 'very special' convergence of art and architecture taking place in the gateway to South America. Ever since Obrist's first visit to this neglected corner of the world's most colourful continent, Colombia's principal galleries have been busier than ever trying to cater to demand from the Swiss curator's friends in very high places.
The country's most important annual art fair ArtBo, held in the Colombian capital Bogotá has morphed from a 'you must be kidding' to a must-do event for the globe trotting curators of some of the world's most prestigious art collections. What used to be a cold, corporate affair in Bogotá's principal convention centre, Corferias, has branched out in its seventh year to incorporate almost every aspect of the city's flourishing art scene.
The main show itself has expanded to 57 local and international galleries from 14 different countries. A second hall was thrown open to a strong selection of 21 young artists and talented young architect Manuel Villa was handed the task of designing a children's pavilion to inspire the next Beatriz Gonzalez to take up the paint brush.
La Otra, a parallel event to ArtBo, tempted collectors and pleasure-seekers across town for the fifth year running and was joined this year for the first time by a second event held at the Espacio Odeon, a former theatre converted into a minimalist contemporary cultural centre. As well as keeping the more established events on their toes, the Odeon has created an important permanent cultural draw to the capital's run-down city centre.
While the city's top galleries wined and dined the high-rollers, 11 collective art studios across the city threw open their doors to collectors keen to connect with or uncover the new artists adding a fresh sense of dynamism to Colombia's old guard of Olga de Amaral, Fernando Botero, Hugo Zapata, Antonio Caro and Doris Salcedo. Many of the new generation of artists that had Obrist purring about the 'Bogotá and Medellin miracle' are former architects using the tricks of their trade to construct two-, three-, and at times, four-dimensional reflections on a society looking for a way out of a dark period of history.
Mateo Lopez, Gabriel Sierra, Felipe Arturo, Jorge Lizarazu and this year's inspirational pick for the Venice Biennale, Nicolas Paris, have all used their architectural training to create a new environment that blends architecture, art and design with great success.
Fresh from the Venice Biennale, Alexandre Arrechea - a former member of Cuban collective Los Carpinteros - showed a selection of lacquered cardboard tops at the Magnan Metz Gallery stand, crowned with New York landmarks and the world’s tallest building, Burj Khalifa
’The Dimension of the Gesture’ by Alexandre Arrechea, shown by Magnan Metz Gallery
’Sarah Bernhardt from Rebus’ by Vik Muniz, 2010, shown by Galeria La Cometa
’Agua’ by Johanna Calle, 2011, shown by Galeria Casas Reigner. The word ’water’ is written in the 24 indigenous languages spoken in Colombia. Each word is formed by small typewriter print on ledger book paper
Detail of ’Agua’ by Johanna Calle, 2011
Bogotá-based La Central Gallery grouped together works by Alberto Lezaca, Pia Camil, Carlos Bonil, Manuela Viera Gallo, Pedro Pulido and Felipe Arturo to explore the theme of ’the failure or modernism’ in Latin America
Installation by the Mexican artist Julieta Aranda, shown by Galerie Michael Janssen at ArtBo
Designed by architect Manuel Villa, ArtBo’s pavilion for children was one of the liveliest corners of the show this year
Photographs of Felipe Arturo’s ’Observatorio’ installation, depicting the ’ghost’ of the first modern building in Colombia, shown by La Central Gallery at ArtBo
It wouldn’t be ArtBo without a sky-high reference to the country’s drug problem. ’Rice and White Powder’ by Daniel Castellanos, made from reflective glass, acrylic and powder, is part of ArteCamara, a group show of young artists
’Carved Rock’ by Hugo Zapata, 2010, shown by Galeria Sextante at ArtBo. The gallery also showed work by Luis Fernando Pelaez and Juan Manuel Echavarria
A parallel event to ArtBo, La Otra tempted collectors and pleasure-seekers across town for the fifth year running. Pictured here is a cardboard and cement sculpture by Maria Adelaida Lopez, 2011, shown by Valenzuela Klenner Galeria
Narco-submarine in rubber by Nelson Vergara, 2011, shown by Valenzuela Klenner Galeria at La Otra
A new event this year sprung up at Espacio Odeon, a former theatre converted into a minimalist contemporary cultural centre. Among the exhibits was this pencil drawing, entitled ’Rubble’, of Bogotá on fallen wallpaper by Lia Garcia, 2011
Polychromatic sculpture by Spanish artist Gerard Mas, 2007, on show at the Odeon
Elsewhere across town, galleries threw open their doors, laying on exhibitions timed to coincide with the fair. Pictured here are works from ’The Undone’ series by Leyla Cardenas, 2011, on show at Galeria Casas Reigner
’Undone Chair and Table (via Perec)’ by Leyla Cardenas, 2011, at Galeria Casas Reigner
Works from the ’The Undone’ series by Leyla Cardenas, 2011, at Galeria Casas Reigner
A map of Bogotá laser cut from onix paper, from ’The Undone’ series by Leyla Cardenas at Galeria Casas Reigner
’Abducted’ by Mateo Rivano, 2011, at La Central Gallery
Eleven collective art studios across the city threw open their doors to collectors keen to connect with or uncover the new artists adding a fresh sense of dynamism to Colombia’s old guard of Olga de Amaral, Fernando Botero, Hugo Zapata, Antonio Caro and Doris Salcedo. Pictured here is ’Universal Support’ by Miler Lagos, 2008, made from half a tonne of newspaper, shown in the artist’s studio at Estudio Las Nieves
’Tree Ring Dating’ by Miler Lagos, 2010, also made from newspaper
’Magic Seeds’ by Miler Lagos, 2008
’Study of a River’ by Camilo Villegas, 2011, shown at Estudio Las Nieves
The studio of Gabriel Sierra is filled with objects and bespoke art / furniture that plays with modern concepts of architecture and design. Seen here is ’A home for each day of the week’, 2011; ’Origin’, 2007; and ’Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow’, 2011
The tools of the trade for Nicolas Paris at his Cooperartes Studio. Fresh from his ’classroom’ exhibition in the F Room at the Art Biennale of Venice, his work explores the use of art in teaching and building dialogue
The desk and drawings from the latest project by the prolific Colombian artist, Mateo Lopez, Viaje sin Movimiento, ’Journey Without Movement’, 2011, at Cooperartes Studio
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