Encounters: Recalibrating the why

The past three years have witnessed significant structural changes in social contracts across the globe. The preexisting fault lines in formal contracts and social practices, which were further exposed by emergencies, have found clear expression in artistic endeavors. Profound shifts in paradigms have been gathering momentum, occupying a more prominent and relevant space within the art ecosystem. However, the consumption of art, speculative practices, and overarching commercial narratives—largely disconnected from the origins and necessities of the creative processes—continue to operate on premises that, to a large extent, have distanced themselves from the fundamental roles of art in society.

"Encounters: Recalibrating the Why" proposes a multidisciplinary gathering of international and local art agents to discern the essential from the ideal. It seeks to contemplate production, creation, consumption, and contextual factors in tension with geopolitical situations. The objective is to analyze what we are engaged in and why. The initiative strives to chart new paths for a future in which the societal needs intertwined with artistic processes can emotionally, intellectually, and commercially connect in meaningful and relevant manners. It aims to provide a space for reflection, remembrance, and renewal.

Why Colombia? Why Bogotá? Why ARTBO? 

Colombia is the owner of one of the most sophisticated cultural discourses in Latin America, while its profound socioeconomic complexities remain unparalleled globally. It is a geography where the will of its people is transmitted to the visitors from its very own soil. The cultivation of creative energies is neither facile nor simple, neither world itself. Within the resilience of thought, the embrace of social responsibility, the historical will to reflect and the pursuit of answers to unanswerable questions, is where we will find this unique intangible space.

« If one imagined the forms of the iron will, the intransigence in the face of the “unacceptable" and the scathing sharpness that takes away your solace, one would think of solid brutal force ».  Yet, it is in the Colombian people where care, fugitive fragility and precious softness become one; From their language, their ways, and their food, spanning to their art and culture… we cannot think of a more propitious and fertile territory to find ourselves and to recalibrate the reason for what are we doing and Why?

ARTBO, the cultural platform of the Bogota Chamber of Commerce, has become one of the most significant projects for education, dissemination, and commercialization in the region. ARTBO | Fair offers the opportunity to engage with and share the evolution of the artistic ecosystem and its intricacies among international art stakeholders. The new Encuentros section envisions itself as a space where experiences and knowledge are transmitted, communicated, and expanded upon through participants and guests.

Discussion panels

1. Who curates you? And who is looking at you?
Discussion panel of professionals and experts in curatorial practice.

2. The Museum as a Border (frontier) or the Broccoli of the art world?
Discussion panel of professionals and experts in Museums, Institutions, and Biennials.

3. When what’s private, transforms into a public: Locality, Region, and Internationality
Discussion panel of professionals and experts in Collecting and Collections.

4. Supporting the Art Ecosystem: Context, Ethics, and Society
Discussion panel of professionals and experts in Patronage/Art Ecosystem.

5. The space in- between, from the origin to the end: before and after, the turning point.
Discussion panel of professionals and experts in Independent Spaces.

6. The elephant in the room: the art Market, where certain practices do not get questioned
Discussion panel of professionals and experts in the Art Market.

7. If I’ve seen you, I don’t remember” Social vestiges of today and tomorrow in the digital era
Discussion panel of professionals and experts in Digital Art.

Curated section by:

Benedicta Badía

Benedicta Badia is an active cultural change agent, constantly engaging with artists, institutions, and art market systems worldwide. Seeks those at the forefront of developing innovative and impactful formulas for social change. Challenges the status quo through critical lenses, influencing collective thinking and fostering societal change through art. Believes that the art ecosystem can play a crucial role in shaping social conventions and human behavior, thus making it a territory of public interest. Her engagement with the arts, including her art collecting practice has evolved into a personal statement in tension with the current political contexts. She is passionate about empowering those who are building bridges and celebrating differences by initiating conversations that demand attention. Highly engaged in developing strategies that challenge political and socio-economic status quo, identity formation, and concepts of patrimony, and private property, which disrupt stereotypes, privilege, gender roles, and aesthetics givens.