Art Basel Cities: Buenos Aires

2017 Activation

In November 2017, over 4,000 people attended the curated conversations, masterclasses, and music performances as the Art Basel Cities House came alive

The launch of Art Basel Cities: Buenos Aires

https://www.youtube.com/embed/K_Efp2GSBtI

To celebrate the launch of Art Basel Cities: Buenos Aires, an engaging array of conversations, masterclasses and music performances was held in the Argentine capital November 2–5, 2017.More than 4,000 people dropped by the Art Basel Cities House to hear leading Argentine and international artworld professionals exchange views and enjoy the excitement, energy, and entertainment of the Art Basel Cities: Buenos Aires program.According to Patrick Foret, Director of Business Initiatives for Art Basel, “We have been delighted and truly overwhelmed by the great response we have received to our presence here in Buenos Aires this week. We very much look forward to continuing to work together over the coming months and to the Art Basel Cities Week in September 2018.”A city with a thriving cultural life and rich artistic heritage, Buenos Aires is the first partner in the <a href="https://www.artbasel.com/cities/about">Art Basel Cities initiative</a>. This multiyear program seeks to expand the city’s cultural ecosystem and make its dynamic art scene known to a global audience.

Underlining the durational aspect of the partnership, Art Basel will work with the Argentine art scene on a long-term basis. Launched this November at the House, the program aims at facilitating professional collaborations and cultural projects to build a stronger, more connected artworld. Many of the players were united at the Art Basel Cities House in the Retiro neighborhood, which brought together prominent members of the artworld from Buenos Aires and beyond to share expertise and to explore ideas that will help define Art Basel Cities in the years to come.As Andreas Kurtz, a collector from Reutlingen, Germany, who traveled for the events, noted, “A special treat for us has been the Art Basel Cities House with the different workshops.”&nbsp;

The activation offered wide-ranging, all-day programming and kicked off the Art Basel Cities: Buenos Aires <a href="https://www.artbasel.com/cities/buenos-aires/talks-program"> Talks Program</a>. A series of 90-minute, filled-to-capacity Masterclasses centered on such topics as "Artists and Curators Working Together," led by curator Inti Guerrero; "The Residency Landscape," addressed by the Delfina Foundation's Aaron Cezar; and "The Sustainable Nonprofit," discussed by Stefan Benchoam, of Proyectos Ultravioleta in Guatemala City; and more.The participatory Parallel Rooms talks saw 26 conversations taking place in several rooms of the Art Basel Cities House concurrently, raising questions like How can the artworld reach out to a broader audience?, Can Argentine and Latin American art conquer the global artworld?, and Why should anyone collect art? A sampling of the 40 Parallel Rooms speakers includes the Buenos Aires-based artists Guillermo Kuitca and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.artbasel.com/news/marta-minuj-n--meet-argentina-s-answer-to-andy-warhol" target="_blank">Marta Minujín</a>; Jean de Loisy, director of the Palais de Tokyo, Paris; curator and critic Hans Ulrich Obrist; Alec Oxenford, of arteBA Fundación; and many other renowned names.&nbsp;

The classic academic or professional ‘Office Hours’ were ironically transfigured by the informal atmosphere of the Art Basel Cities House at night, when additional speakers like Jorge Macchi, Victoria Colmegna, Ronaldo Fraga, Alberto Passolini, Diego Radivoy, and others took the floor.“The setting was impressive and relaxing. It worked well because it was so clearly different from a classroom or auditorium,” enthused <g><g><g>Leopol</g></g></g> Mones Cazón, a director of <a href="https://www.artbasel.com/catalog/gallery/2646/Isla-Flotante">Isla Flotante</a> gallery <g>and</g> vice-president of the Argentine gallery association Meridiano.A string of music sessions featured diverse Argentine talents and showcased guest musicians Ceci &amp; Gastix, Ibiza Pareo, Villa Diamante, I Need Sponsors, and Carisma, who took to the stage to offer their signature sounds and invited the audience to loosen up and connect.The vitality that characterized the week was echoed throughout the city with events and exhibitions taking place simultaneously. In conjunction with the Night of the Museums – an annual Buenos Aires cultural experience wherein thousands visit museums, galleries, government <g><g><g>and</g></g></g> private historic buildings to see exhibitions, live music and performances throughout the city – the Art Basel Cities House stayed open until <g><g>2am</g>, </g>with a comprehensive evening program for the public.

An international delegation of artworld thinkers and tastemakers were honored to be invited to private viewings of exhibitions and events including such highlights as a private visit of Les Visitants, Kuitca’s perspective of the <g style="background-color: initial; font-size: 14px; color: rgb(68, 71, 73);"><g>Fondation</g></g> Cartier collection at the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.artbasel.com/cities/buenos-aires/cultural-partners" target="_blank">Centro Cultural Kirchner</a> (CCK); a fashion show held at MUNTREF/Hotel de Inmigrantes; a preview of arteBA Focus; a performance at Faena Arts Center; and more.From the Buenos Aires art community, we have received overwhelmingly positive feedback, praising the sincere warmth, generosity, and enthusiasm of everyone who attended the November launch of Art Basel Cities: Buenos Aires, which marked the first step of our long-term partnership with the city and our commitment to its art community.Trevor Smith, <g>curator</g> at the Peabody Essex Museum in Salem, Massachusetts, who journeyed to the city for the event, said, “Overall, the experience of Buenos Aires was one that whetted my appetite for more. There seemed to be a lot of energy embodied by the different foundations, galleries, and institutions."

This ongoing program facilitates exchanges and conversations between members of the Argentine and international art communities, together with the wider public

Art Basel Cities Talks Program in Buenos Aires

Our program of Cultural Partners is comprised of the city’s leading museums, galleries, foundations, associations, artist residencies, and nonprofit platforms

Cultural Partners in Buenos Aires

Meet the artists, curators, collectors, and gallerists driving the local creative scene

Welcome,

Art Basel Cities: Buenos Aires

The launch of Art Basel Cities: Buenos Aires

In November 2017, over 4,000 people attended the curated conversations, masterclasses, and music performances as the Art Basel Cities House came alive

‘The format of the [Parallel Rooms] talks, I predict, will be adopted by other platforms, as it really encourages proper dialogue that is meaningful and not superficial.’

‘As international visitors, we were welcomed into cultural spaces, galleries, museums, even private homes and studios which allowed us to begin to understand the richness and complexity of Buenos Aires's cultural richness.’