Bogota, April 2025. ARTBO, the arts program of the Bogota Chamber of Commerce, presents the ninth edition of ARTBO | Weekend, a city proposal that brings art and culture to the capital's public at no cost. This event, to be held from April 25 to 27, promises to turn the city into an epicenter of dialogue, creativity and artistic reflection.

During these three days, 86 cultural spaces distributed in six important artistic circuits of Bogota-Historic Center, Macarena, Teusaquillo, Chapinero Central, San Felipe and Chapinero Norte-will open their doors during extended hours.

This year, the program includes innovative proposals, such as pop-up spaces that enrich the artistic experience in unconventional places; examples of these are Montenegro Art Projects- MAP at the Casa Lleras Library-Museum and Policroma, a gallery from Medellin that will participate in Bogota.

This edition launches the Book Route, an action derived from the Publishing Encounter, which is held every year at the official ARTBO | Weekend venue, with the objective of increasing the visibility of publishers that explore the languages of art in a particular way and that circulate in bookstores in Bogota. This route has a special route that begins in the Historic Center Circuit and ends in Corferias, connecting Matorral Librería, Garabato Libros, Villegas Editores, NADA, Casa Santo & Seña and Wilborada 1047 with the galleries, museums, institutions, self-managed spaces and bookstores in Corferias.

In addition, ARTBO reaffirms its commitment to design as an artistic and functional expression through the Design Route, which in its second edition includes eight outstanding spaces such as Verdi, Moblar, Alta Estudio and Folies, strengthening the intersection between design, history and contemporary art.

Components and general programming:

Thanks to the joint work with the Government of Cundinamarca, this year ARTBO | Weekend returns to the Palacio de San Francisco, a national monument of neoclassical style, which will function as the official venue of the event and as the epicenter of outstanding activities, among them, a cycle of Conversations, an Editorial Encounter and a curated exhibition of the galleries participating in Intervention.

Twenty international and national curators will participate in Conversations, under the curatorial direction of the outstanding Raphael Fonseca, curator of Latin American contemporary art at the Denver Art Museum. This space will generate a valuable exchange on curatorship, collecting and new perspectives on contemporary art. Topics such as indigenous art, new digital media, performance and the relationship between Latin American and Latino art will be the main themes of the talks to be held on Saturday, April 26 and Sunday, April 27.

On the other hand, Encuentro Editorial, curated by Relámpago, will bring together independent projects and publishers that explore the language of the visual arts and will hold launches, open workshops and talks on literature, art and the publishing sector.

Finally, Intervention, a group exhibition of artists represented by the participating galleries, will be specially curated by María Isabel Rueda, artist and curator from Cartagena, who will select outstanding pieces that will bring the public closer to collecting.

Practical information:

● Admission free of charge.

● Dates: April 25 to 27, 2025

● Central location: Palacio de San Francisco (Avenida Jiménez #7-56).

● Hours:

○ Friday and Saturday: 11:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.

○ Sunday: 11:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.

With 157 activities and an inclusive program, including a series of Conversations that will offer interpretation in Colombian sign language, ARTBO | Weekend promises to be an unmissable event for all those interested in exploring contemporary art from multiple perspectives.