The 16th edition of ARTBO | International Art Fair of Bogota ended successfully. In its return to Corferias, ARTBO | Fair had a participation of nearly 25,000 attendees, who enjoyed the 13,000 m2 that this platform provided for the strengthening of the visual arts in Bogota and the country.

In its 16 years, ARTBO | Feria continues to position itself as one of the most important in the Latin American fair circuit with its unique model of eight sections of commercial (Main, Projects, Site and Referents) and non-commercial (Artecámara, Articularte, Forum and Artist's Book) character.

This year, the Fair counted on the participation of an outstanding curatorial team that managed to convey a panoramic view of the post-pandemic art scene. Alejandro Martín, Gabriela Rangel, Inti Guerrero, Simon Castets, Cain Press and the LZS collective created spaces for cultural exchange, promotion, circulation, promotion and commercialization of the dynamics and languages of the visual arts. Nicolás Uribe Rueda, President of the Bogota Chamber of Commerce, stated that "the entity is committed to consolidating the reactivation of the different sectors and, of course, the visual arts are part of that effort that is made throughout the year and that materializes in the Fair that has positioned itself as one of the most outstanding in Latin America".

María Paz Gaviria, Platforms Manager of the Bogota Chamber of Commerce, said that "it is a great satisfaction to have held this edition after three years of absence due to the pandemic.

We are sure that it has had a transcendental contribution in these moments of recovery and we will continue to develop actions to strengthen the visual arts". On the other hand, the following awards were presented during the Fair. On Thursday, October 27, the Artecámara Award was granted to three artists from the young art section -Karen Moya, Luis Sebastián Sanabria and Samuel Lasso-; on Saturday, October 29, François Bucher, artist from the Alarcón Criado gallery, was awarded the Alejandría Art Award, destined to a living Colombian artist from the Main and/or Projects section of the Fair. This award also granted two honorable mentions to

Experience of participating galleries

The 16th edition of ARTBO | Bogota International Art Fair presented 51 galleries from 15 cities around the world, national and international, which continue to consolidate themselves in the visual arts market. Carolina Musalem, from Factoría Santa Rosa Gallery, said that in just one day of the Fair they managed to sell all their works: "This is my first version, both as a gallery owner and as a visitor. I've found it fantastic. The galleries I have been able to see have caught my attention, because they have very nice works. As for the projections, they couldn't be better, because in just one day we managed to sell all our works that we brought to the exhibition".

Ana Cárdenas, from La Cometa Gallery, highlighted the expectations she had for the return of ARTBO | Fair: "The expectations we had were very high. After three years since it was held in Corferias, I see a more contained fair. There is less international participation, but I don't see that as something negative, because I feel that national galleries with an excellent curatorship have more and more spaces. Artecámara brought a very interesting proposal with a strong social content. I also found the review of Ante América in the Referentes section very interesting. Commercially it was very successful. Osmar Santos of the Brazilian gallery Zipper said: "I have had the opportunity to participate in at least four editions of this fair and I think this is the version I have liked the most. It is a little smaller, but it makes it a little easier for visitors to walk around. It denotes an important effort on the part of the organizers, because it is not easy to resume a fair after years of pandemic. The projections we have are good, but we must take into account the global and national situation".

Reinaldo Annichiarico, from the Alonso Garcés gallery, described his experience at the 16th edition of ARTBO: "In this edition I have noticed that the size of the fair has made it easier for visitors to visit the different galleries and take their time. I would also like to highlight the level of all the galleries. On the other hand, it has been evident the great interest of the public for this version, because the return of ARTBO after the pandemic deserved it". Notes for editors ● ARTBO, a program of the Bogota Chamber of Commerce, was born in 2004 as part of its commitment to the Cultural and Creative Industries, with the purpose of promoting and positioning Bogota as a place and destination for culture and business, as well as to create a commercial platform for art and a space for cultural exchange and the formation of audiences. ARTBO I Fair began with 29 participating galleries from 7 countries and 93 artists. ● The website is www.artbo.co; and on social networks it can be found through: ARTBO (Facebook); @feriaARTBO (Twitter); @feriaartbo (Instagram); and artboenlinea (Flickr). ● ARTBO I Fair was held from October 27 to 30, 2022 in the Great Hall of Corferias. ● In cases where ARTBO is cited in a text or note, sustained capital letters should be used (note that ARTBO is a single word). Correct usage: ARTBO. Incorrect usage: ArtBO, ARTBo, Art-BO, etc.