Bogota, April 2024. The ARTBO Program of the Bogota Chamber of Commerce celebrates its 20th anniversary: two decades in which it has worked to encourage commercial relations, circulation, training and cultural exchange in the sector.

ARTBO | Weekend, an initiative of the ARTBO Program, ended on Sunday, April 14, with 73,477 visits and the participation of 71 exhibition spaces, including galleries, museums, foundations, self-managed and design spaces.

During the three days of the initiative, citizens were able to enjoy tours and free transportation through the six art circuits -Centro Histórico, Macarena, Teusaquillo, Chapinero Central, San Felipe and Chapinero Norte- and other activities through the Conversations, Intervention and Editorial Encounter components.

The official venue for ARTBO | Weekend was the Palacio de San Francisco, a space that brought citizens closer to art in the city's Historic Center. Intervention, a commercial show curated by Ana María Lozano and comprised of 67 works by 48 artists, was held there under the name Vulnerability and Contextualism. The exhibition has a digital catalog that can still be consulted here.

The event was attended by international guests, among them Ademar Britto, art collector and curator who participated as coordinator of the ARTBO | Weekend Conversations. There were also national guests such as researcher and curator Ana María Lozano, Cain Press and Toquica, who were in charge of the curatorship of Intervention and the Editorial Encounter, respectively.

Ovidio Claros Polanco, president of the Bogota Chamber of Commerce, stated that "this year, as part of the celebration of ARTBO's 20th anniversary, we managed to further democratize access to art, with a 50% increase in the number of visitors compared to previous editions, and integrating families and experts around art. We will continue to bet on this sector that contributes to position Bogota in the international arena".

María Paz Gaviria, Manager of Platforms at the CCB, stated that "we are very pleased with the impact that ARTBO | Weekend had this year, an initiative through which we work resolutely for the visual arts sector and its roots. Undoubtedly, this encourages us to continue working and innovating in the promotion and circulation of the sector, and of the cultural and creative industries in general".

ARTBO exhibitors speak | Weekend

León Tovar, León Tovar Gallery (La Macarena Circuit)

"ARTBO | Weekend was an unforgettable experience because of the amount of public interested in the gallery's projects. Not only from the successful commercial aspect, but also from the contribution we galleries make and what this initiative does to society: families, students, great collectors and artists in communion. The parallel events set the vibe high in the city. ARTBO | Weekend should remain and think about internationalizing it, bringing galleries from abroad. It was a great experience.

Elvira Moreno, Elvira Moreno Gallery (San Felipe Circuit)

"Through our work, we are not only aware, but also recipients and echoes of ARTBO's extraordinary efforts to advance the arts in all their manifestations. Through their initiatives we have been able to participate and feel the importance they give to art as a national identity and international pride. With our participation we intend to give continuity to their efforts and we recognize the need to achieve, through the support of ARTBO and the Bogota Chamber of Commerce, the promotion of an identity that reflects culture, pride, ownership, history and identity, which goes beyond the prevailing stigmas, as the national identity of an excellent Colombia. This weekend we have had the presence of extraordinary international referents of the arts and a local public that longs to be part of everything that fosters culture and even more, that cements the foundations towards an identity that creates pride, dignity and historical coherence. We have had an exceptional ARTBO | Weekend and it is our hope that there will be continuity in order to achieve the objectives that our space promotes".

Mauricio Cian, Moblar (Ruta Diseño)

"ARTBO | Weekend was an incredible opportunity to make design visible at a local level where there is a lot of talent, and allow us to project it internationally in the future. Something similar to what is already happening in Mexico. We are very grateful to ARTBO for this initiative that should continue".

Katherine Hernández, Espacio Continuo (Chapinero Norte Circuit)

"ARTBO | Weekend gives openness to cultural tours from the vision of the city. Visitors are allowed to discover Bogota from different artistic proposals. A great success are the routes that allow the public to get to know the institutional, independent and gallery spaces free of charge. For the commercial spaces of ARTBO | Weekend, it is a dynamizer of the market thanks to the national and international visits the city receives".

Alex Mor, Mor Charpentier (Circuito Teusaquillo)

"Without a doubt, ARTBO | Fin de Semana is a great example for the city of how people of different ages and interests that converge in the galleries are integrated. We are very proud to have participated again. We had sales, contacts, knowledge. It was a wonderful event.

Viviana Mejía - Casa Zirio Gallery (Chapinero Norte Circuit)

"Although there are still paradigms about visiting galleries because it is believed that it is necessary to have a certain purchasing power, ARTBO | Weekend contributes to bring citizens closer to culture and learn more and more about the work of these spaces, as well as the educational and cultural scope they manage to transmit. These types of encounters are a window to make national and international art visible in our country".

Andrew Smith - La Bruja Riso (Editorial Meeting Component)

"For us to participate in ARTBO | Weekend is and always will be important because it brings us closer to the public that understands what we do: our work with risography and how it is crossed by art. This year we had the opportunity to be in a spectacular space like the Palacio de San Francisco, which inspires and offers a particularly special experience."

For more information about ARTBO | Weekend and other ARTBO initiatives, visit www.artbo.co.