Peru present at ARCOmadrid 2019

Peru for the world. The "Peru at ARCO" section will be one of the main attractions this year at the International Contemporary Art Fair, ARCO Madrid 2019.  Between February 27 and March 3, the works of 24 Peruvian artists represented by national and international galleries, and selected by curator Sharon Lerner, will be exhibited in the gallery areas of the renowned Madrid fair.

For Peru, this invitation is a very important step in the internationalization of our contemporary art production, which will be disseminated to more than one million people around the world. It also represents a valuable opportunity to deepen and reflect on our historical and cultural links with Spain.

The aim of Peru at Arco is to promote national artists of different ages who have worked outside the country for a large part of their artistic career. Outstanding artists include Fernando Bryce, Teresa Burga, Sandra Gamarra, Miguel Aguirre, Antonio Páucar, Herbert Rodríguez, Elena Damiani, Ximena Garrido-Lecca, José Vera Matos, Carlos Runcie Tanaka and Rita Ponce de León, among others.

Institutional Stand

The vision and decoration of the Peru stand is the responsibility of curator and critic Jorge Villacorta, who presents Peruvian art as a process of contemporary definition, feeding on tradition and projecting itself into the future.

Using multimedia technology, Villacorta takes the Amazonian maloca (ancestral house) as a conceptual and schematic reference, a center for encounter and knowledge of Amazonian peoples.

Peruvian art display

Current activities include the conversations of the Peru Forum, in which artists, historians and curators will analyze the special features of contemporary Peruvian art and the cultural and social challenges it faces; but also focusing on the past, present and future of contemporary art worldwide.

More than 20 art exhibitions and interventions will also take place in various cultural centers, museums and cultural spaces in the city of Madrid. These include the holding of workshops and the creation of a mural by Elliot Túpac at La Casa Encendida, and the presence of Shipibo-conibo art through a Kené mural to be created by artists Olinda Silvano, Vilma Maynas and Silvia Ricopa at the Centro Cultural de Arte Contemporáneo Matadero. 

These and other activities will give the public the opportunity to learn about diverse aspects of Peruvian culture; all through a journey into the past and to regions of Peru in which new contemporary art movements have emerged.

It is important to emphasize that Peru's presence at ARCOmadrid is supported by the Ministry of Culture of Peru, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Peru, the Embassy of Peru in Spain and PromPerú.

Did you know?

• There will be 203 galleries from 30 countries in this 38th edition of ARCOmadrid.
• The ARCO Foundation will give the “A” Prize for Collecting to the MALI Contemporary Art Acquisitions Committee for its vital support to the museum in the enrichment of its permanent collection of contemporary art and in the diffusion of Peruvian art.
• Peruvian architects Mariana Leguía and Maya Ballén are in charge of design for the Peruvian section. The idea is to design a fluid space where visitors can enjoy the art work, respecting the area of each project.

For more information visit the website: www.arcoperu.pe