From 22 to 26 February, the Spanish capital hosts the 36th edition of the International Contemporary Art Fair ARCOmadrid 2017, to which Argentina has been invited as a Guest of Honour. Argentina participates through a number of art galleries, selected by independent curator Ines Katzenstein, which includes the most prominent contemporary artworks of the country. This is a unique opportunity to showcase Argentine art at one of the major venues of the international market, which gathers leading researchers and critics in the field.
The ARCO fair is a cultural event but also a trade fair. As such, it is expected to boost appreciation for the Argentine art market at the international level, providing an opportunity for the works of Argentine artists displayed in the fair to command higher prices than in the local market.
The Argentine artists whose artworks are being presented this year include Diego Bianchi, Marcelo Pombo, Luis Frangella, Marcia Schvartz, Alberto Greco, Ricardo Carreira, Mirtha Dermisache, Pablo Accinelli, Cecilia Szalcowicz, Leticia Obeid, Mariela Scafati, Kasuya Sakai, Eduardo Stupía, Laura Codega, Dudu Alcon Quintanhilla, Elba Bairon, Juan Tessi, Fabio Kacero, Valentina Liernur, Faivovich & Goldberg, Sol Pipkin, Juan José Cambre and Alejandro Kuropatwa.
As is customary, country exhibitions for this edition include mainly a focus on galleries, while different parallel exhibitions are being organized in Spanish museums and institutions. This year, the "Focus Argentina" sector is being managed by the prestigious curator Sonia Becce, who brings current Argentine artworks to the different culture venues of Madrid.
The following is a list of Argentine exhibits and their venues: La Bella Sintaxis, at Conde Duque cultural centre; Realidad Distraída, at Biblioteca Nacional Española; Es Ella Una Encantadora Cosa, at Cerralbo Museum; Saber Sin Mí, at La Tabacalera; Flotante, at the Lope de Vega House Museum; Ultramar at the Thyssen Bornemisza Museum; Las Decisiones del Tacto, at Casa de América; and Donde Nunca Estoy y Donde Nunca Fui, at Casa de Vacas Cultural Centre.
Presence at the ARCO Fair is part of the cultural activities being carried out by Argentina around the world as a foreign policy tool, which include Biennial Art Exhibitions, Book Fairs, and Music, Dance and Film Festivals, among others.
In this case, Argentina's presence at one of the main contemporary art events on the international circuit is made possible by a coordinated public-private effort by the Argentine Ministry of Culture, the Argentine Embassy in the Kingdom of Spain, and the arteBA foundation, with the collaboration of the Directorate for Cultural Affairs of the Argentinian Foreign Ministry.