Beyond Exoticism: Latin American Art in the Global Market

"Latin American art does not need to be discovered."

"Latin American art transcends labels and conquers global art fairs such as Frieze and Paraíso. A reflection on collecting and the market." "For a few weeks each year, cities such as London, Paris, Miami, Bogotá, New York, and Hong Kong seem to become the center of the art universe. These so-called 'art weeks' bring together fairs, exhibitions, auctions, openings, and gatherings that draw artists, gallerists, curators, collectors, and enthusiasts from all over the globe.

Of course, art is present in these cities year-round. What makes these weeks extraordinary is the concentration of an international offering that, in just a few days, allows one to traverse diverse geographies, generations, artistic languages, and price points—elements that would rarely converge in any other context.

But do we really need so many fairs? *The Economist* recently posed this question, pointing to one of the market’s major contradictions: the fear of missing out—or 'FOMO'—which keeps gallerists and collectors navigating an increasingly saturated calendar.

While we share this skepticism, we also believe that these weeks offer something irreplaceable: the opportunity to build relationships, discover new work, and spark conversations that transcend mere commercial transactions.

The most recent edition of Frieze Week, held in London this past October, offered a reflection that is particularly relevant to us: Latin American art can no longer be presented as a 'discovery' by the international market.

For decades, much of its circulation outside the region was shaped by categories that insisted on interpreting the work solely through the lenses of colonization, ethnic identity, marginalization, or exoticism.

Without dismissing the importance of these discussions within our history, reducing Latin American artistic production to such categories ignores the full breadth of what is being created. Our artists engage with abstraction, technology, memory, materiality, politics, and the universal possibilities of contemporary art. Their roots do not limit their artistic language; they enrich it.

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