Bogotá is in the mood for art again. This week, the Colombian capital hosts ARTBO, its international art fair and one of the most polished cultural events in Latin America’s calendar. What began in 2004 as a local initiative to strengthen the city’s creative industries has matured into a fair with international pull, bringing together galleries, collectors, curators and a growing public eager to see what’s new.
From its beginnings with 12,000 visitors two decades ago, ARTBO has expanded to attract more than 35,000 attendees. Its ambition was clear from the outset: to position Bogotá not just as Colombia’s cultural heart but also as a destination where art and business meet. Two decades later, it has carved a space on the world circuit alongside the likes of São Paulo and Mexico City.
This 2025 edition, which runs from 25 to 28 September at Ágora Bogotá brings together 49 galleries and more than 170 artists. At its center is a tribute to one of Colombia’s most influential voices in contemporary art: Beatriz González. With more than 60 years of practice, González is recognized for her incisive critiques of violence, memory and power in Colombian society. ARTBO’s new Trayectoria section will honor her work as both artist and cultural thinker.
The core of the fair stretches across Ágora’s fourth and fifth floors, where 46 galleries showcase a broad spectrum of painting, installation and photography. Highlights include Paris’s 193 Gallery and mor Charpentier, São Paulo’s Vermelho, and New York’s Leon Tovar Gallery, alongside Colombian heavyweights El Museo, Casa Hoffmann, Adrián Ibáñez Galería, Galería Sextante, Beatriz Esguerra Arte, La Cometa, and Nueveochenta. The fourth floor introduces a new format: 12-metre stands designed for emerging and self-managed spaces, giving Bogotá’s younger art players a more visible stage.
On the fifth floor with Proyectos, curator Carla Acevedo-Yates presents La trama del porvenir: prácticas contemporáneas desde el textil. This special exhibition focuses on fibre and textile practices, framing them as a way to counter the fragmentations of our digital age. Works range from embroidered texts to ancestral weaving techniques, inviting visitors to think about the act of weaving not only from the vantage of materials, but as a metaphor for social cohesion.
One of ARTBO’s quieter pleasures is its publishing section – Editoriales – which expands the scope of the fair into books and printed matter. Curated by Felipe González Espinosa of Laguna Libros, “No basta con callar para ver pájaros” brings together more than 40 bookstores and distributors, presenting 77 independent imprints. For Bogotá’s avid readers, it is a reminder that art circulates as much on paper as it does on canvas.
ARTBO has always prided itself on being more than a sales floor, and this year’s line-up continues to blur the line between fair and festival. On Ágora’s second and third floors, 33 museums, magazines and foundations present their latest initiatives, building bridges between Colombia’s institutions and their international counterparts.
The fair’s academic strand, Encuentros, is curated by Juan Canela under the title Cuando todo esto arda: Imaginando estructuras, ritmos y formas comunes para resistir el colapso. Four panel discussions with international guests will explore how art might respond to political polarisation and environmental precarity – ambitious conversations for a city eager to host them.
The Artecámara section remains a fixture for emerging talent under 40. This year’s edition, curated by Carolina Cerón, gathers 21 artists from Bogotá, Cali, Barranquilla, Bucaramanga and beyond under the title Y nuestras 21 lenguas se incendiarán. Expect fresh proposals and bold experimentation – a counterpoint to the heavyweight galleries upstairs.
On the ground floor, first-time visitors can experience free guided tours and part of ARTBO’s ongoing effort to open up the fair to wider audiences. Educational programmes such as Articularte, which link art, education and community engagement, reinforce this accessibility.
For Bogotá, ARTBO has become more than an art market. It plays a civic role, offering a space for dialogue, exchange and cultural pride. In a city better known for its sprawling music festivals and recently inaugurated biennale BOG25, ARTBO demonstrates the strength of the visual arts as both a business and public encounter.
The fair is also representative of Bogotá’s positioning in the global creative economy. At a time when cultural industries are increasingly measured in economic impact, ARTBO balances commerce with a strong curatorial backbone, ensuring the fair retains an intellectual seriousness that sets it apart.
As visitors move from Beatriz González’s work to the latest experiments in fibre art, from booksellers’ tables to emerging voices, ARTBO’s 2025 edition offers what its organizers promise: a meeting point for art and celebration of creative diversity.
ARTBO | Feria 2025
Ágora Bogotá – Centro de Convenciones
Calle 24 No.38–47
Dates: Thursday 25 to Sunday 28 September 2025
Opening hours:
Thu–Sat: 12.00–20.00
Sun: 12.00–18.00
