july - september 2004	focus on film 12
ArteBA 2004, 13th Contemporary Art Fair Interview with Alejandro Corres by Por Luciana Sario edited by			Braga menendez Gallery, Argentina Sara Garcia Uriburu Gallery, Argentina Thomas Chon Gallery, Brazil
From May 19 to 25, the thirteenth edition of arteBA was held in Buenos Aires, Argentina. This new edition focused on regional projections and the integration in the Mercosur. Following this concept, “Brazilian Art in Argentine Collections” was presented. Every year, national and international art galleries, art dealers, non-profit organizations devoted to art and culture, companies and specialized publications participate in this fair. There are also conferences, presentations and round tables; tourism-related activities; parallel shows; and the presence of groups of foreign collectors. With this group of galleries and institutions, the fair tries to bring to the audience the latest trends in art today in an environment where unconventional trends are given a place of relevance. BistArt spoke with Alejandro Corres, member of arteBA since it began in 1991, who underlined, among other novelties in this edition of the Fair, its contemporary and cultural aspects. What is this new edition of arteBA going to be like? Will it continue having a contemporary nature? Definitely, it will continue having a contemporary nature the foundation decided to promote two years ago. For this reason, a selection committee was appointed which has chosen a series of galleries that mainly exhibit contemporary art. How will foreign galleries participate? After the 2002 - 2003 economic crisis, Argentina is slowly getting back on the international circuit. Before the crisis many foreign galleries participated in arteBA. During the crisis we were barely able to organize the fair, but fortunately we did very well and now foreign galleries are gradually returning. As the country regains stability the amount of foreign galleries will increase. What collectors visit arteBA? This year for the first time arteBA will have a program of collectors and we have invited Brazilian and American collectors to spend three days in Buenos Aires and of course to visit the fair. This will allow collectors to have direct contact with the major fair of Latin America. Of course, Argentine collectors we already know will also be present. What were the results of arteBA 2003? The results were very good, it was the fair where most pieces were sold. The same occurred in 2002, which, although it was a critical year for Argentina, so many works had not been sold until that moment. arteBA 2003 did better than 2002, with over 1,000 works sold. I hope this year this trend continues. How is the fair financed? How do you work with the sponsors? How is the fair financed? How do you work with the sponsors? What collectors visit arteBA? This year for the first time arteBA will have a program of collectors and we have invited Brazilian and American collectors to spend three days in Buenos Aires and of course to visit the fair. This will allow collectors to have direct contact with the major fair of Latin America. Of course, Argentine collectors we already know will also be present.

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