Uruguay Emerges as a Key Player in the International Visual Arts Scene

José Ignacio once again became the setting for the 11th edition of EsteArte, the outstanding cultural summit and contemporary art fair that has now consolidated itself as a powerful platform for the visual arts in the region.

The event, which has been accompanied and supported by Marca País since its inception, took place in the exclusive Vik Pavilion and included a carefully selected group of Uruguayan and foreign galleries, talks, guided visits to the artists’ stands, and virtual tours of their studios.

EsteArte offered a unique opportunity to discover the most avant-garde trends in contemporary art, generate connections, and promote the sector’s sustainability. Distinguished collectors and artists came together in this environment, finding fruitful spaces to forge business deals and develop projects without borders.

It was also attended by international figures from the art world, such as Frances Morris, curator, art historian, and former director of the Tate Modern Gallery in England, and Cecilia Alemani, curator and artistic director of the 59th Venice Biennale. Key players from the region, such as Alberto Rebaza, president of the MALI Museum in Peru, participated in the fair.

The event, deeply permeated by a disruptive spirit, combined an iconic physical space with a digital platform that allowed galleries to showcase all their works and schedule business meetings.

Among the new features incorporated in this edition, attendees could enjoy the presentation of a single artist per gallery with new works or works relevant to their careers. “The format they chose this year was a success. It allows for a better understanding of the artists’ work, as you can see works from different periods of their careers. And at the same time, it gives the fair a more concentrated curatorial dimension, which enhances the event and its participants,” said renowned Argentine art critic Mercedes Pérez Bergliaffa, who participated in the activity.

The organization also presented the Laetitia Award, which recognizes individuals and institutions that promote the creation and dissemination of art in Uruguay. The award was named in honor of Laetitia d’Aremberg, one of the most important patrons of local culture. On this occasion, the award went to the collector Martín Cerrutti in recognition of his work for the development and preservation of the visual arts. The statuette of this prestigious award was designed on this occasion by the visual artist and cultural producer Martín Pelenur.

A vibrant, dynamic, and sustainable market

Since its inception, EsteArte has transformed Uruguay’s cultural landscape, creating a vibrant and dynamic art market. The fair, which is distinguished by its focus on quality, human-scale format, and commitment to best practices in the sector, has put the country on the international scene.

“Our main objective has always been to promote a regional art system that is ecologically, socially, and economically sustainable,” said Laura Bardier, director and founder of the initiative, who emphasized the work that the organization carries out so that the activity has a strong focus on sustainability in each edition. This factor is in line with the country’s commitments concerning climate change. In this sense, EsteArte stands out as the only Latin American fair to have participated in the Gallery Climate Coalition, an international association of galleries that work with climate sustainability criteria.

“Uruguay is generating institutions and organizations and a powerful new dynamic concerning the market and artistic production, especially about exhibiting and marketing, thanks to initiatives such as this event. The country now has a different circuit concerning the region; it presents another circulation of gallery owners, critics, and artists. Also, the appearance of companies such as hotels or vineyards collaborating with art agents is fascinating, and it happens much more in Uruguay than in other nearby countries”, reflected Pérez Bergliaffa.

The 2025 edition of EsteArte offered a careful and exclusive selection of galleries that exhibited their most distinguished artists. On this occasion, the participating Uruguayan galleries and their respective artists were Black Gallery (Pueblo Garzón) - María Maggiori; DEL PASEO (Manantiales)- Guillermo García Cruz; GALERÍA SUR (La Barra) - Eduardo Cardozo; WALDEN NATURAE (Pueblo Garzón) - Gimena Macri; and XIPPAS GALLERIES (Paris, Genève, Manantiales) – Takis.

Meanwhile, the international galleries and artists present were Galería Aninat (Santiago de Chile) - Catalina Swinburn; GALERÍA CIRCA (Rosario) - Fabián Burgos; DEL INFINITO (Buenos Aires) - Esteban Pastorino; Espacio O (Santiago de Chile) - Fernanda Gutiérrez; GALERÍA MARIA CASADO (Buenos Aires) - Federico Lanzi; GALERÍA MILLAN (São Paulo) - Tulio Pinto; Luz Verde (Lima) - Ernesto Carozzo; OTTO Galería (Buenos Aires) - Daniel Stroomer; and GALERÍA TARQUINIA (Santiago) - Lorenzo Moya.