As part of an ongoing inquiry into the mechanics and energy behind the (e)merge art fair, happening at the Capital Skyline Hotel October 2 – 5 in Washington, DC, BmoreArt editor Cara Ober reached out to several participating galleries to get a sense of their purpose and aesthetics.
Mariano Ugalde is the Director of Salar Galería de Arte in La Paz, Bolivia and PSH Projects in Bogotá, Colombia.
Cara Ober: Can you tell me about your organization’s mission and programming?
Mariano Ugalde: Our mission is to promote the best contemporary Latin American art to global audiences. We do 7-10 exhibitions in our two spaces and participate in 10-12 art fairs per year around the world.
CO: How long have you been in existence and where are you located?
MU: We have been in existence since 2007 with the Gallery in La Paz and since 2012 we have the Bogotá branch (PSH Projects). We are also soon to reopen our Miami gallery.
CO: Why did you decide to participate in (e)merge this year? What are your goals for this fair?
MU: (e)emerge was always on our radar as we have had some exposure to the DC art market. However in previous editions the dates coincided with other commitments that we were able to rearrange this year. We hope to get a good response from the DC art patrons and that our program is well received.
CO: In your opinion, what are the differences between (e)merge and other commercial art fairs?
MU: The main difference in this fair from other art fairs is that I would expect to see fresh works from emerging artists that might not have had the usual fair exposure. I am excited to see what can be discovered.
CO: Whose work will you be bringing?
MU: I will bring two solo shows: one by Sonia Falcone who represented Bolivia at the last Venice Biennale and with great success (we will present a smaller version of the same Installation) and other by DC born artist Delta 9 who also lives and works in Latin America. He is a young artist whose works deal with recycling, nature, and found objects.
* Top Image: Sonia Falcone. “Color field 2013.” Mixed media Installation. Dimensions variable. Photo by Sonia Falcone. Courtesy Salar Galería de Arte
