Female Voices of Latin America
Launched by Vortic on 8 March 2021 to coincide with International Women’s Day, Female Voices of Latin America celebrated the work of over 150 living female artists from 19 countries, presented by more than 60 galleries and institutions. The exhibition was the largest ever of Latin American female artists, a group who are historically underrepresented in the international art world. Led by and hosted on Vortic, the collective provided a platform that amplified the voices of these exceptional artists from across Latin America, highlighting artists at all stages of their careers and offering a place for discovery. Available publicly until 2 May 2021, the collective gave viewers the chance to explore exhibitions from around the region all in one online destination.
The initiative also sparked collaboration and the exchange of ideas between galleries whilst spotlighting those around the world who are supporting female Latin American artists. With over 60 participating galleries, the collective opened a thought-provoking dialogue between galleries, their shows, and their artists.
“The idea of promoting more than 150 living female artists from Latin America in one project was an ambitious idea, but times of crisis often bring along opportunities. Digital transformation within the art world has allowed us to join forces with Vortic, not only to give visibility to female artists from this region working today, but also to start a conversation about their concerns and their practices, and highlight the organisations championing them. Female Voices of Latin America is a timely project, it is our turn to enable channels and spaces, online and offline, to talk about them and encourage conversations among them and us through collaboration.”
- Lassla Esquivel, Curator and Founder of Periferia Projects
Exhibited works ranged from 1968 to the present day, providing a comprehensive retrospective of generations of often under appreciated female Latin American artists, paying tribute to artists at all career stages. Highlights included works by established artists such as Liliana Porter (Beatriz Gil), Beatriz Milhazes and Adriana Varejão (Fortes D’Aloia & Gabriel); mid-career artists including Sol Calero (Galerie Crevecoeur), Ad Minoliti and Donna Huanca (Peres Projects), and a new generation of artists including Sofía Clausse (Kupfer) Patricia Domínguez (Gasworks) and Nohemí Pérez (Instituto de Visión).
The initiative was curated by a selection committee including independent curator Kiki Mazzucchelli (Co-Founder, Kupfer), Leslie Ramos (Founder, ArtEater), Lassla Esquivel (Co-Founder, Periferia Projects), Alessandra Modiano (Director of Sales, Victoria Miro) and Elena Saraceni (Special Projects and Curatorial Director, Vortic).
Participating galleries included major institutions such as Museo de Arte Moderno de Bogotá (Colombia), Museo Tamayo México (Mexico) and Museo de Arte y Diseño Contemporáneo (MADC) (Costa Rica), alongside leading commercial galleries including Galería Luisa Strina (Brazil), Casas Riegner (Colombia), Fortes D’Aloia & Gabriel (Brazil), through to galleries working with emerging artists including Barro (Argentina), Instituto de Visión (Colombia & USA) and Proyectos Ultravioleta (Guatemala).
Female Voices of Latin America in the press
Financial Times – “Beauty and devastation of women’s art from Latin America”
Wallpaper* – “Celebrating the female artists of contemporary Latin America”
ABC – “El grito de las mujeres artistas se escuchará este 8-M desde la red”
Image: Vortic installation view, Sofia Clausse, ‘Loose ends’, Kupfer.
Female Voices of Latin America ran from 8 March – 2 May 2021
