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ESTE ARTE 2027
13.ª. EDICIóN
5—8 ENERO

José Ignacio, Uruguay — ESTE ARTE is a way of experiencing art, thinking about culture, and understanding the role we play in shaping its future. Founded in Uruguay in 2015, ESTE ARTE brings together inspiring artists, visionary collectors, thoughtful galleries, adventurous curators, and cultural patrons around a shared conviction: that meaningful encounters with art forge relationships, generate ideas, and build lasting cultural legacies.

From January 5 to 8, 2027, ESTE ARTE celebrates its 13th edition at Pavilion VIK in José Ignacio. Its distinctive format brings together solo exhibitions of previously unseen works by artists across generations, represented by galleries from the Americas and Europe. For collectors visiting Uruguay, it offers the opportunity to discover new works, meet their creators, and engage with an international cultural community in an intimate and thoughtfully curated setting.

The 2027 edition features 14 solo presentations: Almeida & Dale (São Paulo) with Henrique Oliveira, known for sculptures and installations made from reclaimed materials; Black Gallery (Pueblo Garzón) with Pati Fernández Graña, exploring geometric abstraction; Cadogan Gallery (London, Milan) with Richard Zinon, a British gestural abstract painter; Del Infinito (Buenos Aires) with Mariela Vita, investigating nature and artifice; FEMALUMA (Cascais, Rio de Janeiro) with Luca Benites, exploring geometry and perception; Galería del Paseo (Punta del Este) with Ishmael Randall-Weeks, whose work examines architecture and systems of measurement; and Galería SUR (Punta del Este) with Marcelo Legrand, known for expressive, gestural painting.

The selection continues with Galerie Jocelyn Wolff (Paris) presenting Miriam Cahn, a major figure in European contemporary painting whose work addresses the body, violence, and social conflict; Galería María Casado (Buenos Aires) with Bruno Gruppalli, exploring domestic narratives; OTTO Galería (Buenos Aires) with Fernando Maza, a historical figure of Argentine Informalism; Piero Atchugarry Gallery (Manantiales, Miami, Pueblo Garzón) with Chris Soal, a South African sculptor transforming everyday materials; TOMAS REDRADO ART (Miami, José Ignacio, Buenos Aires) with Luna Paiva, exploring organic forms and materials; W – Naturae (Pueblo Garzón) with Max Gómez Canle, reinterpreting historical painting; and Xippas (Paris, Geneva, Punta del Este) with Carlos Amorales, investigating visual languages and systems of representation.

ESTE OFFSITE extends the experience beyond the exhibition space, engaging with the landscape and architecture of José Ignacio through site-specific interventions by Saint Clair Cemin (Almeida & Dale), Jonathan Vivacqua (Cadogan Gallery), Marcolina Dipierro (Galería del Paseo), and Guillermo García Cruz (Piero Atchugarry Gallery).

ESTE CHARLAS, hosted by ESTE ARTE Director Laura Bardier, brings together three influential international curators: Caroline Bourgeois, curator and external advisor to the Pinault Collection, established by French collector and entrepreneur François Pinault, founder of the group that evolved into Kering, and curator of major exhibitions at Palazzo Grassi and Punta della Dogana; Mohamed Almusibli, Director and Chief Curator of Kunsthalle Basel, one of Europe's historic contemporary art institutions; and Aimé Iglesias Lukin, Chief Curator of Art at Americas Society, New York, and recipient of the 2025 Vilcek Prize for her contributions to curatorial practice.

ESTE FOCUS, January 6–8, from 5:30 to 10:00 PM, invites visitors into direct conversations with artists, gallerists, and curators. Through exhibition walkthroughs and personal encounters, collectors can discover the thinking and creative processes behind the works, gaining perspectives that extend beyond the experience of viewing art.

ESTE PREMIA celebrates the role of collectors and cultural patrons in building a lasting artistic legacy. The inaugural ESTE PREMIA × MNAV Acquisition Award, established with the Friends of Uruguay's National Museum of Visual Arts, will support the acquisition of a work from a participating gallery, selected in collaboration with the museum's curatorial team and donated to its permanent collection. The award connects contemporary collecting with the development of Uruguay's public cultural heritage. The ESTE PREMIA × LAETITIA Award for Cultural Patronage will honor Nando Parrado for his longstanding commitment to art and culture in Uruguay.

ESTE ARTE is an invitation to participate in culture: to discover, to question, to collect, and to contribute to what comes next.

ESTE ARTE is about the people we meet, the ideas we exchange, and the relationships we build. Our VIP Program reflects this spirit, creating opportunities for meaningful encounters that enrich the way we experience art and think about culture. — Laura Bardier. Directora, ESTE ARTE

VIP AGENDA 2027

INFO 2027

PAVILION VIK
Ruta 10, Km 182,5
José Ignacio, Uruguay

PREVIEW
January 5, 2027
VIP Program. By invitation only

17–22 h

VERNISSAGE
January 6, 2027

LUCKY DAY
January 7, 2027

FINISSAGE
January 8, 2027

17–22 h

EXHIBITORS 2027

ESTE OFFSITE 2027

ESTE CHARLAS 2027

ESTE PREMIA 2027

ESTE PREMIA × LAETITIA | Cultural Patronage Award
In its fourth edition, the ESTE × Laetitia Award will honor Nando Parrado for his longstanding commitment to art and culture in Uruguay. Involved with ESTE ARTE since its inaugural edition, Parrado has contributed to the development of art collecting and the strengthening of Uruguay’s artistic ecosystem through his continued support of artists and galleries. The award will be presented during the 13th edition of ESTE ARTE, with a statuette created by Uruguayan artist Silvina Arismendi.

ESTE PREMIA × MNAV | Acquisition Award, Friends of MNAV
We are proud to introduce an initiative of particular significance to Uruguay’s cultural heritage, developed in collaboration with the Friends of the Museo Nacional de Artes Visuales (MNAV). Through its acquisition fund and in collaboration with the museum’s curatorial team, the Friends Committee will select and acquire a work presented by one of the participating galleries at the 13th edition of ESTE ARTE. The work will be donated to the MNAV’s collection, becoming part of Uruguay’s national public cultural heritage and establishing a lasting connection between the contemporary artistic production presented at ESTE ARTE and one of the country’s most important cultural institutions.

WHY URUGUAY?

There are places where the art world gathers. And then there are places where people choose to be. Uruguay has quietly become one of the most compelling cultural destinations in the Americas—a country where contemporary art, architecture, gastronomy, philanthropy, and an extraordinary natural landscape exist in remarkable balance. At its center is ESTE ARTE, an art fair unlike any other. Every gallery presents a single artist. Every presentation is thoughtfully curated. Every work is exhibited publicly for the first time. Conversations continue over long lunches, walks along the ocean, and dinners in private homes. Here, access is earned through trust, and the most meaningful experiences are often the ones that were never scheduled. The result is an atmosphere that favors dialogue over spectacle and lasting relationships over endless networking.

By Invitation only.

Created and hosted by Laura Bardier, Founding Director of ESTE ARTE, we offer you an intimate journey with privileged access to the people, collections, institutions, and conversations that define contemporary culture in Uruguay. Over the course of a week, participants move seamlessly between Montevideo and José Ignacio, experiencing the country through the relationships that ESTE ARTE has cultivated over the past twelve years. They visit private collections that rarely open their doors, engage in conversations with artists in their studios, enjoy lunches in extraordinary homes, explore museums alongside their directors, visit architecturally significant private residences, and spend evenings around long tables with collectors and friends who return year after year. This is not a group tour. It is a bespoke invitation into a world that is rarely accessible. There are no queues, no VIP lounges, and no rushed schedules. It isn't at the end of the world. It's where you'll want to be if the world ends.

Available year-round.

Whether you are joining us for a few days during ESTE ARTE on January 5-8, 2027, or a full week in March or November, each journey is individually tailored to your interests. Collecting, contemporary art, architecture, philanthropy, design—or simply the pleasure of discovering extraordinary places through extraordinary people.

- Private visits to exceptional collections, artists' studios, and architecturally significant homes.
- Exclusive access to MNAV, EAC, MACA, Fundación Ama Amoedo, and other leading institutions in Uruguay.
- Conversations with artists, collectors, museum directors, curators, and foundation leaders.
- Private lunches, dinners, and gatherings with Uruguay's cultural community.
- Contemporary architecture, design, gastronomy, and the landscapes of José Ignacio and Montevideo.
- During January trips, early and private access to ESTE ARTE