Bogotá
Colombia
Julius Baer and the Bogotá Museum of Modern Art (MAMBO) are pleased to announce that the winner of the second edition of the Julius Baer Art Prize for Latin American Female Artists is Ana Gallardo (Argentina, 1958).
The Julius Baer Art Prize for Latin American Female Artists is the first of its kind to be held in Latin America. It is by invitation only, open to every media, and without any age limit. Its mission is to honor the work of Latin American female artists for their innovations, research, and influences in contemporary art.
“The quality of the five finalists made this year’s decision extremely difficult for the jury members,” explains Barbara Staubli, Art Historian and Curator of the Julius Baer Art Collection. After some very enriching discussions about the uniqueness of each artist’s proposal and their contribution to the discourse of Latin American art internationally, the jury deliberated on the winner of the prize.
About the winner and her project
Ana Gallardo, born in Rosario, Argentina in 1958, lives in Mexico, where she directs IMAN school, La Verdi CDMX, and teaches at Soma. Her work has been internationally exhibited, among others at Parque de la Memoria (Buenos Aires); Muac; Jumex Museum (Mexico City); MAMBA (Buenos Aires); 56th Venice Biennale, 29th São Paulo Art Biennial; Whitechapel Gallery (London); and Palais de Tokyo (Paris).
Ana Gallardo is a multimedia artist who primarily works with video, installation, drawing and performance. Her work often deals with the lives and stories of social invisibility, and it is closely connected with the context in which it is developed.
Gallardo’s artistic work addresses the idea of insecurity, violence, loneliness, exclusion and the proximity of death as a consequence of gender discrimination. For the prize’s second edition, the artist will develop a project in collaboration with María Us, a Guatemalan-born Kaqchikel Mayan human rights activist.
In the project, titled (Te busco en otro nombre). Bitácora guatemalteca 1987/2023 [I Look For You Under Another Name. Guatemalan Journal], Gallardo will recount her and María Us’ experience when they took part in the Guatemalan Civil War alongside one of the armed organizations in Guatemala between 1987 and 1990.
According to Eugenio Viola, Chief Curator at the MAMBO: “Guatemalan Journal recalls a painful chapter in the country’s history but also reminds us that we are still living in uncertain times, shaken by violence, war, and intolerance. This project is emblematic of Ana Gallardo's committed work, which seeks to unravel personal stories while revealing broader social issues.”
The Guatemalan Civil War (1960-1996) was fought between the country’s government and various leftist groups, internationally condemned for widespread human rights violations against civilians, particularly the Mayan population.
Ana Gallardo will receive a cash prize of USD 25,000 to produce her solo show at the MAMBO, which is scheduled to take place in July 2023.
About the process
The five finalists, Sol Calero (Venezuela), Ana Gallardo (Argentina), Ximena Garrido-Lecca (Peru), Renata Lucas (Brazil), and Mónica Mayer (Mexico), were invited to present a site-specific project.
The jury comprised Lucía Sanromán (Mexico), Director of Laboratorio de Arte Alameda; Giuliana Vidarte (Peru), Exhibition and Curation Director at the Lima Museum of Contemporary Art; Diana Wechsler (Argentina), Artistic Director for the International Biennial of Contemporary Art of the South (BIENALSUR); Barbara Staubli (Switzerland), Curator of the Julius Baer Art Collection; and Eugenio Viola (Italy), Chief Curator at the MAMBO.
About the previous edition
The Chilean artist Voluspa Jarpa (Rancagua, 1971) was the winner of the inaugural edition of the prize. Her project, titled Sindemia, portrayed a memory of the social demonstrations that occurred in both Chile and Colombia at the end of 2019. Sindemia will tour at the GAM (Santiago, Chile) in March 2023 and at the Muntref (Buenos Aires, Argentina) in July 2023.
For press inquiries: comunicaciones@mambogota.com
