Essays for a Perfect World

Under the name Essays for a Perfect World, the BBVA Art Salon New Names Banco de la República, combines two of Colombia's most important young art projects into a single initiative. In 1984, the Banco de la República -in its role as sponsor of Colombian art-launched New Names, a project initially curated by Carolina Ponce de León that succeeded in securing important artists such as María Fernanda Cardozo, Doris Salcedo, Delcy Morelos, and Carlos Salas. For its part, BBVA Colombia -in the context of its Corporative Responsibility Plan program- has been presenting the BBVA Art Salon since 1993; a project that has showcased artists like Sahir García, Óscar Danilo Vargas, Sandra Navia, and Boris Pérez, among others, whose works are presented in several national and international art scenes. Announced last year, the call of this joint project welcomed the participation of more than 500 artists and collectives who submitted their projects to curator Carlos Betancurt¿s consideration. After a thorough evaluation of proposals coming from across Colombia, Betancourt selected the works of 43 artists: 20 from Bogota, 6 from Cali and Popayán, 3 from Eje Cafetalero, 5 from Medellin, 1 from Tunja, 3 from Bucaramanga, and 5 from Costa Atlántica. The event includes the participation of already renowned artists like Wilger Sotelo, Natalia Castañeda, Nelson Guzmán-Avellaneda, and Liliana Sánchez; and of collectives like Autoart (Bogota), Precarius Tecnológico (Cali), and Colectivo NN, (Monteria), among others. Speaking about Essays for a Perfect World, Betancourt affirms that "success, perfection, and beauty as personal ideals, along with efficiency, productivity, equality, and development as social ideals, are some of the paradigms that guide the actions of a society in the pursuit of success. Although a projection and a desire, this ideal world would appear to be a collective illusion of our times. From the perspective of art and its capacity to offer a critical view of the world, this exhibition explores what happens when 'failure' is understood as a form of knowledge..." The exhibition will remain open in Bogota until May 2, 2011, and then it will travel to Medellin, Cali, Pereira, Cartagena, and Bucaramanga -where it will remain open until April of 2012. Finalists will be able to compete for an acquisition prize purse of 50 million Colombian pesos, to be determined among representatives from both financial institutions, the curator, and members of the Asociación de Amigos of the collections of the Banco de la República, among others.