A group or young artists revamped and transformed a house located on Calle 64 # 8-34, in the Chapinero neighborhood of Bogota. Working on this project since June of 2010, the organizers of Laagecia want to offer a space for experimentation that—besides promoting the local art scene—showcases new projects and generates dialogues about art and contemporary cultural processes. Laagencia also serves as the residence for artists—under Residencias en Red Iberoamérica, a network of artistic residencies. While the context in which the space is placed could potentially limit the experiences, it can also lead to the invention of languages that can be adapted to produce new experiences. The space has received artists from countries like Bolivia, Spain, and Brazil. In 2011, the Colombian Ministry of Culture selected Laagencia as the winner of an Honorable Mention of the National Visual Arts Award in the category of New Artistic Practices. The space is directed by the following four persons: Santiago Puñol, expert on art creation and research, who divides his time developing projects in Bogota and Madrid; Mónica Zamudio and Mariana Murcia, both visual artists graduated from the Universidad of Los Andes; and Diego García, an artist also graduated from the Universidad of Los Andes that specializes in cultural projects.
A space that mostly presents personal exhibitions, Laagencia focuses on interactive processes developed between artists and their agents—the latter being the directors of the space, the venue itself, the neighborhood, etc. The objective is the adaptation of the space to present a specific idea. Likewise, the space proposes a new role for curators—different from the one they serve as mediators between the artist and the public—as it encourages artists to organize their exhibitions. The directors of Laagencia affirm that "rather than focusing on the circulation of the work, our interest is to promote the practice of processes directed to creative exercises and habits that are part of the production of any artist."
More information about Laagencia can be found at the venue's homepage: http://laagencia.net/.