Artworks by artist Hernan Cedola, stand Dot Fifty ONE (Miami). Photo: Courtesy Pinta

By Mackie Healy, Art Market Views Contributor

Pinta, the modern and contemporary Latin American art fair, opened Thursday night on the Westside’s Pier 92, launching a week of Latin American events in New York.

Uplifted by strong results at New York’s recent contemporary auctions, collectors and dealers traversed the exhibition hall, the festive atmosphere amplified by the fair’s new champagne-stocked VIP lounges.

Pinta was established in New York in 2007, to highlight modern and contemporary Latin American art, alongside the November auction at Sotheby’s and Christie’s. The first London edition was held this past June.

The fair expanded this year, relocating from Chelsea’s Metropolitan Pavilion event-space, to Pier 92 on the Hudson River. Up from 60 exhibitors last year, this year’s show features 50 participants in the “Galleries” section, 13 individual artist booths, and one “Invited Artist.”

Dubbed “Pinta Art Projects,” these solo presentations booths are sponsored by a gallery curated by Mexico-City born Pablo Leon de la Barra. At least half of the exhibits presented are projects by female artists.

Stopping VIPs in their tracks and causing quite a few “eewws,” and very few “ahs,” were the massive insects covering the walls of Bogota’s Galeria Christopher Paschall S.XXI.  The resin, sand and wooden Ants are the work of Colombian contemporary artist Rafael Gomez Barros.

Chilean-born New York artist Manuela Viera-Gallo presented her politically-tinged works in one of the project spaces. A faint paint-like smell lingered as the artist put the finishing touches on her stand as VIP swarmed in. The slight odor, however, belonged to the feminine medium Viera-Gallo chose for her works: a large-scale canvas painted entirely in nail polish. “I always had so much lying around,” she quipped, “so I tried it out on one of the pieces. Smell it!”

Evening sales this week at Sotheby’s and Christie’s are each expected to fetch more than $20 million. Stay tuned to Art Market Views for reports from the auctions.

The fair will be at Pier 92 until Sunday. More information can be found here.

Opening view. Photo: Courtesy Pinta

Works by Fernando Botero and Wilfredo Lam at Leon Tovar Gallery. Photo: Courtesy Pinta

Galeria Sextante, Colombia. Photo: Courtesy Pinta

Manuel Ameztoy. Art project curated by Pablo de la Barra. Ginnochio & Vautier Project. Photo: Courtesy Pinta

2010 exhibitors

Galleries:

1500 Gallery, New York
Aina Nowak/AAC, Madrid
Alvaro Aceves Galeria, Guadalajara
Arte x Arte, Fundacion Alfonso y Luz Castillo, Buenos Aires
Arte Consultores, Bogota
Athena Galeria de Arte, Rio de Janeiro
Baro Galeria, Sao Paulo
Berenice Arvani, Sao Paulo
Cecillia de Torres Ltd, New York
Celma Albuquerque, Bello Horizonte
Dean Project, New York
Durban Segnini, Miami
Douz and Mille, New York
Espacio Minimo, Madrid
Frederico Seve/LatinCollector, New York
Forum, Lima
Gabinete de Arte Raquel Arnaud, Sao Paulo
Galeria Christopher Paschall S.XXI, Bogota
Galeria Fizz, Mexico DF
Galeria Habana, La Habana
Galeria Sylvio Nery, Sao Paulo
GC Estudio de Arte, Buenos Aires
Ginocchio Gallery, Mexico DF
Henrique Faria Fine Art, New York
Hosfelt Gallery, San Francisco
Ideo Box, Miami
Josee Bienvenu, New York
Kai Hilgemann, Berlin
Labor, Mexico DF
La Estacion Arte Contemporaneo, Chihuahua
Leon Tovar, New York
Lelong, New York
Lyle O. Reitzel, Santo Domingo
Magnan Metz, New York
Mercedes Viegas Arte Contemporaneo, Rio de Janeiro
Nara Roesler, Sao Paulo
Pan American Art Project, Miami
Praxis International Art, New York
RJ Fine Arts, New York
Rollo Contemporary Art, London
Ronie Mesquita Galeria, Rio de Janeiro
Sammer Gallery, Miami
Sextante, Bogota
Solar, New York
Teresa Anchorena Galeria de Arte, Buenos Aires
Tresart, Miami
The Americas Collection, Miami
The Steinbaum + Hardcore Projects, Miami
Y Gallery, New York
Zavaleta Lab, Buenos Aires
Zipper Galeria, Sao Paulo

Art Projects:
Manuela Viera-Gallo – Aninat Isabel Gallery, Santiago
Hernan Cedola – Dot Fiftyone Gallery, Miami
Teresa Serrano – EDS Galeria, Mexico City
Miguel Chevalier – GC Estudio de Arte, Buenos Aires
Manuel Amestoy – Ginocchio & Vautier Project, Mexico City – Buenos Aires
Gladys Triana – Hardcore Art Contemporary Space, Miami
Osvaldo Romberg – Henrique Faria Fine Art, New York
Gaston Ugalde – Salar Galeria de Arte, La Paz
Sonia Falcone – Salar Galeria de Arte, La Paz
Tatiana Parcero, Maria Magdalena Campos-Pons, Pablo Tamayo – Steinbaum + Hardcore Project, Miami
Milagros de la Torre – Toluca, Paris
Artemio – Y Gallery, New York

Invited Artist:
Pablo Vargas Lugo