ArteBA'08 - Buenos Aires

Having spent more than enough time traveling the world, I didn’t think I’d ever been this excited about yet another art event. But Buenos Aires and its amazing ArteBA Contemporary Art Fair have just reminded me how exciting art really can be. Forget the mainstream Basels and Miamis – this is where the world’s hottest art event is right now, and this is where the art world is really happening. Argentineans are an extremely cultured bunch, more than any other nation, and this is the most important art fair in Latin America. Absolutely everyone seems to be interested in or involved in art here, and the massive daily line-ups were events onto themselves. This is where you meet everybody who is anybody, from artists to collectors to critics to celebrities to the general public. The entire city and its incomparable art, cultural and tourism charm is turned fully on and you are going to love it! ArteBA is a fantastic meeting point of everything that has to do with art in the Latin American market – new, avant-garde, exotic, experimental, traditional; established artists, newcomers and everybody in between -- you name it, and it is here. Mainly visual artist and galleries from Argentina, Brazil, Peru, Costa Rica, Colombia and Uruguay displayed their best and their hottest art. The venerable, 17-year-old, five-day intensive art event had an attendance of more than 110,000 people, and it came close to having more energy and eye candy than I could handle! Argentineans are extremely stylish with an edge, and it seems they are all good looking. So, I found myself people-stalking a lot as well, even at the art events where there was more exciting art than I have ever encountered in any art event in any city. From now on, this is THE one art event I will attend every year. In Buenos Aires, my home away from home was Palermo’s Home Hotel, one of the Hotels included in our latest book World’s Coolest Hotel Rooms. and also Tailor Made Hotel in Las Cañitas. Palermo Viejo is Buenos Aires's equivalent to New York's Soho and it is definitely the trendiest neighborhood and way much cheaper than Soho. The cobbled streets are lined with fashion boutiques, amazing restaurants and design shops, mostly one-off local brands, the really interesting stuff. I liked Arte Etnico Argentino that sells textiles, furniture and accessories made in tribal villages. Another amazing area is San Telmo with its antique stores and the hugely popular Sunday antique market. This is the way antiquing is supposed to feel like! I have never experienced a city more extroverted and exotic in its fusion of night and day, history and future, foreign and local. My every sense has been heightened here by the overwhelming richness of sights, sounds, smells and tastes, and by the endless succession of nightlife, tango parties, special events, dinners, clubs...I’ve had an amazing time and I have Astrid Perkins and her great team at Think Argentina to thank for pretty much all of it. I have never been looked after better than here in Buenos Aires! A big thank you to LAN Airlines business class for flying me to Buenos Aires from New York.