MAP Showcase: the fair also goes to the exhibition hall

This year, MAPA celebrated its seventh year with a new edition of the fair that offers market alternatives and seeks to create spaces for artists from all over the country. Added to this initiative is the possibility of expanding the initial project through MAPA Muestra , an exhibition bringing together works by 34 artists that opened last Friday at the Casa Nacional del Bicentenario (CNB). The exhibition aims to strengthen dialogue between the galleries and artists who participated in the 2025 edition and foster a diverse, federal scene.

The works that comprise the MAPA Muestra narrative were selected by an independent jury based on the proposals that the galleries initially submitted to the fair, designing a proposal that seeks to "deliver a symbolic cartography of the current panorama of contemporary Argentine art," as the organizers point out.

The result is an opportunity for those who don't usually visit art fairs to discover the diverse range of conceptual and aesthetic voices presented there, as well as the synergy between artists of different generations and different parts of the country, from the Buenos Aires metropolitan area to Córdoba, Chaco, and Neuquén.

These artists not only come from different latitudes but also invite you to discover a wide variety of techniques, where installations such as those of Natalia Segre stand out, one of the parts of Musgo, the gallery that recently emerged as a need of a group of friends and that is characterized by prioritizing multidisciplinary explorations over the concept of "inhabiting", a word that fits perfectly with Natalia's proposal, which traverses the space in a forceful, colorful and malleable way in contrast to small and captivating works such as the paintings of Cesar Pereyra , who was present at the fair with the Mbopara collective from Resistencia, Chaco.

Pereyra was also part of the Cazadores clinic, and at a young age, he's furthering his career nationally. His works draw us into a universe connected to childhood, infancy, and a profound Argentina, using a naive and melancholic aesthetic that uncovers hidden and bizarre issues that are revealed beyond a first glance.

Other artists who draw attention with their consistently successful output include Ana Alegría —who has been working with The White Lodge gallery for several years—and whose output hovers between painting, drawing, and sculpture, with color and form as undisputed allies.

An invitation to sweetness and shelter, bringing a homey element to the stage to discover symbols and beautiful things; Los Chopen , one of the most striking offerings during the fair, returns from Bahía Blanca to once again highlight the collective work they've been doing for 15 years, "making music with colors and brushes," as they like to say.

Agustina Piasentini and Candela Pietropaolo from Resistencia join the group, who, along with Yuyal, exhibit works focused on the landscape, one through painting and the other through textiles and embroidery. Yuyal, in turn, is an emerging project that showcases the work of artists from Chaco who dare to challenge the established order and offer a fresh perspective based on their territory.

Also present is Santiago Spirito, who just over a year ago joined forces with two other urban artists and friends, Mariano Tester and Darío Suárez , to create Galería Fémur. Presented here is a series of acrylic and stencil works, Javiera Gart, a globetrotting artist currently in Australia, about to open a solo exhibition in Melbourne. She exhibits paintings that continue the style of what she showed this summer in Uruguay and that draw attention for their plasticity and lower palette, a departure from the more illustrative work she was doing a few years ago. Encounters and pauses of women surrounded by fruit, intimate moments, of bone and beautiful objects.

Finally, Florencia Dal Lago speaks as one of the leading exponents of printmaking, with works on paper featuring white and blue, in addition to experimentation with embroidery, lithography, and woodcut. "This series represents an imaginary ecosystem, suggesting movement and the connection between natural elements. The compositions intertwine the organic and the geometric , creating a visual dialogue between the freedom of flight and the structure of the natural order, and seeks to convey the interdependence between living beings and the harmony that sustains life," she explains.

The MAPA exhibition reinforces the long-term goal of providing an open perspective, removed from the mainstream scene, and empowering the work of artists from all over the country so they can engage in dialogue. With so many works, the possibility of constructing multiple interpretations becomes a welcome reality. Each artist will direct their gaze toward what most challenges them in search of surprising encounters.

The MAPA exhibition can be visited from Wednesday to Sunday, from 3 to 8 p.m., at the Casa Nacional del Bicentenario, Riobamba 985, until September 19. Free admission.