In October, Santiago will host a new event showcasing its visual arts scene. It’s SAFA, the capital’s first large-scale visual arts festival, which will take place from October 6 to 11 with a program featuring more than 800 activities, at 150 venues, including galleries, museums, artists’ studios, private collections, and independent spaces, which will open their doors to the public with openings, talks, guided tours, workshop launches, and meet-and-greets with artists, among other events.
Led by Fundación Antenna, a Chilean nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting art and culture, the initiative is organized around 12 cultural routes: Barrio Italia, Bellas Artes, Bellavista, Independencia, Las Condes, Lo Barnechea, Matta-Franklin, Providencia, Quinta Normal, Santiago Centro, Vitacura, and Yungay—a diversity that demonstrates that Santiago’s artistic activity takes place in various parts of the city and is not concentrated in a single circuit.
Likewise, engaging new audiences is another key component of the festival. The Antenna–UC Mediation School trained 100 young people to accompany and guide the public during the activities, while the program includes guided tours for students from the Metropolitan Region at 11 venues, including the Museo del Sonido, the Gabriela Mistral Cultural Center (GAM), the Chilean Museum of Pre-Columbian Art, the MAVI UC Museum of Visual Arts, and the National Museum of Fine Arts.
The program also includes awards for participating exhibitions and for individuals who have contributed to the development of the visual arts in Chile. A panel of experts will present the SAFA Award for Best Exhibition, along with awards for an Iconic Artist and a Cultural Agent. The public will also be able to vote for their favorite exhibition among the participating entries, which will receive the SAFA Award for Best Exhibition as Chosen by the Public.
The organizers of SAFA aim to establish it as an annual event, joining similar initiatives held in other cities around the world, such as the London Design Festival, Mexico City Art Week, and Art Basel in Basel.
