BA Jazz Festival 2010

BAJF 2010 features international stars, local emerging artists and Argentines who found success abroad.

As the weather heats up in Buenos Aires, the city’s cultural calendar appears to be following the same trajectory. The 2010 Buenos Aires Jazz Festival, organized by the City of Buenos Aires, has taken over cultural centers and theaters throughout the city. The annual event features some of the world’s top jazz talent as well as local emerging artists.

Musicians from Argentina, the U.S., Chile, Italy, France, Spain and Brazil are converging in Buenos Aires for concerts, workshops and films during the six-day event. Concerts throughout the city feature avant-garde performances as well as more traditional fare allowing musicians from opposite ends of the world to collaborate.

In the “Repatriated” portion of the festival, BA welcomes back talented Argentine expats whose work abroad has helped Argentine jazz gain international respect. Featured “repats” include trumpet player Diego Urcola, pianists Sergio Gruz and Federico Lechner, and drummer Guillermo Nojechowicz.

Realizing the importance of creating an educational space where the festival’s musicians can share their expertise with young and emerging artists, the JazzFest’s organizers have placed great importance on El Aula (The Classroom) section of the event. Open classes, master classes, clinics and workshops in singing, bass and drums are being offered throughout the festival.

Following the formal concerts, there will be an opportunity for the featured musicians and the public to come together for a relaxed jam session. As Minister of Culture Hernan Lombardi said of the festival, “Six days of jazz in Buenos Aires will bring an ideal combination of great music to a city that breathes culture.”

For more information about arts and cultural events in Buenos Aires, download the new issue of InvestBA Privada.

Art Basel Miami Beach

Latin American collectors descend on Miami Beach this weekend. (Photo: MCH Swiss Exhibition (Basel) Ltd.)

From December 2-5 Art Basel, the most important art event in the United States and one of the most important art shows in the world, returns to Miami Beach. The sister event to Switzerland’s Art Basel, which has reigned as the world’s most prestigious art fair for over 40 years, Art Basel Miami Beach has opened the door to an entirely new audience.

The South Florida location has allowed easy access to the emergent Latin American art market. It is the access and proximity to Latin America that has allowed Art Basel Miami to perform well despite the global economic slowdown. Sophisticated Latin American collectors as well as avant-garde Latin American artists have played a large role in the recent success of Art Basel Miami Beach.

And the tradition of collecting in this part of the world continues to grow. Says Alejandra von Hartz of the Alejandra von Hartz Gallery in Miami, “There are countries like Venezuela that have always had a history of collecting, but in other countries, as in my country, Argentina, the tradition of collecting is just starting… The interest in expanding, in seeing the similarities with international art, is fairly new.”

A prime example of this new tradition of collecting is found in Argentine businessman Juan Vergez and his wife Patricia Pearson. The couple began collecting the works of emerging Argentine artists but soon expanded their collection to include works from all over Latin America. The purchase of a photograph by Iranian artist Shirin Neshat changed their focus once again. “We had to ask ourselves ‘Who are we as collectors?’ We bought the photograph and we began to develop an international vision, says Vergez.

Their extensive collection is showcased in Buenos Aires’ San Telmo district and includes works from Latin American, European, and Middle Eastern artists. The couple, who call Art Basel Miami Beach “intense, fluid, one of the best [art fairs] in the world today,” represent a growing faction of Latin American art lovers with the means and the desire to develop meaningful art collections. Art Basel Miami Beach provides then with the perfect opportunity to do so.

For more information about the arts in Buenos Aires, download the new issue of InvestBA Privada.

Wine Tour Urbano in Buenos Aires

The Urban Wine Tour will showcase Merlot/Malbec (Sept.), Cabernet/Syrah (Oct.) and Best of the Best (Nov.)

Following the success of the Fall Wine Tour that took place earlier this year, Wine Tour Urbano returns with its Spring edition, which will take place on the third Friday of September, October, and November.

Different from a typical wine tasting, WTU participants will meet at a designated location (this time, the corner of Honduras and Malabia Streets in Palermo Soho) and will stroll through the trendy neighborhood, stopping at participating boutiques, each of which will be serving wine from a different Argentina winery.

Boutiques taking part in the events this Spring include furniture showrooms Casa Abierta, BLVD and Bloop, jewelry boutique 925, men’s clothing store REC, music store Miles Discos, and women’s boutiques Las Pepas and Basilotta.

The September 17 event will focus on Merlot and Argentina’s pride and joy, Malbec. Cabernet and Syrah will be served on October 15 and on November 19, each participating winery will present its best wine.

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Window of Martin Churba's Tramando showroom in Buenos Aires

This week's Tramando Nights showcased BA designer Martin Churba's designs for the masses.

On July 12 and 13, renowned Argentine designer Martin Churba hosted Tramando Nights, a sample sale of sorts sponsored by L’Oreal and Chandon, in his gorgeous Recoleta showroom.  Guests sipped champagne, received complimentary makeovers, and tried on deeply discounted pieces from past Tramando collections.

Churba, who considers himself a textile designer above all, creates pieces that are completely unique yet manage to retain an undeniably edgy elegance. More than simple garments, his designs are true avant garde works of art.

The quality workmanship of each piece is evident in the intricately woven rubber material that the designer utilizes in the creation of his collections. The result is structured clothing that is eye-catching but still flattering, highlighting the wearer’s best features and making her truly stand out in a crowd. Located at Rodriguez Pena 1973, Tramando recently celebrated its 7th anniversary.

For more information about The Creative Class in Buenos Aires, visit our archives and download the new issue of InvestBA Privada.

Feria Puro Diseño Argentina 2010

Pure Design celebrates ten years of design excellence this weekend in Buenos Aires.

The Bicentennial celebration is only days away, but there is still one major Buenos Aires event between now and 25 de mayoPuroDiseno! With over 3,000 exhibitors and 700,000 attendees, the annual design Expo at the Rural in Palermo always delivers an eclectic mix of design, innovation, fashion and accessories.

The 2010 edition will offer four unique spaces for specialized design: Puro Inedito (Limited Edition designs made especially for the Expo), Puro Verde (a space dedicated to sustainable design), La Seleccion (a showcase of young designers selected for the Expo), and Paseo de las Artes (works of art from some of Argentina’s most celebrated designers.

The Casa Sustentable (Sustainable House) from 2009′s fair takes on new dimensions with this year’s Mundo Sustentable (Sustainable World) built entirely of bamboo and hosted by architect Monica Cohen. The space will also showcase the first ecological hotel to be built soon in San Telmo.

And for those feeling up to the design challenge, there is Work In Patchwork, the first PuroDiseño contest where entrants will design objects using patchwork techniques that blend disciplines, techniques and new materials. Judges at this year’s event include Benito Fernandez and Maria Zunino among others. (Official Website)

For more information about The Creative Class in Buenos Aires, visit our archives and download the new issue of InvestBA Privada.

 

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