Colombia’s art world is stepping up to the plate in the face of the difficult situation the country is facing in the wake of the recent earthquake. Faced with an emergency that demands a response, galleries, artists, and collectors have turned to art as a way to take action and provide resources to the affected communities.
Art as a Collective Response
In his famous essay “What Is Art?” (1897), Leo Tolstoy argued that art also has a moral mission: to unite humanity and convey feelings of brotherhood.
More than a century later, that reflection finds an echo in “Arte por Colombia,” a charity sale organized by the Association of Colombian Art Galleries (AGAC) that brings together 24 Colombian galleries and more than 100 artists around a common cause.
The goal is as simple as it is effective and committed: 100% of the sale price of each artwork will be donated and transferred directly to the Colombian Red Cross, Presentes Corporación, Manos Visibles (Chocó), or Una Garra por Colombia, the latter of which is dedicated to animal care, to support relief efforts for the communities and animals affected by the earthquake.
Collecting can also be a way to help
So far, the initiative has raised more than 200,000,000 COP, and it remains open. New artists and new works continue to be added to a selection that offers insight into different generations, artistic languages, and ways of understanding artistic practice in Colombia. The collection includes classical art as well as contemporary and avant-garde art.
More than 100 artists united for a common cause
Among the available works —if they haven’t already been taken—is *Noah’s Despair in the Ark as He Listens to the Cries of His Neighbors* (2025) by David Robledo, a painting in which human and animal figures emerge from a pink field through gestural, fragmented brushstrokes.
Also featured Oaxaca 16:13, Waiting (2024), by Gregorio Díaz. An image constructed from observations of everyday life, architecture, and the interplay of light and shadow.
The selection switches between different techniques. In Vitro Homes (2025) features a tiny structure inside a test tube. Meanwhile, José Ruiz Díaz, in Current News (Cheer Up Today) (2020), intervenes on the pages of a newspaper and transforms the news medium into a space for a new visual interpretation.
An inclusive selection
Also included in the sale is *No me digas que me quieres* (2026) by Maripaz Jaramillo, with its distinctive black-and-white visual style. *Producto de importación* (2025), by Sergio Ferro, which plays with one of the most recognizable objects of consumer culture. And *Temperatura* (2026), by Valeria Alfonso, in which color and domestic architecture create a scene of particular intensity.
In addition to these are works such as Such as *My Great Uncle Eaten by a Shark* (2016), by Verónica Puche, an image in which two arms appear suspended among the remains of a building.
“Where I Live Is Beautiful” (2021), by Vicenta Gómez, is also part of the exhibition. This piece uses red, green, and repeating plant forms to create a composition centered on the landscape.
The breadth of the selection is part of the initiative’s strength: painting, photography, graphic art, objects, and interventions come together in an exhibition that does not seek to establish a single narrative about Colombian art. The idea: to bring together different artistic practices around a shared sense of urgency.
The purchase of a work of art thus ceases to be merely a transaction between the artist, the gallery, and the collector and becomes a direct contribution to those facing the consequences of the disaster.
24 galleries, one cause
The event brings together Adrián Ibáñez Gallery, El Dorado Gallery, Casas Riegner, El Gato Gallery, Mmaison, Montenegro Art Projects, [SN] Gallery, Nueveochenta, Policroma, Galería El Museo, Salón Comunal, SGR, Instituto de Visión, Galería LGM, Sketch, Otros 360°, Mor Charpentier, La Balsa Arte, Espacio El Dorado, Galería Sextante / Taller Arte Dos Gráfico, La Cometa, and Galería Carlos Drouot, among other participants in the exhibition curated by AGAC.
A network that continues to grow
And the selection is not yet final. Over the next few days, more works and artists will be added, expanding the opportunities to participate in an initiative in which collecting takes on an altruistic dimension. Every work sold translates into funds that go directly to organizations working in the areas affected by the earthquake.
This shift may well represent one of the most significant aspects of Arte por Colombia: reminding us that art does not exist solely to be viewed. In extraordinary circumstances, it can also circulate, bring people together, and mobilize them. It can become a tangible form of aid.
The Arte por Colombia catalog continues to be updated and can be viewed on the platform set up for sales:
The initiative has the support of Exclama in promoting it.
