Más Arte Más Acción

MAS ARTE MAS ACCION is a cultural organisation based in Colombia led by artist Fernando Arias and arts manager Jonathan Colin. Our mission is to generate inspirational interdisciplinary art projects. We have our own creative team and work with other artists who explore challenging social, political and environmental issues from different perspectives, often involving people from communities silenced by lack of opportunity.

Working with our partners, funders and the media we stimulate cultural exchange, debate and dialogue to strengthen contemporary arts practice in Colombia and beyond. Más Arte Más Acción projects fall into three areas: Plataforma Chocó, Grains of Sand and Video Arte/Documentary.

PLATAFORMA CHOCÓ

Plataforma Chocó 2010-11 will take place on Colombia's remote Pacific coast and in the urban settings of Lugar a Dudas in Cali and Casa Tres Patios (C3P) in Medellín. Chocó’s rich natural setting and its stark contrast with 21st century urban life inspired this programme. Analysis of growth, sustainability and international cultural exchange lie at its heart.

After Casa ChocóLate (Nuquí 2006-08) a concept evolved based on providing artists, writers and other professionals with a place in Chocó to reflect and develop projects linked to these themes.
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GERENTE Magazine is the equivalent to Bussines Week in Latinamerica. For the December 2009 issue, Arias has been included within the 100 leaders in Colombia.

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VIDEO ART/DOCUMENTARY
A video strand includes the abstract-documentary approach that Arias has imprinted on his own work and has been supported by the Prince Claus Fund. Future projects involve collaborations with artists whose work is relevant to Más Arte Más Acción's vision. This is also connected to other programme strands with video works emerging from Plataforma Choó and Grains Of Sand.

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GRAINS OF SAND

Is a programme to create partnerships and opportunities for disadvantaged people working in the creative field. Since 1999 when we first began to help groups and individuals in Colombia, we have seen how it's possible to transform lives with relatively small financial input. Through on-going advice, it's also possible to create a sustainable future for those receiving support.

Grains Of Sand supports micro cultural projects that have a social emphasis. In return for financial support or other goods and training, recipients will create a work of art or craft using their specialized skills. This is given to the project's supporter.

MICROmacro
13 Salón Regional de A rtistas Fernando Arias and Jonathan Colin won a Ministry of Culture Award to curate part of Colombia's XIII Regional Salon 2009/10. Through open submission and direct invitation eighteen projects were selected. Starting with a talk given by a bacteriologist in laboratories across the region, this theoretical and practical session focussed on the principles of life seen through the microscope. This interaction between art and science created spaces for dialogues. Based on this session, participants developed social, environmental and cultural projects. To download the catalogue click on link below.
PDF Catalogue here

Photos of the MICROmacro exhibition

Photos/video of MICROMACRO process

MISSION VISSION

Mision Vision was a creative workshop funded by the Ministry of Culture. Directed by Fernando Arias and Elkin Calderon it coached artists in how to work with audiovisual technology by exploring a theme 'the city as a living organism'.

The city as a living organism serves as a base to investigate the 'life' of a city. The way in which the human body functions on a microscopic level has similarities with the dynamics and organisation within a city. From this starting point, Mision Vision uses video to explore the artists' daily life and their intimate relationship with the city. The project forms part of MICROmacro with selected videos being shown during the exhibition.

PUBLICATIONS
Writers, critics and social commentators asses Más Arte Más Acción's projects. The results are published on our website, through catalogues and dvd's.