Art Toronto gives Latin American artists pride of place with new curated section

"Art Toronto, Canada's largest art fair, returns to the Metro Toronto Convention Centre this week (23-26 October) with more than 100 galleries participating. Now in its 26th edition, the fair is launching , a new curated section focused on Latin American art. The move comes amid the on-again, off-again trade war that American president Donald Trump set off between Canada and the US, bringing uncertainty but also diversification, with the Canadian commercial sector signalling intent to build new connections."

""We are tapping into an international dialogue with great intention, building a real conversation between the continent's art of the north and south," Mia Nielsen, Art Toronto's director, tells The Art Newspaper. The Mexico City-based curator Karen Huber, founder of the , is behind Arte Sur. She enlisted 11 galleries, including from New York (representing Latin American artists) and Alejandra Topete from Mexico City to from El Rosario, Argentina, and from Valparaíso, Chile-all first-time participants in Art Toronto."

"Arte Sur took shape early this year during the string of exhibition openings and fairs around Zona Maco in Mexico City, where Nielsen spent weeks as the tariff war intensified. Mexico-long Canadians' second‑most‑visited international destination-saw 11.8 % in the first half of the year, after Trump's "51-state" rhetoric sparked a US boycott movement. Despite concerns about over-tourism and gentrification, international interest in the Mexico City art scene continues to rise. "Since 2023, Canadians have increasingly visited Mexico City's Art Week," says Huber, who is a member of Zona Maco's selection committee. "Canadians increasingly visit my gallery and love the artworks.""

Art Toronto returns to the Metro Toronto Convention Centre (23–26 October) with over 100 galleries and marks its 26th edition. The fair introduces Arte Sur, a curated section focused on Latin American art, engaging new international participants. Karen Huber curated Arte Sur and enlisted 11 galleries, including first-time participants from New York, Mexico City, Argentina and Chile. The initiative responds to shifting cross-border dynamics after tariff tensions and political rhetoric affected travel patterns. Mexico City's art scene has attracted growing Canadian visitation and sustained international interest despite concerns about over-tourism and gentrification.

Read at The Art Newspaper - International art news and events