Mia Art Collection at the Bodrum Art Fair

Yazar: Andrea García Casal

Interview with its founder Alejandra Castro Rioseco by Andrea García Casal.

“My dear friend, it seems to me I have now more than adequately executed my office in the City of Ladies. I have built it up with beautiful palaces and many fair inns and mansions. I have populated it for your sake with noble ladies and with such great numbers of women from all classes that it is already completely filled. Now let my sister Justice come to complete the rest, and this should satisfy you.”

The book of the “City of Ladies”. Christine de Pizan, 1405.

The non-profit organization MIA Art Collection is presenting for the first time at the Bodrum Art Fair, which will be held on August 23-28 at the Bodrum Herodot Culture and Fair Center (Turkey). A new place for the institution in which Alejandra Castro Rioseco will present her artist Christel Vega Miranda. Both women are of Chilean origin and yet authentic cosmopolitans, living in the United Arab Emirates and Turkey, respectively.

Castro Rioseco has worked in the world of engineering, which is the branch of knowledge in which she has been trained. She also in the real estate business, among other things, until she could dedicate herself fully to art. However, the philanthropic path was something that she has always traveled.

MIA Art Collection has been created by Alejandra Castro Rioseco to provide financial support to women artists, since its founder only collects female art to fight for gender equality. The protection of artists through financing gives rise to different enriching situations, such as the sale of art, the creation of scholarships and artistic residences, support to participate in exhibitions and fairs, giving lectures, creating galas, etc. All MIA projects are aimed at protecting and making artists visible. It is a path for your professional development. Castro Rioseco has participated as a member of the acquisitions committee of different institutions: El Museo del Barrio, Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York and the future Guggenheim Abu Dhabi. Besides she is guiding other cultural centers, apart from being a member of the José Limón Dance Foundation team, for example. Today, the founder tells us more about the MIA Art Collection project in Bodrum, which is closely related to the excerpt by Christine de Pizan that heads this interview.

Mia Art Collection Bodrum Art Fair
Portrait of the artist Christel Vega Miranda working in her art studio.

Let’s start with a couple of general questions. You have belonged and you belong to numerous relevant cultural institutions. What is your vision of this?

Being in different organizations gives you great learning. It’s like going through a university specializing in how the art world works in relation to philanthropy. I have more than eight years of experience in this aspect, which allows me to know better and better how to manage the MIA Art Collection. And of course, in addition to being able to help, there is the tremendous learning that is applied to real life, day to day. I highly recommend my collector friends to always access cultural institutions.

MIA Art Collection buys art as long as the creator is female or does it have other criteria?

For MIA Art Collection, visibility is key in the development of an artist. Without this visibility, neither her name nor her art exists. It is a strong topic, but it is reality and fairs are a business. They always focus on their business, which is the art market, and they don’t always support all artists, let alone women. For this reason, we focus on creating projects from a feminist perspective to reverse this situation so that women are no longer underrepresented at fairs and their art is duly valued; fully equal to men.

From MIA Art Collection, you have launched the MIA Opportunities project. Tell us more about the project.

The call was private and an idea of the artist Christel Vega. In many cases, it is the artists who come to us with these proposals and we implement them in exclusive MIA Art Collection programs. It is his idea because Vega needs to do his professional career in Turkey, since his whole family is there. In fact, we have specifically set our sights on the second edition of the Bodrum Art Fair due to the artist’s request. It should be added that Turkey seems to us an incredible country, full of history and with an immense culture. We were amazed at the painter’s goal, so it was easy to start and we began to work together for the fair project.

So, MIA Art Collection put a tremendous effort into creating this funded project for artists who want to sell their works. The advice is very deep, from the theme to how to hang the works of art. In this case, the whole process has been very easy because Vega is a very conscientious and talented artist, whom I have known for years and she has a lot of experience.

How will Christel Vega Miranda’s participation in the Bodrum Art Fair be?

Türban. Christel Vega Miranda. 2022. 30 cm x 30 cm.

Before we begin, I would like to request that his appearance be well received, as he is an artist of great value. Vega married a Turkish man and integrated into a Turkish family, as is evident. Thanks to this family she has learned a lot and has also been inspired a lot for her artistic work. Above all, in her series La herencia en la mirada, she speaks to us about the warmth and power of the gaze of Muslim women. She often bases her work on the face painting of women who have recently married. The materials that she uses for her painting are closely linked to the subject matter, because Vega recovered the wooden boxes used to deliver goods to the bride in the context of her future marriage. These boxes are present in houses in Turkey that practice Islam. The artist has decided to collect them, cleaning and treating the surfaces with the aim of using them to capture the faces, hands and feet of these women. The small portraits that focus only on the women’s faces have a marked hyperrealism. Certainly, all her art is highly realistic.

In this way, Vega pays homage to Islamic culture and the value of what has been passed down from generation to generation. Her work is very beautiful, intense and allows us to learn more about Islamic culture. Likewise, she reminds us of the importance of recycled materials. The cultural load of Vega’s works has made it much easier for us to have her for the Bodrum Art Fair. We hope that people who visit the fair can appreciate her space, where her artistic work can be seen, with all the importance she gives to the materials, techniques and themes represented. In the end, it’s a good opportunity to talk to her about life and art.

MIA Art Collection can reveal surprises for the rest of the year?

In October we are going to participate in the Noche Blanca 2022 organized by the Oviedo City Council (Asturias, Spain). It is a conference in which three women who are experts in art and a fourth who is also a performer participate. We will address the issue of art collecting made by female art patrons throughout history to the present day. At the moment I can’t tell you more, but it is a way for MIA Art Collection to reach new audiences through various events. We still have to work to do this year.

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