Fuelling museums and art fairs in Peru’s capital: the work of the market and multi-scale assemblages

Abstract

This article examines the transformation of museums and the rise of art fairs as arenas for assembling Latin American art and agents at regional and larger scales, and as channels through which the work of the market and its templates has spread. It approaches this topic through the analysis of the Lima art scene and its mechanisms of articulation. This article connects to studies of the rise of ‘new art worlds’, but not as celebration of their position on the ‘global art map.’ In contrast, with a focus on multi-scale assemblages, this work traces actors’ – particularly art collectors’, curators’ and art fair directors’ – strategies and articulations to promote Peruvian and Latin American art. I argue that while current assemblages are strengthening the region and mobilizing – some – new interpretations, they are also fuelling market logics and spreading similar values and protocols.