‘We see La Cometa gallery as a gateway for Colombian artists in Europe’.

By: ALINA CAMACHO HAUAD

Her name boasts the art gallery that her family has owned for more than 40 years. Paloma Jaramillo's mission is to make her way into one of the most competitive markets in the world of gallery owners: Spain. The Iberian country is now one of the company's key destinations, in addition to Miami, where it opened operations at the end of 2023, and, of course, Bogotá, the company's original home.

Both Paloma and La Cometa gallery evoke a dream without limits in a market as culturally rich as Madrid, a city with a proliferation of cultural venues such as museums, concerts, cinemas, hundreds of theaters and numerous galleries. However, one cannot ignore the challenging moment this industry is going through in the world: the Art Basel 2023 report reveals that the art market has contracted by 4%, to a total of US$65,000 million worldwide.

In addition to gallerist, Paloma is a 38-year-old migrant, married with a young daughter. She now lives in Madrid and has the challenge of consolidating La Cometa in the demanding Spanish market. The gallery is located in the Salesas sector, in the same building as two large galleries, in an area that stands out for the presence of fashion shops, art galleries, restaurants and bars. The Plaza de las Salesas and the Salesas Reales Convent are some of the iconic spots in this area.

How did you make the decision to migrate?

I have spent my entire adult life as a migrant and since the age of 18 I have lived abroad and have always been ultra-independent and until recently very nomadic. I grew up in a privileged situation compared to the average Colombian, I moved away more because of my character and because I have always liked to go to new places. I have lived in Australia, in Aix-em-provence in the south of France, in Valledupar, working with communities that were victims of paramilitarism, or Shanghai (China), at the time, when I worked as an account manager in a company that produced crayons and pencils. In other times, if I was offered the chance to live in Kazakhstan, I would do it. I studied at New England High School and then international relations and political science at the Universidad Javeriana.

The gallery was founded by my father, Esteban Jaramillo, almost 40 years ago, and over time it became a family business. We have had the opportunity to grow; now we have four locations and a large team for an art gallery. We are almost 40 people in the four locations: Bogotá, Medellín, Madrid and Miami. Now all our forces are in Miami because we opened in November, and it has been the great challenge for the gallery because it is a giant space, with gardens, and it requires us to generate a lot. For now, we're sticking to this. At the moment, it's the one we're betting the most on financially, as well as in terms of time and team effort; it's an interesting market and different to what we're looking for in Spain.

How did you decide to open La Cometa in Madrid five years ago?

We made the decision to open when I had been living in Madrid for six months, I was doing a master's degree in sales and marketing. At the beginning it was going to be an office, but due to an alignment of the stars it ended up being a 75 square meter gallery. It was not so planned, it just happened. I was alone, there were no employees and when I hung some artwork and sat down at the desk I said: what do I do now? Because this is a business that requires a lot of public relations, meeting people and at that time, I knew almost no one. Then a gallery owner helped me to start opening up the market. It was difficult to go to events where I didn't know anyone: now I look back and say: we've come a long way, how cool! Today there are already four of us and it has become a self-sustaining gallery, it's in the green and not in the red.

 

How is the market size in Spain?

 

Unlike the market in the United States, the behavior of the collector, as we call those who acquire works of art, is different. The Spanish is rather frugal and the market is tough. Our interest is to reach out more to Latin American communities and promote art from the region. Although working with local artists is important if we want to be in the middle, one of our premises is to promote Latin American art. We realised that our mission is for the gallery to be a platform for exchange, because we see it as a gateway for our artists in Europe. Latin America has also become very interesting for our european artists.

 

Do you mean bringing Iberian artists to exhibit in Colombia?

Yes, in fact, artists like Juan Baraja (an artist from Toledo) whom we represent, we have already exhibited in Bogotá, we have had his work at the contemporary art fair in Zona Maco in Mexico... it is always important for us to find local artists and work with them too.

And what about Colombian artists who are currently trending in Spain?

From our gallery, for example, Miguel Ángel Rojas, one of the most important Colombian conceptual artists alive at the moment. His work was part of the Venice Biennale and he will give us a big surprise in 2025. We exhibited him some time ago at the Reina Sofía Museum, he is an artist with works in several of the most important collections in the world. Another artist is Ana González, with whom we had an exhibition in an oratory in Toledo and who is now exhibiting the same piece in a museum in Mallorca. We will soon be bringing Carlos Castro, also in Madrid.

 

How do you see the relationship between the number of art galleries in Madrid and the art scene in Bogotá?

In recent times, Madrid has seen an increase in the opening of foreign galleries, as well as galleries from other Spanish cities that have decided to establish themselves in the capital. We were among the first, but in the last five years or so foreign galleries have come to open their doors here. It has become a very interesting place because of the arrival of Latin Americans who are investing. There is a lot of competition. In fact, there are also other Colombian gallery owners such as Efraín Bernal and Fernando Pradilla.

 

What are the stumbling blocks for this industry in Spain?

The issue of taxes is strong. For example, an artwork of 100,000 euros (US$108,974) implies paying 21,000 euros (US$22,884) in taxes, although there is also support for art from Colombia. It is a challenge for those of us in this industry.

How is that relationship with the cultural world in Madrid?

It has been a challenge like any business. Obviously if they don't know you it's not easy, but we're making our way. Here I've had the good fortune that Latin Americans with high purchasing power come here.

In terms of growth, what do you expect for this year?

2023 was very positive for us in terms of sales. If we match it I would be happy, but we understand that due to different economic and political situations we have to push a little more. We expect to grow around 10% this year.

 

An artist you dream having in the gallery?

Delcy Morelos, an artist from Tierralta (Córdoba), at the Centro Andaluz de Arte Contemporáneo in Seville.