A New York exhibition celebrating Venezuelan contemporary artists has been transformed into a fundraising effort after the powerful earthquakes that struck the country on 24 June, killing at least 1,700 people and leaving widespread destruction in their wake. According to the Venezuelan government, the 7.2- and 7.5-magnitude earthquakes damaged or destroyed around 58,000 buildings, while tens of thousands of people remain missing.
Since May, Henrique Faria Fine Art has been hosting Venezuelan Cultural Diplomacy, an exhibition featuring works by artists from Venezuela that showcases the country's artistic production across generations and media. A centrepiece of the exhibition is Kiosko, a travelling installation presented by Eugenia Sucre and El Consulado NYC, a collective of Venezuelan artists based in New York. Modelled on the small neighbourhood kiosks ubiquitous across much of Latin America, the project first debuted at Nada Miami last December, where it showcased works and performances by 47 Venezuelan artists.
The New York iteration of Kiosko brings together more than 200 small-scale works and objects by Venezuelan artists. Proceeds from works sold as part of the project will benefit World Central Kitchen, the international humanitarian organisation that provides meals in disaster zones and areas affected by conflict. The charity has previously responded to crises including Hurricane Harvey in the southern US, the 2023 earthquakes in Turkey and Syria, and the ongoing genocide in Gaza.
“Venezuela has always been at the core of this project," Sucre tells The Art Newspaper on behalf of the organisers. "Kiosko was conceived as a space for circulation, exchange and community around Venezuelan art and culture, so in light of the devastating situation affecting our country, it felt both natural and necessary to redirect the initiative toward relief efforts."
The wide range of works—including paintings, drawings, prints, artists' books, zines, records, cassettes, postcards, stickers and pins—is also available for purchase online. All of the work is priced at under $2,500, and the total inventory is valued at around $80,000.
Kiosko will remain on view at Henrique Faria Fine Art until 6 July, when an in-person event at the gallery will mark its closure. Works will be available to purchase online until 10 July.
"For us, this is not separate from the project’s purpose; it is an extension of it," Sucre says. "Art can create visibility, but it can also become a vehicle for care, solidarity and concrete support.”
The dire humanitarian crisis following last month's earthquakes in Venezuela comes as the country continues to grapple with years of political and economic upheaval. After Nicolás Maduro became president in 2013, the country endured a devastating economic collapse characterised by hyperinflation, food shortages, political repression and corruption, prompting an estimated eight million people to leave the country in one of the world's largest displacement crises.
Venezuela was further destabilised earlier this year when US forces arrested Maduro in Caracas and extradited him to New York to face charges related to alleged state-sponsored drug trafficking. The legality of Maduro's arrest has been intensely debated.