Text and photos: Juan David Latorre
Last Tuesday, the Colombian Embassy inaugurated the first edition of the Expoartesano Madrid 2025 exhibition at the Galileo Cultural Center in Madrid. The event was attended by Colombian Foreign Minister Yolanda Villavicencio, on an official visit to Spain, and the Colombian Ambassador, Eduardo Ávila Navarrete.
The Colombian Ambassador addressed the audience, welcoming the numerous visitors to the exhibition and expressing his pleasure at the presence of Foreign Minister Yolanda Villavicencio. “It is a true honor for me,” he stated, “to extend a warm welcome to Expoartesano Madrid 2025, which is opening its doors in Europe for the first time and which brings us together today to celebrate the identity, art, and cultural richness of Colombian artisans.”
Next, the Colombian ambassador highlighted the presence of Jaime González Taboada, councilman and president of the Chamberí Municipal Board, and Adriana Mejía, general manager of Artesanías de Colombia, “whose leadership has been fundamental in attracting our country’s artisanal talent to this international stage, with the essential support of Plaza Mayor and ProColombia.”
In her turn, the Colombian foreign minister emphasized that the choice of Spain to host this first edition of Expoartesanía 2025 “is no coincidence; it is a recognition of the deep ties, the closeness between our cultures and art, and the strength of our contemporary relationship and our community. From today until November 23, Colombia shares its artisanal and artistic wealth with Madrid—a universe of techniques, textiles, experiments, memories, territories, and worldviews.”
“Expoartesano,” the Foreign Minister pointed out, “is more than a fair; it’s a bridge between worlds, a space where ancestral knowledge engages with new perspectives and where our artisan communities can tell their stories with dignity and pride. For us as a government, it is very important to create and showcase all of Colombia’s diverse territories so that its full richness can be appreciated. This is why it is so important, because today more than ever, we also need to identify the many stereotypes that may exist about our regions, our people, and our traditions.”
“The relationship between Colombia and Spain is broader and deeper than ever before,” he concluded. “We are moving forward together on issues of peace, cooperation, innovation, migration, and sustainable development. But events like this remind us of something essential: that culture is the most enduring language between peoples and that it expresses the true nature of our friendship, because art and culture always unite. Today, I invite you to experience this fair with that perspective, the perspective of someone who knows that each work has an origin, a history, and a community behind it. The perspective of someone who understands that supporting an artisan is supporting a region and supporting peace. And that folk art is also a way to build the future and to build memory. May Expoartesano Madrid 2025 be a celebration of our diversity and, at the same time, a commitment to more sustainable, just, and humane societies.”
Expoartesano Madrid 2025 brings together artisans, artists, cultural managers, and collectors in a space designed to share experiences, exhibit works, and foster connections that promote cultural sustainability and the exchange of knowledge. Visitors can explore displays of traditional crafts, fashion, jewelry, accessories, and home decor pieces, as well as access guided tours available upon request by emailing prensa.madrid@cancilleria.gov.co.
The fair, open to the public until November 23, is an initiative of Artesanías de Colombia, Plaza Mayor Medellín, the Colombian Embassy in Spain, and ProColombia, developed according to international curatorial standards. With this initiative, the organizing institutions seek to transform the event into a platform for cultural diplomacy that dignifies and amplifies the work of ethnic communities and territories that, through their art, traditions, and history, enrich Colombia’s intangible heritage.
