What’s a lover of French Impressionism doing in a contemporary art gallery? Art is art, and I need to continually expose myself to its new forms. I surprised myself recently when I paid a visit to the Oꟻꟻ Gallery (Oꟻꟻ Arte Contemporáneo) in Cuenca. My friend Michael M. suggested I visit this gallery created by the sister and her husband of a friend of his. She had also reached out to me to offer any help I might need in getting acquainted with Cuenca. It was time for a visit.
The gallery is a 5-story contemporary (what else?) building sitting upon a hill top commanding outstanding views of the city. I wandered in unannounced to the first floor which is an unattended entryway enhanced by several art works. At the end was a stairway (alongside an elevator) curling up to the next floor. There I found several spaces occupied by varied works of art, large and small. Going back to the stairway, I climbed to the next floor and found more exhibits. These works helped break my orderly mind and I found myself gazing with rapture at many of the pieces.
I returned to the second floor office and met Karen Kennedy who, with her artist husband Boris Ordoñez, materialized their dream last April of constructing an outstanding venue for contemporary artists. The gallery opened with an overflowing collection of art lovers who had come to view the 160 works of 51 Ecuadorian artists. New exhibitions are continuing with more visual artists represented.
As the Athens of South America, Cuenca is a hub for the visual arts. A wide variety of spaces are given over to paintings in oils and watercolors, sculptures, solo artists, studios, and other media. The Oꟻꟻ Gallery, Ecuador’s largest, stands out as a mecca for contemporary art, rivalled by none. Yelp gives it a 5 out of 5 rating. A delayed opening due to Covid will result in more ratings to follow. I look forward to returning to this spectacular gallery many times in the future.
Fact: Cuenca is Ecuador’s City of Art
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