FORO Coordinator
The FORO at Pinta Panamá Art Week is a space for reflection on the contemporary art scenes of Central America and the Caribbean. Coordinated by Mónica E. Kupfer, curator, art historian, and critic, the FORO brings together experts and special guests to discuss the current challenges and opportunities in the region's art scene. With an open approach, it aims to generate new perspectives on curation, collecting, and other key topics related to the region's artistic scenario.
Mónica E. Kupfer, PhD, is an art historian, critic, and exhibition curator, with a PhD in Art History specializing in Latin American art. She was the first Curator of the Museo de Arte Contemporáneo de Panamá, an institution to which she has remained connected as a member of the Technical Council, as well as an invited curator.
Dr. Kupfer was co-founder and director of the Bienal de Arte de Panamá, an event held in eight editions between 1992 and 2008, which set trends in contemporary art in the region. In 1998, she established the Fundación Arte & Cultura, a non-profit organization that promotes international editions and artistic exchanges.
As an independent curator, Kupfer has organized international exhibitions such as Encuentro de Corrientes: Contemporary Painting from Panama at the Americas Society in New York and the Bass Museum of Art in Miami, and Trazos Perceptivos: Women Artists for the IDB in Washington, D.C. In Panama, she has been involved in curating exhibitions for renowned artists such as photographer Graciela Iturbide and glass sculptor Isabel De Obaldía, as well as the important exhibition Una Invasión en Cuatro Tiempos to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the U.S. invasion of Panama.
Recently, she was the curator of Raíces: Guillermo Trujillo, the inaugural exhibition at the Sala Espacio Arte in Panama City.
Mónica Kupfer has been a correspondent for Art Nexus magazine for thirty years, in addition to collaborating on encyclopedias and books such as Latin American Art in the 20th Century, where she authored the section on Central America. She is the author of published monographs on artists Sandra Eleta, Coqui Calderón, and Juan Carlos Marcos, as well as editor of the book Mujeres en las Artes de Panamá en el Siglo XX. In 2024, she was co-curator of Panama's first pavilion at the Venice Biennale.