Abbas Zahedi, 1984, lives and works in London
Proyectos Ultravioleta was founded in Guatemala City in 2009 as an independent artist-run space, and has since established itself as a leading voice in contemporary art in Latin America and beyond. Given Guatemala’s lack of infrastructure for the arts, Proyectos Ultravioleta has sought to operate as hybrid model; locally operating as a Kunsthalle of sorts, organizing exhibitions, performances, and public programming that directly respond to local context (politically, culturally, socioeconomically and environmentally), whilst acting as a commercial gallery internationally in art fairs and beyond. Since opening, many of its artists have gained international recognition, participating in major Biennial exhibitions (including Documenta, Venice Biennale, Whitney Biennial, Bienal Sao Paulo. Gwangju Biennale, amongst others), and having their works commissioned, exhibited, and collected by major museums and institutions across the US, Europe, Latin America, and beyond, including MoMA, The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, Museo Reina Sofia, Tate, The Art Institute, LACMA, and the Centre Pompidou, amongst others. Additionally, Proyectos Ultravioleta has participated in numerous art fairs in Latin America, the US, and Europe, receiving a numerous awards for their presentations, including the Focus Stand Prize in Frieze London (2016 and 2019); Diálogos Stand Prize -for best booth in the Diálogos section- and Illy Prize -for best emerging artist- at ARCO 2020; Illy Prize -for best emerging artist- at Artissima (2012 and 2020), and others.