MODELS OF GALLERY COLLABORATION MARC STRAUS AND NUEVEOCHENTA: AN ALLIANCE BETWEEN COLOMBIA AND NEW YORK

The art market currently navigates one of its most complex moments. While major auction houses continue to report record figures, the Spring 2026 auction season was not the exception, many mid-sized galleries face mounting pressure: participation in international art fairs has become increasingly expensive, leasing exhibition spaces in cities like as New York and London is more challenging than ever, and logistical costs and constraints have risen significantly. In this context, galleries are persistently seeking ways to adapt and rethink their presence.

Consignments, loans for exhibitions, and joint participation in art fairs are among the most familiar forms of collaboration between galleries. In recent years, however, longer-term strategic partnerships have become increasingly prevalent. In these arrangements, galleries exchange exhibition spaces and develop collaborative shows, through which they expand their audiences, curatorial resources, and collector networks, building a stronger presence in scenes that would be more difficult to access independently.

These types of alliances are not entirely new  but they have gained prominence amid the structural conditions of the art market and a time defined by the need for flexibility and dynamism.

Collaborative Exhibitions and Space Exchanges: A Bilateral Strategy

One of the clearest examples of this model is the collaboration between New York-based gallery Marc Straus and Nueveochenta Gallery in Bogotá, Colombia. In 2025, Nueveochenta presented Seven Colombian Artists in New York, introducing its program to a new audience. This year, Marc Straus is presenting Structures of Meaning, a group exhibition featuring seven artists from its roster, in Nueveochenta’s space from June 4 through July 9, 2026.

The exhibition explores how contemporary artists construct meaning through material and form, and includes sculptures by Edgar Orlaineta and Mauritian artist Jong Oh; installations by Ozioma Onuzulike and Clive Smith; textiles by Indian artist Natasha Das; and paintings by Anna Leonhardt and Antonio Santin. The result is a compelling and cohesive presentation with a distinctly international character, bringing together artists whose work is held in museum and public collections worldwide.

What makes this model distinctive is its ability to establish a long term presence without a permanent outpost or reliance on the fair and pop-up format (both inherently temporary and difficult to support over time). An exhibition in an established gallery, supported by its collector base and institutional credibility, offers what an art fair booth rarely can: time for the work to breathe and space for viewers to engage without the pressure of immediacy.

A Growing Phenomenon

The partnership between Marc Straus and Nueveochenta is not an isolated case. Similar alliances have become increasingly common in recent years, each one with its own terms.

In 2016, Vanessa Carlos, director of Carlos/Ishikawa in London, founded Condo, a large-scale exhibition platform in which host galleries share their spaces with visiting galleries from other cities and countries. Each year, new editions take place across one or several cities, and the initiative is currently active in galleries throughout London, New York, Mexico City, São Paulo, and Shanghai. Condo derives from the “condominium,” referencing the project's emphasis on shared space and collective participation, and seeks to promote a more collaborative and sustainable approach to producing international exhibitions.

Since 2018 and 2019, Mexico City and São Paulo have become integral points of connection between the Latin American art scene and galleries from Europe, North America, and Asia.

The inaugural Mexico City edition brought together forty-nine galleries across more than twenty venues. Among its collaborations, Kurimanzutto hosted New York based gallery White Columns, which presented a show by Christopher Knowles and Dale Jackson alongside a design project by Kim Gordon/Design Office. In the 2024 edition, Kurimanzutto welcomed the LA based gallery Château Shatto, which exhibited works by Aria Dean and Zeinab Saleh. Mexico City was the main host of the most recent edition in April 2026, bringing together twenty-seven galleries across fourteen venues.

Meanwhile, Condo took place in São Paulo in 2019, 2020, and 2023. Among the notable collaborations was the partnership between Grimm Gallery, with spaces in New York and Amsterdam, and Casa Triângulo in São Paulo, which hosted Grimm's presentation by Danish artist Guido van der Werve. In the 2023 edition, Galeria Gentil Carioca, based in Rio de Janeiro, hosted Isla Flotante Gallery, from Buenos Aires, which exhibited works by Valentina Liernur.

Another notable example is the collaboration between La Cometa Gallery, with locations in Bogotá, Medellín, Miami, and Madrid, and Catalysta, a New York–based platform for contemporary Latin American art founded by Valerie Cabrera Brugal in 2020. Together, they have built a partnership that fosters dialogue between closely connected audiences. La Cometa’s strong presence across the Latin American art scene, spanning four strategic cities, and Catalysta’s position within New York’s gallery landscape reflect a shared belief that cultural exchange between these ecosystems is best advanced through collaboration.

Equally noteworthy is the partnership between Instituto de Visión, founded in Bogotá in 2014, and ProxyCo, established in New York in 2017. Both galleries have built strong programs centered on Latin American art while establishing an international presence. In 2025, they began sharing a space on Eldridge Street in New York City. Although they continue to operate independently, the two galleries have adopted a cooperative model that allows each to retain its distinct identity while benefiting from a shared platform.

Why Now?

The question underlying these examples is the same: why is this model gaining traction now? There is not just one answer, but rather a combination of factors that has made this approach both viable and increasingly compelling.

First, there are economic pressures. The traditional gallery business model is under increasing strain. Operations costs continue to rise, participation in art fairs requires substantial investment with uncertain returns, and younger generations of collectors engage with the market in different ways from their predecessors. In this sense, collaboration for many mid-sized galleries is no longer a strategic choice; it has become an essential means of remaining competitive.

At the same time, Latin America has been attracting sustained international attention in recent years. Collectors in the United States and Europe show growing interest in the region, a shift that would have been difficult to imagine a decade ago.

Last but not least, a growing sense of generosity and mutual support among galleries, particularly those with shared curatorial affinities or regional ties.

A Flexible and Dynamic Model

What makes these cases compelling is the range of forms they take; from program exchanges and shared spaces to institutional partnerships built around specific projects.

Structures of Meaning, which opened in Bogotá on June 4, is a clear and well-articulated example of this approach. But its significance goes beyond a single exhibition. It reflects a broader shift taking place across the art market. Galleries that embrace collaboration as a strategy are not giving up their independence or identity. Rather, they are testing, flexibly and pragmatically, new ways of positioning themselves within a constant changing landscape.