ABC Art Baja Coordinates the Regional Art Scene Through a Collaborative Model

The festival connects spaces, artists, and communities in La Paz, San José del Cabo, and Todos Santos, establishing itself as a growing cultural circuit

zelika-garcia-fundada-abc-art-baja-festival-baja-california-sur-esculturas — Zélika García, founder of the ABC Art Baja festival. / Photo: ABC Art Baja

Emilio Trejo y Carolina Vizcarra / El Sudcaliforniano

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La Paz, Baja California Sur. — In Baja California Sur, where the art scene continues to thrive, the ABC Art Baja festival was born as a meeting point to coordinate efforts, connect spaces, and project local work into new contexts. Now four editions since its inception, the project has positioned itself as a circuit that integrates artists, galleries, and institutions within a single structure.

The festival’s origin responds to a need for coordination within the territory itself. Although established projects already existed, they often operated in isolation. “ABC Art Baja is built upon a scene that was already active in the region—with well-developed artists, spaces, and projects—but which operated more independently,” explained founders Zélika García and Karim Reza.

Unlike other formats concentrated in a single venue, the festival unfolds across various points in Baja California Sur, including La Paz, Los Cabos, and Todos Santos. Galleries, studios, hotels, and restaurants form part of the route, transforming the public experience.

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“Instead of concentrating everything in one place, the route spreads throughout the city, forcing an understanding of how the scene operates within its own context,” they noted. Furthermore, this model incorporates a collaborative logic involving diverse actors who, together, activate the region’s cultural ecosystem.

From a Project to a Consolidated Circuit

Since its first edition, the festival has evolved in both structure and scope. It currently features defined programs, city-specific circuits, and a network that integrates the local community with guest projects.

Beyond its growth in scale, the festival’s consolidation is reflected in how it links different local actors. This dynamic has strengthened bonds between artists and spaces, generating new forms of collaboration that continue long after the event dates.

The impact is also visible in the increased profile of the local scene and the activation of the creative economy. The arrival of visitors and the interaction between projects have helped solidify a pre-existing network, which now operates with greater clarity and reach.

zelika-garcia-fundada-abc-art-baja-festival-baja-california-sur — Zélika García, founder of the ABC Art Baja festival. / Photo: ABC Art Baja

Through this process, the creation of PLATAFORMA ABC has expanded the festival’s influence by establishing links with galleries in Mexico City and other countries, integrating local production into a broader circuit without losing its regional roots.

An Ecosystem Rooted in the Local

Local artists play a central role within the festival. They are not presented as a separate category, but as the starting point from which the entire circuit is built. From this foundation, national and international proposals are integrated to open a dialogue without establishing hierarchies.

The selection of participants follows an open process that combines public calls, established relationships, and the pulse of the scene itself. Rather than following a single curatorial discourse, the festival bets on a dynamic structure that reflects the diversity of contemporary practices.

This approach also translates into the programming, where emerging, experimental, and commercial proposals coexist. The intention is for these different forms of production to interact within the same route, generating an experience that goes beyond exhibition to include sales, exchange, and direct encounters between artists, galleries, and the public.

A Journey Through Three Cities

The festival’s expanded format responds to the unique characteristics of Baja California Sur. La Paz, Los Cabos, and Todos Santos each present different rhythms and communities; therefore, the project is built upon those differences rather than trying to unify them.

karim-reza-fundador-abc-art-baja-festival-baja-california-sur — Karim Reza, founder of the ABC Art Baja. / Photo: ABC Art Baja

Each city activates a specific layer of the festival, ranging from market-oriented proposals to experimental or community-based expressions. Together, these dynamics form an experience that allows for an understanding of how the art scene moves within the territory.

Currently, the festival is in a consolidation phase, with a defined identity and an active network connecting the local with the national and international. The goal for the coming years is centered on strengthening this structure and giving continuity to the processes generated within the circuit.

A Festival in Motion

Following the launch of activities with PLATAFORMA ABC in San José del Cabo, the festival continues its programming across various venues. Exhibitions, interventions, sound programs, and open studios are all part of a route that remains active across the three cities.

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“That is where the festival is truly understood, because you see how the scene unfolds in each city and how the circuit stays alive beyond a single moment,” the organizers concluded.

ABC Art Baja Coordinates the Regional Art Scene Through a Collaborative Model