Wayfinding in San Telmo

A crisis is a terrible thing to waste. Argentina has had more than its share of economic upheaval since the 1950s, but its creative types haven’t squandered the opportunities. Artists here continue to show a resilient spirit - and create some of contemporary art’s most refreshing work.

While the art world in London and New York quivers alongside stock markets, Argentines stay relaxed; they have always responded with beautiful solutions when supplies are short. The wildly coloured barrio of La Boca is one example, the result of canny residents beautifying their homes with leftover marine paint from nearby shipyards. A more modern take came after the country’s devastating 2001 economic crash, when painter Hernan Salamanco began using ubiquitous For Sale signs as canvases; you can still make out the phone numbers through his layers of enamel.

In the past few years, collectors and enthusiasts have set their sights on Buenos Aires, now home to world-class museums such as MALBA (the Buenos Aires Museum of Latin American Art), new private institutions such as the Fortabat Collection, and a bewildering array of galleries and fairs. First among them: ArteBA (http://www.arteba.org), a contemporary art fair May 22 to 26. It’s one of Latin America’s top cultural events, drawing nearly 100,000 visitors.

New York gallery owner Karen Boltax, who represents several Argentine artists and makes frequent trips to Buenos Aires, says its art combines “[the] intellectual and a very human, emotional approach.” Above all, “they’re scavengers and recyclers,” she says. “They’re survivors.”

For the culturally curious, May is an ideal time to visit. Fall is coming, which means crisp air and lower airfares. And ArteBA is when most galleries trot out their most exciting work. Here are a few addresses to get you started.

CCMOCA

The newest game in town is Centro Cultural MOCA, a cross-disciplinary space that opened last November in a former cookie factory (its smiley-face logo mimics the cookies’ shape). Inés Huergo says she and co-founder Mercedes Urquiza conceived it as a place where “you can enjoy art, take pleasure in a coffee while listening to good music, attend a … show or a film screening, look at books and meet others that come to do the same.”

Last season, it signed up 11 Argentine artists - including León Ferrari and Eduardo Stupia - to create site-specific works. In May, CCMOCA opens a library and lounge and welcomes the work of Sabrina Mezzaqui, an Italian artist whose multimedia sculpture is influenced by literature and often created with actual books. For this show, Mezzaqui explored themes pertaining to one of the city’s most notable residents, Jorge Luis Borges. Montes de Oca 169; 54 (11) 4519-5639; http://www.ccmoca.com.ar

Fundación PROA

In 1996, Fundación PROA transformed a beautiful old Italian home in La Boca into a destination for art. Its mantra was based on Borges’s idea that art is “a proa” - a ship’s bow - “towards unknown territories, which should be discovered even by the artists themselves.” Last year, it added exhibition rooms, a library, film auditorium and rooftop café, kicking off the renovation with an ambitious Marcel Duchamp exhibit. This month, the exhibition Urban Spaces: Geography, Identity, Urbanism will analyze the idea of cities in contemporary culture through the photos of Thomas Struth, Axel Hutte, Andreas Gursky, Thomas Ruff and Candida Höfer. Av. Pedro de Mendoza 1929, La Boca; 54 (11) 4104-1000; http://www.proa.org

Daniel Abate Galeria

In a town known for painters, Daniel Abate rounds up a compelling array of video and sculpture, photography and installations (and some paintings). Abate is considered the best at spotting BA’s bright young things; his lineup includes Mariela Scafati, who recently blanketed the space with rainbow-striped canvases. Eduardo Navarro, 29, is known for films in which he documented niche groups such as UFO spotters; part of his latest installation, La Fabrica de Budines (Pudding Shop), on display this spring, was inspired by peeking in the windows of a working-class Buenos Aires neighbourhood. Pasaje Bollini 2170; 54 (11) 4804-8247; http://www.danielabategaleria.com.ar

Braga Menéndez Arte Contemporáneo

This gallery may be the city’s heaviest hitter, but it treats its place in the BA art scene with levity. And with art that is this effervescent - even when it deals with weighty issues - it’s hard not to feel good. Of course, it helps that the Braga Menéndez roster includes the white-hot artist Hernan Salamanco, creator of those For Sale-sign paintings. This spring he will show all new work - a few paintings at ArteBA, and more at the gallery. Sure to cause a clamour is new work by León Ferrari, a godfather of contemporary art who is still prolific at 89 years of age. Humboldt 1574; 54 (11) 4775-5577; http://www.galeriabm.com

Appetite

For something completely different, there’s Appetite, the gallery-cum-party hosted by Daniela Luna, the 31-year-old who is perhaps the city’s most publicity-savvy scenester. For spring, Luna snagged Mauro Guzmán, named one of the most promising talents at last year’s Barrio Joven area in ArteBA, where young artists hold court. Luna curates a scene - a jubilant, messy, paint-splattered fete. The gallery’s booth at London’s Frieze Art Fair this past October was a live diorama of artists at work, play and, at one point, running naked through the hall.

Chacabuco 551; 54 (11) 4331-540; http://www.appetite.com.ar

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Pack your bags

GETTING THERE
Air Canada flies direct to Buenos Aires. Many airlines fly there from Canadian cities via Miami.

WHERE TO STAY
Palacio Duhau-Park Hyatt Buenos Aires, Alvear 1661; 800-223-1234. From $472.

Home Hotel, Honduras 5860; 54 (11) 4778-1008. Close to ArteBA and to Palermo’s galleries and shops.

MUSEUMS

MALBA, The city’s contemporary art museum. Admission $17, $6 Wednesdays.

Coleccion de Arte Amalia Lacroze de Fortabat, The new museum shows 19th- and 20th-century works in a Rafael Viñoly building. Admission $17.