About
Catalina Restrepo has built a multidisciplinary career at the intersection of artistic practice, curatorial thinking, and professional development in the arts. Her work spans project development, artist consultancy, editorial practice, teaching, and the creation of independent cultural initiatives. She has founded and led successful projects across academic, commercial, and alternative sectors, consistently connecting artistic thinking with strategic frameworks.
Catalina brings the rare combination of understanding the art ecosystem from both sides: the conceptual and production-oriented perspective of artists, and the structural, organizational, and evaluative criteria of institutions and the art industry. Her expertise lies in helping artists and cultural agents strengthen the conceptual foundations of their work, articulate their professional identity, and align their projects with the realities of the contemporary art ecosystem. She is deeply committed to building clarity, strategy, and community across the field—streamlining processes, fostering informed decision-making, and generating long-term, sustainable growth.
Over the past 20 years, her practice has evolved into a comprehensive platform where education, advisory, curatorial research, and project development converge to support a more professional and articulate art sector.
Catalina Restrepo (Bogotá, Colombia, 1982) is an independent curator, art advisor, writer, and cultural strategist with twenty years of professional experience. She is the author of Portafolio de Artista. Una herramienta clave para una promoción exitosa, part of the PUNTAL collection (foreword by Felipe Ehrenberg), published by the Javier Marín Foundation. She holds a BA in Visual Arts from Pontificia Universidad Javeriana (2007). She is the co-host of the podcast Bendito After School, alongside curator Gonzalo Ortega, focusing on professional development in the arts.
Restrepo is the Director and Founder of Catalina Restrepo Art Office, where she develops curatorial projects, strategic advisory services, and professional training and networking programs for artists and cultural agents. In 2024, she was Curator-in-Residence at Residency Unlimited (New York), and in 2025 she was invited as a guest speaker by the Secretaría de Cultura de Tijuana and Universidad San Francisco de Quito (USFQ). In 2020, she participated as a panelist—alongside Pablo Helguera and Franklin Aguirre—in Live Dialogue! Museums and New Paradigms in Education, organized by the Museo de Arte Moderno de Bogotá (MAMBO). She has also been invited as a mentor for residency programs such as The Ant Project, El Room, and Residencias Estudio Marte, and has taught courses and delivered lectures at Museo Amparo (Puebla), MUSAS – Museo de Arte de Sonora, MARCO Museum of Contemporary Art (Monterrey), Casa Vecina, and CONARTE (Consejo para la Cultura y las Artes de Nuevo León), as well as at art fairs such as FAMA (Monterrey), Odeón (Bogotá), and La Otra (Bogotá).
She has served as a market and strategy advisor for CAM gallery and as a digital strategy and content consultant for ICA San Diego, in addition to working with artists as a professional consultant. In 2023, she was an invited art-market columnist for Forbes México.
Restrepo founded LivingArtRoom (2006 - 2013), a platform dedicated to portfolio development for artists and curators, and LARMAGAZINE (2009 - 2021), an interactive bilingual contemporary art magazine presented at international fairs such as ARCOmadrid, Art Basel Miami Beach, Zona MACO, ARTBO, and arteBA. During 2020 and 2021, she developed and led ArtWorks, a hybrid gallery and artist incubator. From 2015 to 2022, she directed LARSCHOOL, an educational platform for artist professionalization. In 2014, she directed FOCUS for CONARTE (Consejo para la Cultura y las Artes de Nuevo León), and that same year was selected for the Young Curators Workshop at the 8th Berlin Biennale. From 2013 to 2015, she taught at LCI Monterrey. Her curatorial work has been presented in Bogotá, Mexico City, and Monterrey.
CV
EDUCATION
2001–2007
BA in Visual Arts, Pontificia Universidad Javeriana. Bogotá, Colombia
PUBLISHED BOOKS
2017
Portafolio de artista. Una herramienta clave para una promoción exitosa, foreword by Felipe Ehrenberg, PUNTAL Collection, Fundación Javier Marín. Ciudad de México, México
PROJECT MANAGEMENT
2025
Artist Talks, gestión y producción de eventos; diversas sedes. Ciudad de México, México
2023–Present
Producción, gestión y co-host del podcast Bendito After School (con Gonzalo Ortega). Ciudad de México, México
2020–2022
Founder, ArtWorks (modelo híbrido de galería, incubadora y asesoría). Monterrey, México
2015–2022
Directora y fundadora de LARSCHOOL, plataforma educativa y de profesionalización artística. Monterrey, México
2010–2020
Directora y fundadora de LARMAGAZINE, revista interactiva de arte contemporáneo presentada en ferias como ARCOmadrid, Art Basel Miami Beach, Zona MACO, ARTBO y arteBA. Ciudad de México, México
2006–2014
Directora y fundadora del proyecto LivingArtRoom, plataforma de portafolios para artistas. Bogotá, Colombia / Ciudad de México, México
2008
Productora ejecutiva y directora de los programas Fine Arts Review y Perfiles, Xclusive TV. Ciudad de México, México
2007–2008
Miembro fundadora del espacio alternativo Yautepec 103. Ciudad de México, México
2006–2007
Directora de Galería Rococó. Bogotá, Colombia
CURATORIAL ACTIVITY
2025
Artist Talk Vol. 2 (con Benjamín Torres, Gonzalo García y Miriam Salado), El Room. Mexico City, Mexico
Artist Talk Vol. 1 (con Roger Muñoz, Celestial Brizuela y Erick Saucedo), La Cueva. Mexico City, Mexico
2024
Agua quemada, Jessi Rapp. Estudio Marte. Mexico City, Mexico
2021
LAR-LOCAL, en colaboración con Paola Livas. San Pedro Garza García, México
2016–2021
PrestoMiCasa Artist Talks, organización y curaduría. Monterrey, México
2014
FOCUS: What Are We Talking About?, exposición colectiva, Casa de la Cultura de Nuevo León / CONARTE. Monterrey, México
The House in the Air, exposición individual de María Fernanda Barrero, Casa de la Cultura de Nuevo León / CONARTE. Monterrey, México
2013
50 Artists, One Impulse, exhibición para Andares A.C. San Pedro Garza García, México
Selección Natural, exposición individual de Ernesto Walker, Casa de la Cultura de Nuevo León / CONARTE. Monterrey, México
2012
I, Primate, exhibición colectiva, BORDER Cultural Center. Ciudad de México, México
2011
The Garden of Earthly Delights, colectiva, Parada 54 Gallery. Ciudad de México, México
Stand de LivingArtRoom, feria La Otra. Bogotá, Colombia
2007
Nada Igual (Sofía Reyes Guevara, Santiago Monge, Juan Pablo Echeverri), Galería Rococó. Bogotá, Colombia
ACADEMIC ACTIVITY
2025
Conference: Economic Impact of Art in Urban Development, Secretaría de Cultura de Tijuana. Tijuana, México
Artist-in-residence Tutor, The Room Residency. Ciudad de México, México
Artist-in-residence Tutor. Ciudad de México, México
Artist-in-residence Tutor, Residencias Estudio Marte. Ciudad de México, México
2023
Workshop: Autopromoción para artistas, Museo de Arte de Sonora (MUSAS). Hermosillo, México
2020
Panelist at Live Dialogue! Museums and New Paradigms in Education, Museo de Arte Moderno de Bogotá (MAMBO). Bogotá, Colombia
Jury, FAMA Mexican Accessible Art Fair. Monterrey, México
2019
Jury Member, Bienal de Arquitectura de Nuevo León. Monterrey, Mexico
Panel Discussion Silex, Centro de Cultura Digital. Mexico City, Mexico
Lecture: Practices and Resonances Between Colombia and Mexico, Centro Roberto Garza Sada, UDEM. Monterrey, Mexico
2018
Technical Committee, CONARTE Tax Incentives Open Call. Monterrey, Mexico
Lecture: The Art Market, Feria FAMA. San Pedro Garza García, Mexico
2017
Curriculum Consultations, Universidad Autónoma de Coahuila. Saltillo, Mexico
2016
Conversation with Miguel Fernández and Bruno Bresani, Encuentro de Fotografía XIV, CONARTE. Monterrey, Mexico
Conversation with Yvonne Venegas, Heartego Gallery. San Pedro Garza García, Mexico
2014
Invited to the Young Curators Workshop, 8th Berlin Biennale. Berlin, Germany
2013
Lecture: Contemporary or Non-Contemporary, XI Foro de Fotografía. Monterrey, Mexico
Jury Member, PIDAC, CONARTE. Monterrey, Mexico
2012
Lecture: Art as a Device, Facultad de Artes Visuales, UANL. Monterrey, Mexico
Conversation on the exhibition by M. F. Barrero, Facultad Libre de Derecho. Monterrey, Mexico
Lecture: Self-Promotion and Management for Artists, MARCO. Monterrey, Mexico
2012–2015
Faculty Member, Bachelor in Photography, LCI Monterrey (Portfolio, Final Exhibition Project, Contemporary Photography). Monterrey, Mexico
2013–2020 — Workshops & Courses (Selected)
Art Market, Fundación Javier Marín. Mexico City, Mexico
Laboratorio de Negocios y Proyectos Culturales Rentables, LARSCHOOL. Monterrey, Mexico
Contemporary Art Market, LARSCHOOL. Monterrey, Mexico
Portfolio and Self-Management Workshop, Leunun. Monterrey, Mexico
Form and Content Workshop, Leunun. Monterrey, Mexico
Self-Promotion Workshops, Casa Vecina / Museo Amparo / MARCO / CONARTE. Mexico City / Puebla / Monterrey, Mexico
PANORAMA: International Art Scene, LARSCHOOL. Monterrey, Mexico
2005
Programa Conéctate con el Arte, Pontificia Universidad Javeriana. Bogotá, Colombia