The XVI Encuentros Abiertos - Festival de la Luz (Festival of Light), will be held from August 2nd to September 30th, 2010 in Museums, Cultural Centers, Galleries and Art Venues in 31 cities in Argentina: La Quiaca, Tilcara, San Salvador de Jujuy, Salta, San Miguel de Tucumán, Santiago del Estero, Posadas, Resistencia, La Rioja, Catamarca, San Juan, San Luis, Mendoza, Córdoba, Santa Fe, Rosario, Rafaela, Paraná, La Plata, Mar del Plata, Chivilcoy, Bahia Blanca, Pilar, Buenos Aires, Santa Rosa, General Roca, Trelew, Puerto Madryn, Rawson, Rio Gallegos and Ushuaia. 

Festival de la Luz is the most important photography biennial exhibition in Latin America., consisting of several photographic activities, all of them free of charge, except the Portfolios Forum. The activities will be divided into different groups:

Exhibitions: 101 photographic exhibitions at museums and cultural centers around the country, under the theme "Migrations". Some of the participating venues are: Centro Cultural Recoleta with its 15 rooms; Centro Cultural Borges; Centro cultural Rojas; Teatro General San Martín; Alianza Francesa; Espacio Multiarte; BAC (British Art Center); Escuela Argentina de Fotografía, in its 4 venues; MAC Salta; Espacio contemporáneo de Arte in Mendoza; Fine Arts museums in  Neuquen, Cordoba, La Rioja, Catamarca, among many others.

Meetings: conferences, round tables and screenings at the Auditorium of Alianza Francesa, Centro Cultural Recoleta, and Escuela Argentina de Fotografia.

Portfolios forum: meetings for photographers, curators, collectors, editors, critics, museum and festival directors.

Urban Interventions: in the streets and parks of Buenos Aires, Mar del Plata, and Neuquen.

Book presentations: at the main venue of Alianza Francesa, from August 9th to August 13th, every day at 5 pm.

Movies: "Vientos de agua", the Argentine film directed by Juan Jose Campanella, will be presented at the Micro Cinema of Centro Cultural Recoleta, August 25th - 30th, from 6.20 pm.

Workshops: Argentine and international professors are invited to offer different workshops during the festival.

The Festival of Light is an international collaboration of 28 photography festivals around the world. This cooperation has a common website: www.festivaloflight.net, and a continuous exchange of exhibitions, activities and participants. The Festival of Light 2010 is sponsored by the embassies of France, Switzerland,  Spain, Italy, Denmark, Netherlands, Czech Republic, India, Mexico, Brazil, and South Korea. 

For more information on schedules and venues, visit Festival de la Luz official website

Centro Cultural Borges presents the exhibition "Francis Bacon - The tip of the iceberg", an outstanding display of 40 black and white drawings attributed to Francis Bacon, which have already been exhibited in the context of the Venice Biennale 2009 and recently in Milan's Durini Foundation.
Curated by renowned art critic Edward Lucie-Smith and Max Scaringela, the drawings will be displayed for the first time in Argentina, featuring intimate works by the Irish artist. These are large sheets portraing individual scenes that reveal characters subject to the deformations characteristic of the artist.
The images on paper once again reaffirm the reasons why Bacon is widely recognized as one of the most original artists of the twentieth century. Among the themes of the works are the Popes, inspired by the portrait of Innocent X by Velazquez, the Crucifixion, portraits and self portraits.

Address: Centro Cultutal Borges. Viamonte 525
Dates: June 30 - August 19, 2010

Opening times: 

Monday to Saturday, 10 am to 9 pm
Sunday 12 noon to 9 pm
Entry fee: AR $ 10.-

The traditional Livestock and Agriculture Exhibition ("La Rural"), held every year in Buenos Aires for over a century, is one of the most important of its kind worldwide, bringing together more than a million visitors among producers, tourists and general public. In this year's edition, more than 600 exhibitors will be showing their products: laboratories, leather goods shops, banks, automotive industries, farm machinery, and providers of services and goods for the agricultural industry.

One important feature this year is the "Salon de las Regiones y Agroalimentos", an exhibition within the fair exclusively dedicated to the food and agriculture industry in the Argentine provinces, showcasing products like:

• Cereals
• Beer, Wine and Liquors
• Preserves
• Agro-Alimentary Products 
• Chocolates
• Sweets
• Organic Products
• Dried Furits
• Cheese, oil, dulce de leche.

Visitors will have the opportunity to attend to activities like cattle competitions, cattle auctions, traditional costumes contests, rein skills and show jumping competitions, that take place every day at the main court, as well as exhibitions of all kinds of farm animals, Argentine crafts, folk shows, and tastings of traditional products.

Dates: July 22nd to August 3rd, 2010

Opening hours: Every day from 9 am to 8 pm.

Location: La Rural Exhibition Center. Av. Sarmiento 2704

Entry fee: AR $ 17. Children under 8: free

Exposicion Rural 2010 official website

From July 12th to July 31st, 2010, the 20th edition of the Buenos Aires Children´s Book Fair (Feria del Libro Infantil y Juvenil) will take place at Centro de Exposiones de Buenos Aires. The Fair is a place destined for the cultural and educational upbringing of children, in an entertaining and joyful environment.

Apart from to the exhibition and sale of books, the Fair will offer numerous activities for youngsters and children:

Kids will be able to meet their favorite writers and cartoonists, participate in the workshops, read at the library or enjoy the shows organized by the exhibitors, that will take place at their exhibition stands.

During the course of the fair there will also be activities designed for professionals and students of the areas related to education and the world of children´s books.

This year for the first time a Comics Festival will be presented during the fair. Distinguished Argentine authors will present talks, workshops and exhibits related to comics, their design, script writing, drawing, animation, and graphic humor.

Dates: July 12th to 31st, 2010

Location: Centro de Exposiciones de la Ciudad de Buenos Aires, Avdas. Figueroa Alcorta & Pueyrredón

Opening times:

July 12 to July 16: 9 am to 6 pm

July 17 to July 31: Monday to Friday 11 am to 8 pm. Saturday and Sunday: 2 pm to 8 pm

Entry fee: 

Adults and children over 18: AR$ 15

Children under 18: Free

Feria del Libro Infantil y Juvenil official website