Art has long played an important part in the culture of South America, from the ancient carvings at the Incan temples of Peru through to the ornate interiors of the grand Catholic churches of the colonial cities. This emphasis on artistic expression is something that is still seen throughout the continent today, and some of the best places to explore the best of South American art is at one of these festivals.

Sao Paulo Biennial
The Sao Paulo Biennial is probably one of the most famous art festivals in South America, and on even years the Ciccillo Matarazzo Pavilion houses a wide variety of contemporary art for a two month period. The festival was originally founded in 1951, and has been going from strength to strength ever since, boasting some of the biggest names in international art among those that have exhibited at the festival. As well as drawing some of the best of international artists to Brazil, the event also acts as a showcase for the best that art in Brazil has to offer.

Huge names such as Anish Kapoor, Kenzo Okada and Miguel Berrocal have all been featured in the festival, and for 2014's biennial, Charles Esche, the Dutch director of the Van Abbemuseum of Eindhoven will be curating the exhibition.
ArteBA, Buenos Aires
Argentina's largest annual art festival is ArteBA, which is quickly becoming established as one of the leading contemporary art festivals in South America, drawing exhibitors from across the continent to showcase their work.

The event is usually held at the end of May, and takes over the impressive La Rural center in the Palermo district of Buenos Aires for five days. The event is noted for being one of the best places for Latin American artists to showcase their work, and there are hundreds of booths showing the work of these artists found in the center during festival week.
One of the highlights of the event is the awarding of the ArteBA-Petrobras Visual Arts Prize, which is awarded to artists either working in Argentina or of Argentine origins.

Art Lima, Peru
Art Lima is another annual festival that places a special focus on contemporary art, and is a combination of exhibitions, showcase for new artists, lectures and workshops designed to bring the art scene of South America together. The festival brings together a combination of local Peruvian artists and some interesting international artists from South America and beyond. The festival takes place annually in April, and sees galleries from across the world displaying some of their finest works, along with a few curated exhibitions of new and adventurous artworks.

Potosi And Sucre International Culture Festival, Bolivia
This annual festival is a celebration of the cultural life of Bolivia, and for two weeks in September the cities of Potosi and Sucre become a magnet for the artists and craftspeople of the country. There is a great emphasis on welcoming artists of Bolivian origin, both from the main population and the indigenous ethnic minorities of the country, with artists, writers, musicians and photographers all coming together for the festival. As well as being a great showcase for Bolivian artists, the festival also draws international artists to the country, and throughout the two weeks there are over two thousand artists displaying their work there.

Festival De Las Artes, Valparaiso, Chile
In January every year the Chilean city of Valparaiso plays host to the Festival de las Artes, which is a wonderful event that brings together artists and performers from a wide range of different styles of art. The week long festival usually takes place at the end of January, and has often looked to break new ground with events such as a 3D projection piece and a final night musical concert which sees many musicians playing simultaneously in different areas of the city. The festival takes a slightly different approach to some other events, with static art displays shown all week, but with every evening taking a different theme such as music, theater or other types of performance.