Art and culture help us envision human possibility, encourage collective imagination, and create pathways for change that touch every aspect of our societies, from the economic to the spiritual to the social to the technological. In light of the crises accentuated by the coronavirus pandemic and the challenges and opportunities now in front of us, the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) launched the digital summit, Healing a Broken World on April 22 and 23, 2021, in which renowned Latin American and Caribbean cultural leaders, artists, economists, urban planners, and architects addressed recovery and growth in the post-pandemic era. Five specially commissioned artworks created by leading artists and creative collectives from the Region premiered online and have been now brought to life at the IDB’s Cultural Center. 

These five works follow the metaphor devised by the Summit’s curators of healing a wound in five steps, ranging from cleaning the wound to removing the bandage once the wound is healed. Artists have the special gift of highlighting and imaginatively addressing society’s most challenging issues, and the works in this exhibition powerfully visualize some of them—such as the need of reimagining our cities, the rise of gender-based domestic violence or the lack of proper schooling for children during the pandemic. In a sense, they perform acts of healing through both symbolic and explicit articulations of the problems we continue facing and the possibilities of creative solutions.

This exhibition is part of the IDB’s commitment to be at the forefront of efforts to recover from the coronavirus pandemic. Vision 2025, the IDB’s blueprint to spur recovery focuses on five areas of opportunity: regional integration, digitalization, support for small and medium enterprises, gender and diversity, and climate-change action. The IDB works to generate solutions that will allow our member countries to regain health and reignite economic growth in the wake of this historic crisis. Our region has suffered 1/3 of the global deaths while only accounting for roughly 8% of world’s population. At the same time, 44 million people have fallen into poverty in 2020—bringing the total to 31% of the Region's population and threatening the future of an entire generation. Healing a Broken World is a reflection on these issues and how art and culture can provide a space for healing, coming together, collaborating, and developing solutions.

Featured artists and collectives:
Bijari (Brazil)
Lorena Wolffer (Mexico)
María José Machado (Ecuador)
Christopher Cozier, Amir Denzel Hall, Robert Young, Suelyn Choo and Luis Vasquez La Roche (Trinidad and Tobago)
Nicole L’Huillier & Patricia Domínguez (Chile). 

Curated by Manuela Reyes & Steven Henry Madoff 
Exhibition coordination by Xavier Ruiz 
Exhibition design by Bijari / Graphic design by Cintia erre