Rafael Tamayo: Colombian museum sector must rethink itself

Rafael Tamayo Franco, director of the Museo de Arte Moderno de Medellín (MAMM), argues that the entire Colombian museum sector needs to be rethought. In an interview for Artishock Revista's series on contemporary museum challenges, Tamayo defends the museum as a critical space for encounter and debate, warning against becoming an 'aseptic' institution that avoids social tensions. He identifies financial and bureaucratic constraints as major limits, particularly for private museums in Latin America, citing Colombia's burdensome import/export regulations for artworks and slow Ministry of Culture authorizations. Tamayo advocates for differentiated programming and mediation to balance accessibility and depth, and stresses the importance of multiple voices. He criticizes two opposing tendencies: museums that sacrifice rigor for community participation, and those that remain disconnected from their communities. The interview is part of a series published on International Museum Day, following a conversation with Varinia Brodsky Zimmermann of the Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes de Chile.