Rafael Tamayo Franco, director of the Museo de Arte Moderno de Medellín (MAMM), argues in an interview that the entire museum sector in Colombia must rethink itself. He discusses the opportunities and risks of museums engaging with social crises, emphasizing the need for museums to be critical spaces that complexify and confront tensions through art, while avoiding both sanitized debate and the violation of visitors. Tamayo also highlights structural challenges facing Latin American museums, including budget constraints and bureaucratic hurdles, but praises the region's professionals for their resourcefulness and resilience.
This interview matters because it offers a rare, in-depth perspective from a leading Latin American museum director on the evolving role of museums in contexts of social and political complexity. Tamayo's reflections on representation, sustainability, institutional autonomy, and community engagement speak to broader debates about the public function of museums worldwide, especially in regions facing economic and political uncertainty. The piece is part of a series that systematically examines how contemporary museums navigate tensions between accessibility, criticality, and institutional survival.