Bellas Artes: The Art World as a Garbage Bag About to Explode

An elegant satire on egos, activism, and the contemporary art circuit, between museums, artists, and their vanities

The series Bellas Artes, available on Star+, provokes: “the art world is a rotten garbage bag about to explode from its own gases.” Created by Mariano Cohn and Gastón Duprat, it exposes the comedy and absurdity of the contemporary art world while inviting reflection on aesthetics, power, and activism.

The Director and the Museum

Launched in 2024, Bellas Artes revolves around Antonio Dumas, ironically portrayed by Oscar Martínez, who assumes the directorship of the fictional Museo Iberoamericano de Arte Moderno in Madrid. From the very first episode, he critiques the selection process that led him to the position.

With refined aesthetics and stunning cinematography, the series creates memorable imagery: Dumas seems to drag a trail of paint with every step, as if painting a static work of art that already exists. The museum becomes both character and stage — a space where tensions between tradition and innovation, power and creativity, unfold. It is impossible not to think of Leonardo da Vinci’s The Last Supper as a historical counterpoint: while Da Vinci represents canonical perfection, the museum’s eccentric performances in Bellas Artes question who defines the value of art today.

As John Dewey notes in Art as Experience, art is not merely an object of contemplation but a living experience that engages its audience. This perspective resonates in the series, where every museum performance provokes reflection, shock, or laughter, reinforcing that true art lies in interaction and perception, not merely in institutional approval.

Art, Activism, and Conflict

Dumas faces protests and external pressures, including activist groups demanding the removal of a fictional artwork called La Ilustración (1958), accused of misogyny. This episode encapsulates the series’ tone: the clash between artistic freedom and contemporary moralism.

The series echoes practices of contemporary artists who spark social debate — reminiscent of Marina Abramović’s performances, where body, shock, and provocation serve as tools for ethical reflection. The satire is purposeful; it reveals the fragility of a world where the pursuit of relevance often replaces the pursuit of reflection.

Second Season and Deepening Critique

In the second season, Dumas contends with new conflicts: the Visual Arts Excellence Award, won by his ex-wife, Mariel Bernabé — played by Ángela Molina — a Peruvian activist critical of contemporary art. Bernabé’s interview in Canvasmagazine, which helped her secure the award, headlines the article that inspired this piece: “The art world is a rotten garbage bag about to explode from its own gases.” Provocative, the phrase works as a metaphor for the accumulation of egos, contradictions, and discourses fermenting within cultural institutions.

By the finale, Dumas’ ex-wife refuses the award, advocating for Latin American indigenous peoples as bearers of authentic art. In a moment of fury and clarity, Dumas — unaware of an open microphone — becomes a fierce critic of the very system he once defended. The irony is unavoidable: the cynic becomes an activist, the opponent of activism transforms into a champion of critical reflection.

Conclusion

Bellas Artes is a refined satire of the cultural circuit. It does more than mock the art world; it exposes how it is traversed by moral dilemmas, inclusion policies, and aesthetics of power. Art is portrayed as social performance, the museum as a mirror of contemporary tensions, and the artist as a figure navigating devotion and marketing.

Ultimately, Bellas Artes shows that the art world is not merely a “garbage bag about to explode,” but a laboratory of creative gases, where beauty and decay coexist under the same roof — the museum as a combustion chamber of human vanity. And while a new season has not yet been officially confirmed, the series’ critical and ironic gaze remains open, ready to continue questioning and satirizing the art world.

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Author Bio:

Lucas Lissa is a journalist specialized in culture. He investigates access to artistic production and develops critical reflections on art in exhibitions, cinema, theater, literature, and series.