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| Bienal de Arte Contemporáneo de Santiago | |
|---|---|
| Name | Bienal de Arte Contemporáneo de Santiago |
| Native name | Bienal de Arte Contemporáneo de Santiago |
| Location | Santiago, Chile |
| Founded | 1990s |
| First | 1990s |
| Frequency | Biennial |
| Director | Various |
Bienal de Arte Contemporáneo de Santiago is an international contemporary art biennial held in Santiago, Chile, that mobilizes artists, curators, institutions, and audiences across Latin America and beyond. The event has intersected with the dynamics of the Museum of Contemporary Art (Santiago), Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes (Chile), Centro Cultural Palacio La Moneda, and independent spaces associated with figures from the Latin American art scene such as Roberto Matta, Leandro Erlich, Cecilia Vicuña, Nicolás Guillén, and institutions like Fundación Telefónica Chile, Consejo Nacional de la Cultura y las Artes. It functions as a nexus connecting networks rooted in Santiago, Valparaíso, Buenos Aires, São Paulo, Mexico City, and New York City.
The biennial emerged amid the cultural shifts after the 1988 Chilean national plebiscite and during reinvigoration of institutions such as Museo Arqueológico de Santiago and initiatives tied to the Cultural Center of Spain in Santiago. Early editions referenced international models including the Venice Biennale, São Paulo Art Biennial, Documenta, and programs at the Tate Modern and MoMA. Directors and contributors have included curators trained at Universidad de Chile, alumni of Pontifical Catholic University of Chile, and collaborators from the National Gallery (London), Centre Pompidou, Museo Reina Sofía, and Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum. Historical editions responded to regional events like the Concertación administrations, debates around the Pinochet dictatorship, and transnational dialogues with artists connected to Peru, Colombia, Brazil, Argentina, Cuba, Spain, France, and the United Kingdom.
The biennial has been overseen by a rotating directorate comprising representatives from the Ministry of Cultures, Arts and Heritage (Chile), municipal agencies such as the Municipality of Santiago, and independent foundations including Fundación Andes, Corporación Cultural de Las Condes, and private patrons like collections from Colección Patricia Phelps de Cisneros. Governance structures have engaged advisory committees with members from Harvard University, Universidad Católica de Chile, curators affiliated with International Council of Museums (ICOM), and policy input linked to cultural accords with the European Union and bilateral collaborations with the British Council. Partnerships frequently involved galleries such as Galería Patricia Ready, Galería Animal, and collectors connected to Museo de Arte Contemporáneo (MAC) networks.
Each edition sets a thematic framework that connects to discourses advanced by biennials such as Istanbul Biennial, Gwangju Biennale, Sharjah Biennial, and the Liverpool Biennial. Past themes referenced topics associated with migration, memory politics, urbanism, and environmental crisis while invoking thinkers and institutions like Walter Benjamin, Hannah Arendt, Boaventura de Sousa Santos, Latin American Council of Social Sciences (CLACSO), and artists from Chile and the Andes. Notable editions featured special projects curated in dialogue with the Getty Research Institute, the Smithsonian Institution, Bauhaus Archive, and exhibitions that linked to the archives of Pablo Neruda and the papers of Violeta Parra.
The biennial has presented work by internationally recognized figures such as Rirkrit Tiravanija, Doris Salcedo, Olafur Eliasson, Ai Weiwei, Cildo Meireles, Gabriel Orozco, Tania Bruguera, Marina Abramović, Anish Kapoor, Damián Ortega, Adriana Varejão, Yayoi Kusama, Kara Walker, Marta Minujín, Miquel Barceló, and regional contributors like Iván Navarro, Alfredo Jaar, Lotty Rosenfeld, Catalina Bauer, Ingrid Wildi, Leonor Antunes, Isidoro Valcárcel Medina, and Joaquín Rojas. Curatorial teams have included curators associated with Okwui Enwezor, Hans Ulrich Obrist, Massimiliano Gioni, Elena Filipovic, Atelier Precarity, and local curators educated at Escuela de Bellas Artes (Universidad de Chile) and the Universidad de Artes, Ciencias y Comunicación.
Exhibitions have been staged in landmark venues such as the Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes (Chile), Museo de Arte Contemporáneo (Santiago), Centro Cultural La Moneda, Estación Mapocho, Parque Forestal, and alternative spaces including Galería Gabriela Mistral (GAM), Espacio Fundación Telefónica, Matucana 100, Teatro Municipal de Santiago, and site-specific projects in neighborhoods like Barrio Lastarria, Bellavista, and port settings in Valparaíso. Satellite programs extended to institutions such as Museo de Arte Moderno de Bogotá, Museo Tamayo, Museo de Arte de Lima, and artist-run spaces in Córdoba (Argentina).
Alongside exhibitions, the biennial runs public programs featuring conferences with scholars from Universidad de Chile, panels with critics from Artforum, Flash Art, and ArtReview, workshops led by artists associated with Frankfurt Städelschule, education initiatives with Biblioteca Nacional de Chile, and residency exchanges with Cité internationale des arts and the British Council Residency Program. Parallel events included film series curated in collaboration with Festival de Cine de Valdivia, performances timed with Santiago a Mil, and biennial publications produced with partners like Editorial Anagrama and university presses including Universidad de Santiago de Chile.
Critics and scholars from journals such as Biennale Magazine, Third Text, Res Publica, and commentators at El Mercurio (Chile), La Tercera, and The Guardian have debated the biennial's role in shaping market trajectories linked to Art Basel circuits and collectors frequenting fairs like Art Basel Miami Beach and Zona Maco. Impact assessments cite collaborations with educational institutions like Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile and cultural diplomacy outcomes involving the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Chile), while reception has ranged from acclaim by curators at Museum of Modern Art to critique from activists tied to Indigenous Mapuche cultural movements and community organizations in Santiago Province.
Category:Art biennials