BiennialJune 12, 2021
15th Cuenca Biennial, Ecuador
The Cuenca Biennial Foundation, directed by Ecuadorian artist and curator Katya Cazar, plans to open the 15th edition in December 2021.
The 15th Cuenca Biennial, curated by art historian, critic, and curator Blanca de la Torre, will be titled "Biocene Biennial. Change green for blue", proposing a sustainable biennial. It will be developed along three axes: Ancestral and traditional knowledge; critical ecofeminism or ecofeminisms; and futuristic scenarios.
These approaches will address some of the problems derived from social instability and imbalances generated by climate change and the ecological problems caused by anthropogenic action.
The curatorial proposal will be aligned with the methodologies and modes of production to reinforce the solidity of the project and open the door to the exploration for more ethical forms of consumption. To this end, a series of guidelines will be established, taking care of the carbon footprint throughout the project. The shipping of the works will be reduced to a minimum, avoiding the use of air transport, prioritizing the use of local materials and environmentally friendly processes, reusing materials and exhibition devices, and applying as much as possible the R's (reduce, reuse, recycle, repair and recover).
The Cuenca Biennial will be held in five venues and will feature 34 artists and 33 projects. The shortlist includes Karina Aguilera Skvirsky (Ecuador), Maria Thereza Alvez (Brazil), Eugenio Ampudia (Spain), Vasco Araújo (Portugal), Augusto Ballardo (Peru), Ana Teresa Barboza (Peru), Ursula Biemann (Switzerland), Rossella Biscotti (Italy), Tania Candiani (Mexico), Carolina Caycedo (England/Colombia), Elizabeth Cerviño (Cuba), Pamela Cevallos (Ecuador), Juana Córdova (Ecuador), Natalia Espinosa (Ecuador), Regina José Galindo (Guatemala), Basia Irland (United States), Fabiano Kueva (Ecuador), Glenda León (Cuba), Cristina Lucas (Spain), Mary Mattingly (United States), Rosell Meseguer (Spain), Asunción Molinos Gordo (Spain), Amor Muñoz (Mexico), Sandra Nakamura (Peru), Nohemí Pérez (Colombia), Marjetica Potrč (Slovenia), Wilfredo Prieto (Cuba), Paúl Rosero (Ecuador), Avelino Sala and Eugenio Merino (Spain), Adán Vallecillo (Honduras), Marie Velardi (Switzerland), Cristian Villavicencio (Ecuador), and Juan Zamora (Spain).
The selected projects will dialogue with the city, also a key protagonist of the biennial. The Andean city of Cuenca, surrounded by water through its four rivers, shielded by the El Cajas mountain, water source, and biosphere reserve of the world -according to UNESCO-. It is a privileged city at 2330 meters above sea level and less than 200 kilometers from the Pacific Ocean, a World Cultural Heritage Site (UNESCO) that becomes a laboratory of contemporary art.
The 15th Cuenca Biennial, curated by art historian, critic, and curator Blanca de la Torre, will be titled "Biocene Biennial. Change green for blue", proposing a sustainable biennial. It will be developed along three axes: Ancestral and traditional knowledge; critical ecofeminism or ecofeminisms; and futuristic scenarios.
These approaches will address some of the problems derived from social instability and imbalances generated by climate change and the ecological problems caused by anthropogenic action.
The curatorial proposal will be aligned with the methodologies and modes of production to reinforce the solidity of the project and open the door to the exploration for more ethical forms of consumption. To this end, a series of guidelines will be established, taking care of the carbon footprint throughout the project. The shipping of the works will be reduced to a minimum, avoiding the use of air transport, prioritizing the use of local materials and environmentally friendly processes, reusing materials and exhibition devices, and applying as much as possible the R's (reduce, reuse, recycle, repair and recover).
The Cuenca Biennial will be held in five venues and will feature 34 artists and 33 projects. The shortlist includes Karina Aguilera Skvirsky (Ecuador), Maria Thereza Alvez (Brazil), Eugenio Ampudia (Spain), Vasco Araújo (Portugal), Augusto Ballardo (Peru), Ana Teresa Barboza (Peru), Ursula Biemann (Switzerland), Rossella Biscotti (Italy), Tania Candiani (Mexico), Carolina Caycedo (England/Colombia), Elizabeth Cerviño (Cuba), Pamela Cevallos (Ecuador), Juana Córdova (Ecuador), Natalia Espinosa (Ecuador), Regina José Galindo (Guatemala), Basia Irland (United States), Fabiano Kueva (Ecuador), Glenda León (Cuba), Cristina Lucas (Spain), Mary Mattingly (United States), Rosell Meseguer (Spain), Asunción Molinos Gordo (Spain), Amor Muñoz (Mexico), Sandra Nakamura (Peru), Nohemí Pérez (Colombia), Marjetica Potrč (Slovenia), Wilfredo Prieto (Cuba), Paúl Rosero (Ecuador), Avelino Sala and Eugenio Merino (Spain), Adán Vallecillo (Honduras), Marie Velardi (Switzerland), Cristian Villavicencio (Ecuador), and Juan Zamora (Spain).
The selected projects will dialogue with the city, also a key protagonist of the biennial. The Andean city of Cuenca, surrounded by water through its four rivers, shielded by the El Cajas mountain, water source, and biosphere reserve of the world -according to UNESCO-. It is a privileged city at 2330 meters above sea level and less than 200 kilometers from the Pacific Ocean, a World Cultural Heritage Site (UNESCO) that becomes a laboratory of contemporary art.
