SACO International Biennial of Contemporary Art

SACO Corporación is on its mission to transform the Antofagasta region in the north of Chile, an area known for its practice of extracting copper and lithium. At the same time, it is characterized by limited options for studying and for professional artistic training, as well as the lack of art museums. For this reason, the aim of the biennial is to establish this place as a center for permanent thinking, criticism and dialogue through the exhibition of works of art.
Museo sin museo (Museum without museum) is one of the exhibition circuits, where places not designed for these purposes are used as spaces for exhibition, learning and dialogue. Likewise, School without school (Escuela sin escuela) is a pedagogical program that combines several training and professionalization activities in the field of the arts using technology. Finally, it promotes residencies, artistic projects in the territory, collaborations with industrial and scientific communities, astronomical observatories, studies of native cosmovisions, among others.
This year's edition of the biennial features 28 exhibitions, interventions in open spaces and works by 73 artists from 25 countries. The biennial is present in different areas, for example, in shopping malls, different institutions, cultural centers, universities and museums. In 2023 two sites of detention, such as the Centro Penitenciario Femenino (CPF) in Antofagasta, were joined together. These spaces allow different types of dialogues and resulted in collective creations by artists and residents.
The 13 exhibition spaces will be open until September 14. Access is free and details can be found at: https://bienalsaco.com/ and on the organization's social media.