The Fundación Paiz para la Educación y la Cultura [Paiz Foundation for Education and Culture] unveils the full list of the 46 participants and collectives, as well as the 11 venues, for the 24th edition of the Bienal de Arte Paiz, titled The World Tree [El Árbol del Mundo].
For the first time ever, the Bienal de Arte Paiz brings together artists from all five continents. Curated by the renowned Italian art critic and curator Eugenio Viola, Artistic Director of the Museo de Arte Moderno de Bogotá (MAMBO) in Colombia, this 24th edition has been extended on an unprecedented scale in terms of ambition, scope, number of artists, with works presented across both exhibition venues and public spaces. Among further key developments is its extension to three months, representing another milestone in the biennale’s history. Highlights of the 24th edition include a dialogue between contemporary art, pieces of Mayan archaeology, and works from the Paiz Collection, as well as the launch of a meticulouslycrafted VIP and professional preview program spanning two full days. Complementing the exhibitions are parallel activities developed in collaboration with local institutions and entities such as the Ruta Maya, the Anthropology Congress, and the Gastronomic Route, inviting audiences to experience both the Biennale and Guatemalan culture from multiple perspectives.
As a trailblazer in the promotion and development of art in Central America, the Bienal de Arte Paiz has been the region’s most prominent contemporary art event since its inception in 1978, making it the sixth oldest Biennial in the world and the second oldest in Latin America.
Curated by Eugenio Viola, The World Tree is a project spread across eleven different historical venues between the two cities of Guatemala City and Antigua Guatemala, that draws inspiration from the vast symbolism associated with the “Tree of Life,” an archetypal myth central to many ancient traditions. In Maya cosmogony, “The World Tree” is a fundamental symbol that represents the structure of the universe and the connection between different levels of existence.
Shifting from ancient cosmogonies to the present, The World Tree serves as a powerful image for exploring and questioning the various layers of reality. The “arboreal metaphor” represents how different parts of our society are interconnected and how issues in one area can affect the entire system. It visualizes the relationships between foundational issues, their structural manifestations, and the diverse experiences that comprise the personal stories, thoughts, and aspirations of people within the society.
The full list of 46 participating artists includes both eminent and emerging Guatemalan and international figures: Maria José Arjona* / Kader Attia / Sonia Barrett / Patricia Belli* / Erick Boror* / Seba Calfuqueo* / Jeff Cán* / Tania Candiani* / Ali Cherri / Diego Cibelli* / Maria Adela Díaz* / Adji Dieye* / Elyla* / Naufus Ramírez-Figueroa / Regina José Galindo*/ Ana Gallardo in collaboration with María Us* / Ximena Garrido-Lecca / Igor Grubić * / Dor Guez* / D Harding* / Voluspa Jarpa* / Alevtina Kakhidze / Kimsooja / Kite*/ Glenda León / Jorge De León* / Luz Lizarazo* / Carlos Martiel* / Oscar Murillo / Plano Negativo* / Maria Nepomuceno* / TuanAndrew Nguyen / Chelsea Odufu* / ORLAN / Antonio Pichillá / Verónica Riedel* / Christian Salablanca* / Jaanus Samma / Mithu Sen* / Hiraki Sawa / Balam Soto* / Jennifer Tee* / Gian Maria Tosatti */ Simón Vega* / Martín Wannam / Zhang Xu Zhan.
* New productions, presented for the first time at the 24th Bienal de Arte Paiz.
The World Tree is a project conceived as a multilayered, interconnected system that implies a decentralized, non-hierarchical narrative to challenge conventional geopolitical frameworks, while forging connections across cultural genealogies from Meso and Latin America, the Caribbean, Africa and its diaspora, Europe, the Middle East, Asia, and Oceania.
In an era marked by paradox—where global connectivity coexists with rising intolerance—The World Tree serves as a counter-cartography of resistance, resilience, and regeneration. It presents multiple perspectives within the intricate web of languages, religions, cultures, and histories that shape our globalized society, confronting contemporary tensions, challenging historical narratives, and infusing hope into our collective future.
Eugenio Viola, General Curator of the 24th Bienal de Arte Paiz, comments: “Similar to the synaptic cartography of the ‘dendritic tree’ in neuroscience, which maps the complex connections within neural networks, ‘The World Tree’ opens up a constellation of voices, reimagined as a synaptic map, which visualizes our society as a dynamic, interconnected network—a fluid cartography of human relations, social bonds, and cultural exchanges. ‘The World Tree’ connects different realms of existence, and various times and experiences—the horizontal and the vertical, the ancestral and the present, the collective and the individual, the ephemeral and the utopian, rupture and regeneration—inviting us to recognize how exchanges and mutual influences shape our experiences and perspectives.”
The World Tree activates a range of historic and public venues, as well as impressive urban environments. Some of these have traditionally served as exhibition spaces for the Bienal de Arte Paiz, while others are participating for the first time. Most of the works in the Biennial—thirty—are new productions: large-scale and environmental installations conceived to engage with the curatorial theme and to respond to the historical and architectural characteristics of the exhibition sites, enabling a dynamic interaction between the artworks and their surroundings.
The close relationship between the internal exhibition spaces and external public areas enhances proposals that prioritize collaboration and collective action. This is evident in the works of artists such as María Adela Díaz, María José Arjona, Verónica Riedel, Jeff Cán, Diego Cibelli, Carlos Martiel, Mithu Sen, Sonia Barrett, Oscar Murillo, and Maria Nepomuceno, among others. Their oeuvres explore the contexts in which people live and interact, emphasizing the significance of communal experiences and storytelling in public spaces.
The 24th Bienal de Arte Paiz is enriched with the inclusion of various pre-Hispanic archaeological Mayan art pieces, presented in collaboration with the Ruta Maya Foundation. This selection includes sculptures, monuments, figurines, incense burners, belt adornments, urns, and masks from the Early Classic (150/200–650 AD), Classic (150/200–900 AD), and Late Classic (650–900 AD) periods. Displayed in dynamic dialogue with contemporary works, these archaeological pieces create a powerful meta-temporal collision between different planes of reality: past and present, myth and reality. They pay homage to the cyclical nature of Maya cosmology and complement the concept of “The World Tree” as a project that transcends time and celebrates the cultural roots of Mesoamerica.
The World Tree also presents, in dialogue with the Biennial, a selection of works that entered the Fundación Paiz collection through previous editions of the event’s acquisition prizes. These pieces, created by artists such as Javier Azurdia, César Barrios, Santiago Beltrán, Lourdes De la Riva, Carlos Fanjul, John Hilton, Aníbal López, Sandra Monterroso, Paula Nicho, Ángel Poyón, Isabel Ruiz, Pablo Swezey, and Vinicio Villagrán, represent a key stage in the history of the Biennial. Their aesthetic approaches and themes engage with the Biennial’s concept, building on the continuity and depth of its vision.
The 24th Bienal de Arte Paiz consolidates its role as a cultural leader in Mesoamerica and on the international stage, reaffirming Fundación Paiz’s commitment to art as a driver of reflection and transformation. This edition, extended on an unprecedented scale, highlights the commitment andcontinuity of a vision that has fostered critical dialogues and deep cultural connections for close to half a century, positioning the Biennial as a significant space for change and global relevance.
A full-color bilingual catalog (Spanish/English), edited by Eugenio Viola, will be published by Temblores Publicaciones (Mexico City). It will include critical essays by Eugenio Viola; Waseem Syed, Curator of the Paiz Foundation; and Sofia Paredes, Curator of the Ruta Maya. The catalog will also feature a wide range of illustrations and critical contributions about the artists participating in the 24th Bienal de Arte Paiz.
Press release from the Fundación Paiz
Image: Tuan Andrew Nguyen. City of Ghosts (study 1). 2023. Single-channel video installation, color, sound. 14:30 min. Image courtesy of the artist and James Cohan, New York
