GUATEMALA CITY.- The Fundación Paiz para la Educación y la Cultura presents the complete 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]. Unprecedented in scale, ambition, scope, number of artists, and venues diversity, this edition, curated by acclaimed Italian curator Eugenio Viola, Artistic Director of MAMBO (Bogotá Museum of Modern Art), marks a historic milestone. Extending over three months, the Biennial, for the first time, unites artists from all five continents, presenting works in both exhibition spaces and public areas.
Since its founding in 1978, the Paiz Art Biennial has been Central America’s premier contemporary art event, ranking as the world’s sixth-oldest and Latin America’s second-oldest Biennial.
Its 24th edition, The World Tree, draws inspiration from the archetype of the "Tree of Life", central to numerous ancient cosmogonies, including the Mayan tradition, where it connects different layers of existence, bridging the physical, spiritual, and speculative realms.
Reimagined as a multidimensional network, The World Tree ties diverse temporalities and geographies—ancient roots, digital landscapes, psychological depths, and utopian futures —forming a counter-cartography of resistance, resilience, and hope. In an era of global connectivity marred by conflict, displacement, and intolerance, 'The World Tree' positions art as a critical tool to confront these challenges, reframe identity and diversity, and envision inclusive futures.
Artists include: 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*, Tuan Andrew 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)
The World Tree is a project that utilizes 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.
The majority of the works—thirty—are new productions, conceived to engage with the curatorial theme and respond to the historical and architectural contexts of the exhibition sites. The osmosis between exhibition spaces and public areas will enhance collaboration and collective action, examining the contexts in which people interact.
Eugenio Viola reflects: “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 an interconnected network—a fluid cartography of human relations, social bonds, and cultural exchanges. It 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.”
A highlight of the 24th Biennial is its dialogue between contemporary art and Mayan archaeology, organized in collaboration with the Ruta Maya Foundation. Pre-Hispanic sculptures, 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 enrich the curatorial narrative, honoring the cyclical nature of Maya cosmology.
A bilingual (Spanish/English) catalog, edited by Viola and published by Temblores Publicaciones, will accompany the Biennial. Details of the extensive Public and learning programs, as well as preview days, will be announced in October.
