Politics, ecology and spirituality are the keywords of the 2023 International Art Biennale | Duty

By: Roxana Jimenez Leon

With a budget of Bs 700,000, the XXII International Art Biennial of Santa Cruz de la Sierra will be held from August 9 to 27 September 2023 in the Urban Park. The announcement of the dates and themes for the artists to present their proposals was presented on the night of Wednesday, October 12 at the Contemporary Art Museum.

For this version, the call is ongoing until March 31, 2023 and national and international artists may participate.. “This year we want artists to be close to visitors,” said Sarita Mansilla, from the Municipal Secretary of Culture and Tourism, who together with Kiosko Galería will be responsible for the biennial.

The curatorship is in charge of Kiosko Gallery, of the outstanding artist Raquel Schwartz. “They organized the latest version and have a lot of experience,” Mansilla pointed out.

Along with the announcement of the biennial, it was also inaugurated the exhibition “Interfered environment” with works by nine artists that accompany the Energy concept, which is the theme of the twenty-second version of the event.

The organizers emphasized that they want the artists to address issues such as environmental problems, the energy crisis and the complex situation in the country. In addition, the modern Bolivian experience as a result of international information flows combined with pre-colonial spiritual beliefs that are still present in the reality of the current context. “This combination leaves the country in the complex dilemma facing economic development, causing as a consequence the destruction of the environment. All this opens up an extensive possibility of reflections on the contemporaneity of society and for that very reason we propose it as a discourse”, indicates the call.

Bolivian and international artists, individual or collective, may participate without any age restriction. Artists must have at least one individual and one collective exhibition on their resume, a requirement that will be verified through catalogues, invitations or other documents that certify it and accompany the registration form. Applications will be accepted electronically in a single file per proposal in PDF format to the following address: [email protected]

Proposals for public sculpture, urban interventions, installation or intervention in non-traditional places, stencil, graffiti, mural or other pictorial medium. Likewise, electronic art, sound art, performance, community social activations or any other type of contemporary creation will be taken into account. They emphasize that on the place or territory only proposals that are located or projected for the Urban Park will be accepted. In that sense, use can be made of the architectural structure and the natural environment.

The requirements are the registration form, images or sketches of the proposal, location of the area of ​​interest in the park (indicate on the map), technical explanation of the assembly, summary of the proposed work (maximum 500 characters) and the professional curriculum of the author or group (maximum 300 characters). In addition to the digital portfolio with 5 to 10 previous works, a detailed budget of the project costs and any additional information that is important for the proposal. All material must be sent digitally until midnight on Friday, March 31, 2023.