“Ten years have passed. The parameters we used to think with are under strain. We are living in a different world; the global scenario has changed. That is why, in the presentation fifth edition of BIENALSUR, we invite ourselves (once again) to ask how to build from uncertainty. How can we work, each from their own position and perspective, for the right to culture, for access, for cultural diversity—how can we contribute to the development of a contemporary humanism?” said Aníbal Jozami and Diana Wechsler, general director and artistic director of BIENALSUR, at the launch of the so-called “in-disciplinary” biennial, which took place in Buenos Aires today, Friday, April 4, with the presence of artists, curators, diplomats, and major figures from government and cultural institutions.
On its tenth anniversary, BIENALSUR reaffirms itself as a platform for exploration and questioning, where art stands as a tool for reflection and transformation—calling for experimentation, debate, and collective construction of new ways of understanding art in the present. BIENALSUR 2025, the world’s most extensive cultural event, will take place from June to December in 73 cities and 133 venues with the participation of over 400 artists. Its unique map will span 19,640 kilometers and will be present in countries other than Argentina, in Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Croatia, Ecuador, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Lebanon, Mexico, Morocco, Netherlands, Norway, Paraguay, Peru, Poland, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, South Africa, Spain, Timor-Leste, Turkey, Uruguay, among others.
Contemporary urgencies lead artists from different latitudes, generations, and contexts to converge around shared concerns. Among the main themes of this new edition are the environment and the ecological crisis, which, from the perspective of contemporary art, are increasingly seen as a complex web of problems and questions affecting every aspect of life. Migrations and visions of possible futures will also be featured. There will also be projects that interrogate community dimensions, questioning social dynamics and proposing alternative options, as well as those revisiting memory, archives, and heritage—offering reinterpretations of histories, among other themes.
The meeting “Building from Uncertainty. For a Contemporary Humanism”, which concludes today and served as the framework for the launch of BIENALSUR 2025, brought together renowned artists and curators such as Marta Minujín (Argentina), Estrella de Diego (Spain), Vik Muniz (Brazil), Xavier Rey (France), Sara Abuabdallah (Saudi Arabia), Dously Jah Gal (Senegal), Tony Amaral (Timor-Leste), Philippe Regnier (France), Nú Barreto (Guinea-Bissau), Lukasz Murzyn (Poland), Lauriane Gricourt (France), among others.
BIENALSUR is organized by a public university in Argentina—Universidad Nacional de Tres de Febrero—and Fundación Foro del Sur, with the support of UNESCO and public and private institutions from around the world.
