WHERE IS ART CRITICISM? VERONICA PESANTES-VALLEJO ON DEPTH AND CRITICAL ENGAGEMENT IN MIAMI AND BEYOND
- 7 days ago
- 2 min read
This year the Bienal de Cuenca, the country’s premier international art event, celebrated its 40th anniversary with a thematic twist. Under the title The Game, the 17th edition opened on 24 October in the Andean city of Cuenca, a UNESCO World Heritage site perched more than 2,000 metres above sea level.
Co‑authored by Verónica Pesantes and Charmaine Picard, the Art Newspaper review highlights how the 2025 biennial offered a counterpoint to commercial art fairs by spotlighting artists and curators from the Global South, prioritizing social and political concerns over market‑driven priorities.
Rather than appoint a single artistic director, the Bienal invited 17 internationally acclaimed curators to participate, each selecting three artists—at least one from Ecuador—resulting in 51 projects spread across museums, botanical gardens, the airport and even a 16th‑century convent. Executive director Hernán Pacurucu, appointed in 2023, emphasized public access through programs like “Open Doors” and art kiosks around the country.
The opening ceremony itself set a reflective tone. Carmen Vicente, an Ecuadorian artist and medicine woman, led a traditional Andean ritual honoring Pachamama (Mother Earth). Her installation Infinite Steps—a procession of walking sticks adorned with doll‑like figures—won this year’s acquisition prize. Vicente created the work in response to the devastating impact of COVID‑19 in Ecuador, memorializing lives lost.
Other standout presentations came from curators Gerardo Mosquera (Cuba), Virginia Roy (Spain/Mexico) and Justo Pastor Mellado (Chile), who used play as a lens to probe themes of death, power and institutional control. Mosquera’s exhibition La Noche Bella no Deja Dormir paired painting, sound and literature to reflect on mortality and collective memory. Roy’s Lo lúdico como potencia política invited visitors to navigate a labyrinth of 26,000 resin‑cast crabs by the Ecuadorian artist Darwin Guerrero, while works by Francis Alÿs and Ana Gallardo explored childhood games and the harsh realities faced by child assassins.
Local artists also received recognition. The Quito‑based Pamela Suasti, collaborating with Dominican curator Ezequiel Taveras, transformed salvaged office documents into sculpted forms for Archive of a Gesture, winning the Paris Prize for a residency in France. Meanwhile, Teo Monsalve’s Neotropical Futurism project fused Andean mythology with science fiction to imagine hybrid futures.
Despite the rich content, the review notes logistical shortcomings. Visitors complained about the lack of maps and orientation, and artists felt the opening weekend failed to facilitate meaningful dialogue because curators were whisked away to a conference. These critiques serve as reminders that even established biennials must balance ambition with organization.
