Cuauhtémoc Medina To Curate 25Th Bienal De Arte Paiz

(MENAFN- USA Art News) The Bienal de Arte Paiz in Guatemala has named Mexican critic, curator, and historian Cuauhtémoc Medina as the curator for its 25th edition. This milestone event, which will mark the 50th anniversary of the organizing body, Fundación Paiz, is scheduled to run from November 2027 to February 2028 across Antigua and Guatemala City.

Medina brings extensive experience from academic and museum roles, as well as the global biennial circuit. Since 1993, he has been a full-time researcher at the Instituto de Investigaciones Estéticas at the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (Unam). He served as Tate Modern's first associate curator of Latin American art collections from 2002 to 2008. From 2013 to 2024, Medina was the chief curator at Mexico City's Museo Universitario Arte Contemporáneo (Muac), where he organized exhibitions for artists such as Carlos Amorales, Jan Hendrix, Ai Weiwei, Beatriz González, and Magali Lara.

Renowned for his academic rigor, Medina has authored or edited approximately 20 books on contemporary art. His work often theorizes the condition of art from the Global South and Latin America. Internationally, he was the head curator of Manifesta 9 in Genk, Belgium, in 2012, collaborating with Katerina Gregos and Dawn Ades. In 2018, he held the role of chief curator for the 12th Shanghai Biennale.

Medina expressed his connection to the event, telling The Art Newspaper:“The Paiz Biennial is an event that those of us in Latin American art circuits follow closely, not only because of its longevity but also because of the important colleagues who have led it and the artists who have contributed memorable works.” He added,“Its medium scale and the commitment of the Fundación and its staff have made it conducive to testing advanced ideas. I am aware that the most recent editions have stood out for their growing ambition, and it is a great honour to have been considered to shape the 25th edition.”

Established in 1978, the Bienal de Arte Paiz is the sixth-oldest biennial globally and the second-oldest in Latin America, surpassed only by São Paulo. It transitioned from its initial 15 contest-based editions to a curated format in 2008. More recently, Fundación Paiz expanded its local presence by opening the Centro Cultural Fundación Paiz within its Guatemala City headquarters during the biennial's 24th edition. This venue showcases works from the Fundación's collection of over 300 pieces alongside temporary projects, providing a crucial exhibition space in a country that currently lacks a public contemporary art museum.

The upcoming 25th edition aims to critically examine the biennial's role. Sonia Hurtarte, the executive director of Fundación Paiz, stated:“At 50, we are not interested in simply celebrating the biennial's longevity. We want to question what a biennial can and should do today, particularly when it speaks from Guatemala and Central America to an international art world.” She noted that Medina provides“the intellectual rigour and curatorial independence to challenge us in that process.”

Medina sees the challenge in highlighting Guatemala's and the biennial's global significance, while also broadening the event's audience and intellectual impact. He described it as“a complex challenge, as it must be an event that aspires to cosmopolitan relevance and localised effects.”

Reflecting on the broader role of biennials, Medina observed:“I am aware of the role these mega-exhibitions have played in decentring the geography of global art and in encouraging the production of works that escape the determining forces of localised cultures and the limitations of specific institutions, markets and consensuses.” He concluded that for a curator, it is both“the challenge and the opportunity to transform a question or critique into a mark in time.”

We previously reported:

Guatemala's Museo de Arte Colonial will reopen after a court-ordered raid in December 2025 led to its closure and the relocation of 287 artworks.

The Smithsonian board is set to decide by August 31 on housing the Latino Museum in the Arts and Industries Building, bypassing Congress.

Source: The Art Newspaper

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