Guatemala City · Guatemala
Cuauhtémoc Medina Appointed Curator for Guatemala's 25th Bienal de Arte Paiz
The Mexican scholar takes the helm for the landmark event marking half a century of the founding institution.
A Decisive Appointment for a Historic Platform
The Guatemalan arts landscape has secured a significant appointment ahead of its upcoming flagship exhibition. Cuauhtémoc Medina, a prominent Mexican critic, historian, and curator, will direct the twenty-fifth iteration of the Bienal de Arte Paiz. Scheduled to run between November 2027 and February 2028 across Antigua and Guatemala City, this cycle carries particular weight. It coincides with five decades of operation for the non-profit organisation behind the project, Fundación Paiz, which has consistently nurtured regional creative practices over the past half-century.
Medina arrives with a formidable track record spanning academia, museum leadership, and large-scale international programming. Since 1993, he has maintained a full-time research position within the aesthetic studies department at Mexico's National Autonomous University. His institutional footprint expanded considerably during his tenure as the inaugural associate curator of Latin American holdings at London's Tate Modern, followed by an eleven-year period leading curatorial operations at Mexico City's Museo Universitario Arte Contemporáneo. During that time, he oversaw presentations featuring Carlos Amorales, Jan Hendrix, Ai Weiwei, Beatriz González, and Magali Lara among others.
Interrogating the Biennial Format
Beyond institutional management, Medina has established himself through rigorous scholarship and editorial work, producing approximately twenty publications focused on modern and contemporary practices. His theoretical framework frequently examines artistic production emerging from Latin America and the wider Global South. This intellectual foundation has naturally extended to his curatorial practice, evidenced by his leadership roles at Manifesta 9 in Belgium alongside Katerina Gregos and Dawn Ades, as well as the twelfth Shanghai Biennale in 2018.
Reflecting on the selection, Medina noted the steady evolution of the Guatemalan platform. He highlighted how the initiative's measured scope and dedicated staffing create an ideal environment for experimenting with ambitious conceptual frameworks. The recent cycles have demonstrated a clear trajectory toward greater sophistication, making his involvement a notable milestone for the region. Established in 1978, the gathering ranks as the sixth oldest continuously running exhibition of its kind worldwide and trails only São Paulo within the Americas. Following fifteen competitive phases, the programme transitioned to a commissioned curatorial model in 2008. More recently, the organising body broadened its physical infrastructure by launching a dedicated cultural centre at its urban headquarters, showcasing works drawn from a collection exceeding three hundred pieces. This facility addresses a persistent gap in the national landscape, where publicly funded spaces for modern visual culture remain scarce.
Local Ambitions and Global Resonance
Rather than treating the current cycle as a mere commemoration, leadership intends to utilise the occasion as a catalyst for critical discourse. Executive director Sonia Hurtarte emphasised a desire to examine what such large-scale events ought to achieve when positioned at the intersection of Central American realities and transnational networks. She praised Medina's scholarly detachment and willingness to push the institution beyond conventional boundaries.
For the incoming director, the primary objective involves elevating the profile of both the host nation and the platform itself without sacrificing contextual specificity. He acknowledged the inherent tension between pursuing cosmopolitan visibility and generating meaningful engagement within local communities. This duality reflects broader conversations surrounding mega-exhibitions, which have historically functioned as mechanisms for redistributing artistic authority away from traditional Western hubs. By encouraging creators to operate outside commercial pressures and institutional constraints, these gatherings offer curators a unique opportunity to crystallise critical inquiries into lasting cultural markers.
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