The Biennial is On

The Biennial of the Americas, now happening in various locations throughout Denver, is more about voice than art.

Walking through the McNichols Building in Civic Center Park, Paola Santoscoy, the curator for this portion of the biennial, pontificates on not just the instillation pieces that fill the historic building but of the perspectives they represent. The petit brunette from Mexico has created quite a collection of view points and visions, and they take over the spaces of the building effortlessly.

The 2010 Biennial of the Americas is described as an international exhibit celebrating culture, art and ideas of the Western Hemisphere. It’s invading Denver for the entire month of July, and museums and cultural venues around the area are taking part; international leaders will also gather for roundtables on relevant issues like poverty, the environment and education. Heck, even local restaurants are adding special “biennial menu options.”

It’s all for the sake of opening up dialogue about American (North, South and Central) life and culture.

At the McNichols Building, just days before the opening of the exhibition there, things were still coming together. Though, you still get a sense of the final product. Artists were finalizing their pieces and Paola passionately described each of the pieces and their messages—some about their ideas of the future, others about their criticism of American way of life or the media, some simply about light or change.

One young Peruvian woman, on hands and knees, placed pennies—one by one—on the floor, creating a carpet of gleaming copper. Another piece shows a row of shovels made from recycle guns that were found in Mexico and a video showing the project in process.

For more information: biennialoftheamericas.org.