IBA Stage: 24th Bienal de Arte Paiz – Eugenio Viola

24th Bienal Arte de Paiz Curator Eugenio Viola. Photo Credit: Gregorio Díaz.

IBA Stage: 24th Bienal de Arte Paiz – Introducing Eugenio Viola

Friday, 23 January 2026
9:30AM CST
https://fundacionpaiz.org.gt/bap/eng/

Eugenio Viola

Curator of the 24th Bienal de Arte Paiz
Artistic Director, MAMBO – Museo de Arte Moderno de Bogotá

We are pleased to introduce Eugenio Viola, curator of the 24th Bienal de Arte Paiz and one of the guests of the first IBA Stage session of 2026.

An Italian art critic and curator, Eugenio Viola has developed an internationally recognised practice grounded in performance, bodily poetics, and the political dimensions of artistic experience. His curatorial work, spanning more than two decades, moves fluidly across geographies, institutional contexts, and disciplinary boundaries, intertwining exhibition-making, research, and pedagogy.

Viola holds a PhD in Methods and Methodologies of Archaeological and Historical-Artistic Research from the University of Salerno and has curated exhibitions worldwide over the span of his carreer. Among his most prominent projects are the Italian Pavilion at the 59th Venice Biennale (2022) and the Estonian Pavilion at the 56th Venice Biennale (2015). He is currently Artistic Director of Museo de Arte Moderno de Bogotá (MAMBO), where his program has foregrounded urgent artistic practices from Latin America and beyond.

At the time of his appointment to the Bienal de Arte Paiz Viola stated:

“I am humbled and honored to have been selected as the curator of the 24th Bienal de Arte Paiz in Guatemala, which holds a significant place in the Mesoamerican and Latin American artistic landscapes, with resonance in the broader international context. In an increasingly interconnected yet fragmented world, art is a powerful medium to reflect, challenge, and inspire. It can offer different perspectives on reality, presenting alternative views to the contradictions of our contemporary era. Art can promote inclusivity, creating bridges between distant universes to reconnect and reconcile different perspectives, cultures, and times. With these ideas in mind, I envision a polyphonic, inclusive, and participatory project. It will resonate with the complex web of languages, religions, cultures, and historical perspectives that shape our globalized society while engaging with Guatemala’s rich and multicultural artistic ecosystem, which I have already had the privilege of experiencing throughout my career. I am sincerely grateful to the selection committee for entrusting me with this role and believing in my abilities. I am committed to approaching this prestigious nomination with the highest ethical awareness and responsibility while upholding the esteemed legacy of the Biennial and contributing to its future.”

Born in Naples in 1975, Viola has held key curatorial positions across Europe, Australia, and Latin America. Prior to joining MAMBO, he served as Senior Curator at Perth Institute of Contemporary Arts (PICA) (2017–2019), where he curated the first Australian institutional exhibitions of artists such as Kimsooja, Amalia Pica, and Cassils. Earlier, at MADRE Museum in Naples (2009–2016), he curated major retrospectives and landmark exhibitions, including projects with Boris Mikhailov, Francis Alÿs, and a complex site-specific intervention by Daniel Buren.

Viola’s curatorial collaborations extend across a wide range of international institutions, with exhibitions dedicated to artists including Marina Abramović, Regina José Galindo, Giulia Cenci, Su Hui-Yu, Mark Raidpere, ORLAN, Karol Radziszewski, and Francesco Jodice, among many others. He has edited more than sixty catalogues and publications and is a member of IKT and CIMAM.

At the 24th Bienal de Arte Paiz, Viola has shaped what is widely considered the most extensive edition in the Bienal’s history, positioning The World Tree (El Árbol del Mundo) as a platform for dialogue between contemporary artistic practices, Maya cosmology, archaeological heritage, and present-day sociopolitical realities. His work on the Bienal unfolds in parallel with a broader institutional transformation at Fundación Paiz, reinforcing the Bienal’s role as both La Bienal de Guatemala and a key point of reference within international biennial ecologies.

Eugenio Viola will be in conversation with Sonia Hurtarte, Executive Director of Fundación Paiz (IBA Board Member), during the first IBA Stage session of 2026, offering a close look into his curatorial vision and how this dovetailed the ambitions of the biennial in its 24th edition.

To have the possibility to hear and discuss with the individuals behind biennials has been a key component of what we believe IBA can offer to our members and the wider public and we value your participation through our live streams. As always IBA Stage events are meant as a moment to hear about a project through its makers and have the opportunity to participate in a Q&A session at the end of the presentation.

Register here for the event!