From September 30 to December 15 at the Pier | Marcio Harum

Marcio Harum

Two years after the social uprising, it is wonderful to notice the course of a new biennial in Chile and, what is more remarkable, outside the country´s capital. In Antofagasta, indeed, the mining epicenter par excellence. As a Brazilian coming from a political reality that swept away the Ministry of Culture in 2019, it’s fascinating to witness the scene where this biennial arise, with the Mapuche academic Elisa Loncon chairing the Constitutional Assembly in charge of writing the new constitution and Gabriel Boric being the president of the country. All these amid the COVID-19 pandemic managed by the Ministry of Health.

SACO1.0 Contemporary Art Biennial included the participation of artists from 15 countries, distributed in 12 venues, and 14 free exhibitions intended to discuss this desertic region alongside the Pacific Ocean in the north of Chile as a place for artistic creation, experimentation, research, visibility, circulation, and legitimacy. The biennial´s first edition pays homage to the memories of reconstruction after the 1991 flood when 30 years ago, one hundred people lost their lives due to this natural catastrophe provoked by El Niño, a predecessor of the climate change phenomenon. Artists from 15 countries, distributed in 12 venues, and 14 free exhibitions intended to discuss this desertic region alongside the Pacific Ocean as a place for artistic creation, experimentation, research, visibility, circulation, and legitimacy.

The Melbourne Clark Historic Pier, a port facility linked to saltpeter exportation and the Pacific War conflict between Bolivia and Chile (1879-1883), was Flood’s heart. All the mud from the tragedy slid down from the hills into the sea, arriving there. The seven site-specific works selected were part of an open call announced during 2021 first semester. SACO nominated an international jury for choosing the open-space exhibition proposals closer to the concept of flood, with a sense of update to the current pandemic scale. We decided on the projects from seven artists: Dominium by Aimée Joaristi (Cuba-Costa Rica), The Day After the Flood by Carolina Cherubini (Brazil), When the Earth Speaks by Julio Palacio (Venezuela-Spain), TILT by Marina Liesegang (Brazil), Media-aguas by Martina Mella (Chile), Simulated Security de Miguel Sifuentes (Mexico) and Flood Doesn’t Have Borders by Rita Doris Ubah (Nigeria).

In pandemic times, the collective installation outdoors became a space of relationships, collaboration, and interchange. It was similar to the solidarity among the community members who strengthened ties after a catastrophe. The exhibition at the pier alludes to a devastated home that is starting to recover its shape: the works on display raise enlightening critics to the market system and the security resources of the material goods we rely on when living in urban centers. The recovery spirit that appears the day after a disaster is also present in some of the

works. The different perspectives to approach the natural and urban landscape, like a change of status or sensitive re-positioning, also appear in the dialog between the pieces. The perception of the passing of time and the artistic paradigms in the face of life events are entirely in line with this maritime location surrounded by sea lions.

The unique character of SACO1.0 Biennial resides in promoting the occupation of non-artistic spaces aiming to boost a cultural advance in the region. The biennial contributes to widening the scope for the local production of culture, searching for the balance between the outdoor exhibition and climate-controlled rooms specially conditioned for the projection of moving images.

In the era we live in, this kind of artistic platform brings an open and trustworthy dialog for meeting again around multiple voices, places and origins, leaving behind recent traumas due to confinement. The open space, the sound of the sea, the blue sky, the birds flying, and the heat of the desert sun over the Pacific Ocean are the best examples of that.