{"id":9152,"date":"2025-11-09T11:41:00","date_gmt":"2025-11-09T16:41:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/expat-times.com\/panama\/?p=9152"},"modified":"2025-11-09T09:18:43","modified_gmt":"2025-11-09T14:18:43","slug":"how-panama-picked-its-2026-venice-biennale-art-ambassadors","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/expat-times.com\/panama\/events-culture\/how-panama-picked-its-2026-venice-biennale-art-ambassadors\/","title":{"rendered":"How Panama Picked Its 2026 Venice Biennale Art Ambassadors"},"content":{"rendered":"

Panama’s Ministry of Culture has chosen the artistic project that will represent the nation at the 61st International Art Exhibition of the Venice Biennale<\/a> in 2026. The winning proposal comes from the collaborative duo Antonio Jose Guzman and Iva Jankovic, selected through an open international competition. This announcement, made on November 7, 2025, confirms the country’s continued participation on one of the world’s most prestigious contemporary art stages.<\/p>\n

A rigorous independent jury reviewed eighty-nine submissions before reaching its final decision. The selection process emphasized principles of openness and institutional transparency, aiming to strengthen the global projection of Panamanian contemporary art.<\/p>\n

Official Endorsement of National Talent<\/h2>\n

Minister of Culture Maria Eugenia Herrera officially confirmed the selection, framing the participation as a consolidated national effort. She highlighted the collaborative nature of the project, which unites public sector institutions with private enterprise to showcase local talent.<\/p>\n

Participating in the Venice Biennale consolidates Panama’s presence on the world’s most relevant platform for contemporary art, Herrera stated. [Translated from Spanish] Our pavilion is a national effort that unites the public sector, cultural institutions, and private enterprise to project Panamanian talent and strengthen our artistic ecosystem.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The minister’s remarks underscore the government’s commitment to leveraging international cultural events for diplomatic and artistic outreach. This will be Panama’s official national presentation at the exhibition.<\/p>\n

A Rigorous International Jury Process<\/h2>\n

An international panel of six distinguished visual arts professionals from Latin America undertook the evaluation. Jurors included independent curator Rossina Cazali from Guatemala, curator and writer Miguel A. Lopez from Peru and Costa Rica, and art critic Gladys Turner Bosso from Panama. The jury also featured Jochen Volz, General Director of the Pinacoteca de Sao Paulo in Brazil, curator Carolina Alvarez Mathies from El Salvador and the United States, and Gianni Bianchini, National Director of Arts for Panama’s Ministry of Culture.<\/p>\n

Each member assessed proposals independently using a standardized rubric. They focused on three primary criteria: conceptual strength and coherence, the artist or collective’s trajectory, and project viability and execution capacity. After submitting individual scores via email, jurors convened for two joint video conference sessions to deliberate and confirm the final selection based on the compiled results.<\/p>\n

The Ministry of Culture’s designated Organizing Committee, which includes the Panama Canal Museum, the City of Knowledge Foundation, and the Art and Culture Foundation, coordinated the entire process. This structure ensured a transparent and merit-based outcome for the high-stakes selection.<\/p>\n

\n
<\/p>\n
\n
<\/div>\n
\n
<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
<\/path><\/g><\/g><\/g><\/svg><\/div>\n
\n
View this post on Instagram<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
\n
\n
<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n
<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n
<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n
<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

A post shared by Liverpool Biennial (@liverpoolbiennial)<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n