The Fundación Paiz para la Educación y la Cultura created in 1978 the Bienal de Arte Paiz (BAP) with the objective of improving and stimulating Guatemalan art. The Biennale was established to promote a platform for exhibiting and promoting local artists abroad, as well as to consolidate the visual arts scene in the country. The BAP’s focus is to be an illustrative critical mirror, reflecting social concerns through art, thus becoming a space of discussion and reconfiguration of proposals and tendencies.
The Bienal is an international event that takes place every two years. It consists of several large format art exhibitions. Local and international artists are selected to participate with works of contemporary production (photographs, paintings, performances, installations, sculptures, videos, interventions on public spaces, etc.); becoming points of interest by displaying the most advanced and representative samples of each country in order to generate controversy, discussion, analysis and theoretical debates around contemporary art, and having a dialogue with the themes selected by the curators.
Vision
Since 2006, the Biennale focuses entirely on contemporary art and it is the only space in the country that has a wide enough range to showcase national and international artists in a context of global dialogue. The accompaniment of a team of curators devoted to spread this work to a wider audience makes this possible. Therefore, by becoming a platform for the display, creation and promotion of local art production, the Bienal de Arte Paiz became the most relevant visual arts event in Guatemala.
The incorporation of international artists in the XVII edition of the Biennale “Seeing Is Believing”, gave a substantial curatorial turn to the history and nature of the event. This decision, whose main goal was to position the Biennale globally, allowed Guatemala to connect with the world of international art.
Every two years, the Biennale welcomes at least 40,000 visitors that enjoy the exhibitions at no cost for one month in all venues simultaneously. The BAP offers a great opportunity for Guatemalans to interact with contemporary art and to reflect upon the issues proposed accessible spaces.
The Biennale has a large educational program, which allows adults, young people and children to connect with contemporary art through workshops, lectures and round tables with an interactive methodology.
The next edition, the 22nd Bienal de Arte Paiz, “lost. in between. together”, curated by Alexia Tala (Chile) with co-curation of Gabriel Rodriguez (Guatemala) intends to make this legacy grow, investing their wide experience in projects that have taken place both in Latin American and Guatemalan contexts.
Foundation
The Fundación Paiz para la Educación y la Cultura is a non-profit organization committed to the development and transformation of the Guatemalan society.
It was created more than four decades ago as a Corporate Social Responsibility organization, and is currently a family run entity. From the beginning, it has focused its work through educational, cultural and artistic programs that have an impact on the lives of more than 60,000 people every year.
Fundación Paiz works endlessly contributing to change the way people perceive themselves and their reality. Art and education are the basis from which dynamic proposals are built in common, inclusive spaces, thus contributing to improving Guatemalans life condition.
Through artistic programs, aimed both for the larger public as well as for specific areas and groups, the Fundación Paiz provides an space for new visions and projects ensuring a big impact on individuals, the Guatemalan society and the Central American region.
Since the Fundación Paiz was founded, it has given more than 8,500 education scholarships to youths in social vulnerability. Working jointly with international cooperation donors, it has also implemented programs aimed to improve training in life skills, technical abilities and employability, which have helped transform people’s lives, families and their environment.
General Curator
Alexia Tala Barril
Co-curator
Gabriel Rodríquez Pellecer
Production
Adrián Lorenzana de Gaitán
Lucrecia Barrientos de Gaitán
Josseline Pinto
Project in Education
Maryarí Juracán
Lusa González Reiche
Staging
José Roberto Vásquez Pérez
Staging Assistant
Edson Díaz Pérez
Luis Picholá
Institutional Development Coordination
Ana Isabel López Samayoa
Amarilis Mejía Cuéllar
Logistics Support
Luis Pichola Rosales
Haroldo Campos López
Visual Image Desing
Detánico & Lain
Karen Bethancourt López
JOB
Visual Image and Advertisement Coordination
Helena Galindo
Catalogue and Publications
Karen Bethancourt López
Antonia Ilić
Communication and Public Relations
Magui Medina
Enlaces Comunicación
Communication and International Public Relations
Pickles PR
Audiovisual Production
Eduardo Moreno
Webmaster
Fernando Ávila
Social Media
JOB
Symposion Coordinator
Cecilia Vilela
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
President
María Regina Paiz Toledo
Vice President
Anabella Schloesser de Paiz
Secretary
Jacqueline Paiz Riera
Treasurer
Fernando Paiz Andrade
Members
Mónica Serra Paiz
Daniela Serra Santamarina
Nicole Paiz
Isabel Paiz de Serra
Rodolfo José Paiz
External Advisors
María Dolores Moreno
Hugo Quinto
Executive Director
Itziar Sagone Echeverría
Programs and Project Coordinator
Ana Evelyn Castillo Marroquín
Institutional Development Coordinator
Ana Isabel López Samayoa
Coordination Management Support
Iris Figueroa Méndez
Human Talent Coordination
Gabriela Palacios Pérez
Life Training Program
María Andrea López Durán
Educational Support and Scholarship Program
Marta López González
Project Assistants
Mayarí Juracán
Armando Adrián Lorenzana González
José Roberto Vásquez
Accounting and Administration
Arnaldo Rafael Velásquez
Production Bienal
Miriam Lucrecia Barrientos
Individual Donors
Mildred Amarilis Mejía
Graphic Designer
Karen Bethancourt López
Administrative Support Personnel
Ángela Lorena Ovando Gil
Éricka Roxana Rodríguez Rueda
Logistics and Administration Personnel
Agueda Ivonne Amparo López Urizar
Computer Programming Support
Jorge Alberto Duarte Rossell
Accounting Support
Jorge Alberto Duarte Rossell
Data base and Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning Support
Noemí Ajpop Elías
Administration Assistant
Ester Elizabeth Ayala Randa
Treasury Assistant
Verónica Aguilar
Accounting Assistant and Receptionist
Luis Alberto Calderón
Logistics and Janitorial Services
Luis Pichola
Maintenance and Janitorial services
Gloria Villalta
Selfa Samayoa
Driver
Haroldo Campos