2nd Biennial of the Amazons in Belém Welcomes Visitors During COP 30

The 2nd Biennial of the Amazons, now on the route of Brazil’s major biennials, will be open for visits during COP 30. So far, several political authorities have already visited the Centro Cultural Bienal das Amazônias (CCBA), where the exhibition is taking place, and this pace is expected to intensify in the lead-up to the conference.

“Several delegations are expected to visit the Biennial, given its importance in Brazil’s art scene,” says Thiago Lima, Legal Director of the Instituto Bienal das Amazônias, who has already welcomed ambassadors and consular representatives from various countries, ministers, the president of Funarte, among other authorities.

In its first month alone, the Biennial of the Amazons received over 12,200 visitors. During the opening ceremony in August, Maria Fernandes Marighella, President of the National Arts Foundation (Funarte), stated that the Biennial of the Amazons is now officially part of Brazil’s biennial circuit. She also proposed that the CCBA building, located on Rua Manoel Barata, become the Biennial’s permanent pavilion.

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“This Biennial is not merely an event — it is a cultural institution. It is an honor for Brazil, and also in its international relations, to engage in this artistic and cultural experience within this territory,” she said.

With the curatorial concept “Green-Distance”, the exhibition brings together works by 74 artists and collectives from eight Pan-Amazonian and Caribbean countries and remains open to the public until November 30, with free admission. This edition presents a constellation of artistic practices that traverse territories, dreams, memories, languages, and modes of listening. The curatorial team includes Manuela Moscoso (chief curator), Sara Garzón (associate curator), Jean da Silva (co-curator of the public program), and Mónica Amieva (pedagogical curator).

According to Vânia Leal, Director of Special Projects at the Instituto Bienal das Amazônias, the Biennial is setting a new benchmark. “It occupies an entire building, with a remarkably thoughtful curatorship that brought together the Pan-Amazon in a powerful, identity-driven way that truly connects the Amazons,” she notes.

Leal adds that visitors to the second edition will encounter this deep sense of Amazonian identity. “The Biennial of the Amazons has joined the route of Brazil’s main biennials because it brings freshness — this Pan-Amazonian essence — expressed through identity, proximity, and a planetary perspective that embraces ancestry and the peoples of the Amazon in a strong, fluid, and intimate way,” she emphasizes.

The 2nd edition is master-sponsored by Nubank, Shell, and Vale, with additional sponsorship from Mercado Livre, all through Brazil’s Federal Law for Cultural Incentives. It also receives institutional support from the Instituto Cultural Amazônia do Amanhã (ICAA) and the Fundação de Amparo e Desenvolvimento da Pesquisa na Amazônia (FADESP).

According to Manuela Moscoso, the 2nd Biennial is guided by atmospheres, relational forces, and conditions of listening. The curatorial starting point was the expression “green-distance”, drawn from the novel Verde Vagomundo by Pará-born writer Benedicto Monteiro. “Distance is not absence. It is matter — a form of relationship that preserves rather than isolates, that allows for care without domination and co-presence without fusion,” says Moscoso. “Green-distance is also an ethic of listening — an attentiveness to what resists translation, to what moves between bodies and worlds without being captured”.

This approach pervades the entire exhibition, structured around three sensitive forces — dreams, memory, and accent — which manifest in diverse ways in the artists’ practices.

Moscoso explains that the 2nd Biennial of the Amazons – Green-Distance is the result of a curatorial process built through visits, dialogues, and research across Brazilian territories such as Marajó, Amapá, Acre, and Boa Vista, as well as Guyana, Suriname, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, and other Pan-American regions.

“We sought to create an exhibition that amplifies the artists’ work and serves as both a sensory and intellectual experience. A curatorship that unfolds as a living narrative, made of encounters among distinct practices, multiple voices, and powerful presences from the Pan-Amazon region and beyond,” says Moscoso.

The visual identity for the 2nd edition was designed by Priscila Clementti and artist Bonikta, while the exhibition design was created by architect Isabel Xavier, who explains. “The spatial design invites people to actively and creatively engage in the exercise of dreaming. The constructive approach prioritizes the Amazonian bioeconomy and ways of being connected to the territory, adding value and strengthening local production chains in harmony with the multiplicity of voices proposed by the curatorship”.

Eight Thousand Square Meters

The exhibition occupies 8,000 square meters of the Centro Cultural Bienal das Amazônias (CCBA), showcasing works that explore spirituality, sound, the body, storytelling, and resistance. Rather than imposing a fixed path, the exhibition unfolds as a living territory, where artistic practices intertwine with histories, rhythms, and ways of life.

According to Moscoso, it is a place that invites presence, pause, and listening. “We aim to create an experience that asserts itself through depth and care — a lived journey made of encounters, intervals, and meanings that remain open,” she concludes.

The 2nd Biennial of the Amazons is part of the France-Brazil Season 2025, an initiative that seeks to renew and strengthen bilateral relations between the two countries. France supports artists from its overseas territories who are featured in this edition.

Glauco Paiva, Executive Manager of Communication and Brand at Shell Brasil, emphasizes the importance of supporting events like the Biennial of the Amazons. “Shell believes that culture is a powerful tool for a country’s development. Through our support for the Biennial of the Amazons, we are helping to give visibility and recognition to the region’s artists,” he says.

Hugo Barreto, CEO of the Instituto Cultural Vale, also underscores the significance of institutional support: “We have been operating in Pará for 40 years, striving to democratize access to culture and celebrate the diversity of the region’s artistic expressions. The Biennial of the Amazons is a major milestone in this effort — especially in the year leading up to COP30”.

Group Visits

Individual visits do not require booking, but guided group visits (for delegations, schools, universities, NGOs, collectives, and social movements) must be scheduled in advance. The group coordinator should submit a pre-booking form and wait for confirmation by email from the educational team. Guided tours are available for groups of 10 or more people, with optional translation support in English, Spanish, or Brazilian Sign Language (Libras) upon request.

Service
2nd Biennial of the Amazons – Green-Distance
August 27 – November 30, 2025
Centro Cultural Bienal das Amazônias – Rua Manoel Barata, 400 – Belém, PA
www.bienalamazonias.org.br | www.2.bienalamazonias.com.br
Instagram: @bienalamazonias
Press: +55 (91) 99282-9518 / 99212-9882
comunicacao@bienalamazonias.com.br

Opening hours (CCBA):
Closed Monday and Tuesday
Wednesday & Thursday: 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Friday & Saturday: 10 a.m. – 8 p.m.
Sunday & Holidays: 10 a.m. – 3 p.m.
Last entry: one hour before closing.

Participating Artists and Collectives – 2nd Biennial of the Amazons

Aileen Gavonel + Máxima Acuña - PERU

Aimemma Uai - COLÔMBIA

Alessandro Fracta - BRASIL

Akha - BRASIL

Amazoniando - BRASIL

Ana Maria Millan - COLÔMBIA

Ana Ruas - BRASIL

Andres Pereira Paz - BOLÍVIA

Angelica Alomoto - EQUADOR

Antonio Paucar - PERU

Astrid Gonzalez - COLÔMBIA

Augusto N. Martinez - EQUADOR

Bárbara Savannah - BRASIL

Brus Rubio - PERU

Buga Peralta - BRASIL

Carla Duncan - BRASIL

Carchíris - BRASIL

Chico Ribeiro - BRASIL

Danilo S’Acre - BRASIL

Dayro Carrasquilla - COLÔMBIA

Delfina Nina - PERU

Emperatriz Plácido San Martín - PERU

Estado Fosil - EQUADOR

Feliciano Lana - BRASIL

Gianfranco Annichini - ITÁLIA/PERU

Gustavo Toaquiza Ugsha - EQUADOR

Gwladys Gambie - MARTINICA

Isabella Celis Campos - COLÔMBIA

Jaider Esbell - BRASIL

Jean-François Boclé - MARTINICA

Jim c Ned - COLÔMBIA

John Lie A Fo - SURINAME

Jose Luis Macas - EQUADOR

Joseca Yanomami - BRASIL

Julia Chambi López - PERU

Julieth Morales - COLÔMBIA

Keisha Scarville - EUA/GUIANA

Kenia Almaraz Murillo - BOLÍVIA

Kuenan Mayu - BRASIL

La vulcanizadora - COLÔMBIA

Linda Ponguta - COLÔMBIA

Lucía Pizzani - VENEZUELA

Mapa Teatro + Nükak - COLÔMBIA

Marajó Estampado - BRASIL

Marcelle Nascimento - BRASIL

Marie-Claire Messouma - FRANÇA/GUADALUPE

Mali Salazar - PERU

Mauricio Igor - BRASIL

Mayro Romero - EQUADOR

Nathalie Leroy Fiévée - GUIANA FRANCESA

Nathyfa Michel - GUIANA FRANCESA

Olinda Silvano - PERU

Osvaldo Gaia - BRASIL

Patty Wolf - BRASIL

Pedro Neves - BRASIL

Peter Minshall - GUIANA

Regina Vater (uma obra em conjunto com Roberto Evangelista) - BRASIL

Remy Jungerman - SURINAME

Rinaldo Klas - SURINAME

River Claure - BOLÍVIA

Roberto Evangelista - BRASIL

Roma Rio - BRASIL

Ronny Quevedo - EQUADOR

Rubén Elías Barrios Rodríguez - COLÔMBIA

Sara Flores - PERU

Silvana Mendes - BRASIL

Simon Speiser - EQUADOR

Simon Uribe - COLÔMBIA

Tawna - EQUADOR

Wilson Díaz - COLÔMBIA

Wira Tini - BRASIL

Zahy Tentehar - BRASIL

Zimar - BRASIL

2nd Biennial of the Amazons in Belém Welcomes Visitors During COP 30

On the route of major Biennials, the exhibition presents works by 74 artists and collectives from eight Pan-Amazonian countries

Eight Thousand Square Meters

Group Visits