Cuenca’s 2016 international art bienal kicks off following a lengthy flight delay

After a late start Friday night at the Pumapungo Theater, Ecuadorian artist Oswaldo Terreros was awarded one of three top prizes at opening ceremonies of the Cuenca International Art Bienal.

Cuenca Bienal winners.

The opening gala was delayed for almost an hour-and-a-half because of the late arrival of Ecuador Minister of Culture Raúl Vallejo and Cuenca Mayor Marcelo Cabrera, who was at the Cuenca airport awaiting Vallejo’s arrival. Vallejo’s flight from Quito was delayed because of government-owned Tame Airline’s refusal to land in Cuenca during wet weather. A Latam jet landed without incident during Tame’s delay.

In addition to Terreros second-place prize, first place went to Peruvian José Carlos Martinat and third place was awarded to China’s Cao Fei.

In his remarks, bienal curator Dan Cameron explained the theme of the 2016 bienal, “Impermanence: The mutation of art in a materialistic society.” He maintained that art must move beyond the traditional concept of works in “heavy frames” and adopt an approach that reflects the transient, ephemeral nature of the human condition. “Life is brief, art is brief,” he said.

Dan Cameron

Cameron, who has curated several international bienals, is chief curator at the Orange County (California) Museum of Art and former curator at New Museum in New York City.

One of Latin America’s largest international art exhibitions, the bienal will continue until February 5 at 20 locations in Cuenca. Click here for a list of venues. Fifty artists from 20 countries were invited to participate. For more details about the bienal, go to http://www.bienaldecuenca.org.

Following Friday night’s opening ceremony, an example of Cuenca’s pyrotechnic artistry was ignited in front of the auditorium. When the fireworks show ended, life went on.