The looser side of Denver’s Biennial of the Americas
Denver’s Biennial of the Americas comes around every two years, quickly enough that people remember it’s there but gradually enough that it doesn’t get stuck in a rut. What the event trades off in familiarity, it picks up with spontaneity.
In other words, if people don’t always know what the city’s biennial is or does, then the lineup can adapt to the moment at hand.
That allows the sizable convening of social, political and cultural leaders from across the hemisphere to remain nimble, and for each iteration to take on its own personality.
The 2017 biennial, the fourth
since its inception in 2010, cuts a distinguishable path. The fiveday cluster of talks, exhibits and performances continues the biennial’s original mission of connecting people across national borders, but in different ways — both officially, with programmed offerings set up by the nonprofit organization that runs it, and unofficially, with things like the massive art exhibit “Axis Mundi,” which is happening downtown independently at the same time.
So, while there will still be discussions around global issues between leaders from different countries, they’ll take place, this time around, mostly over lunch. There’s a “Mayors of the Americas” panel on opening day with faraway guests, such as Federico Gutiérrez Zuluaga of Medellin, Colombia, and Denver’s own Michael Hancock. Another interesting offering: An “Innovation” lunch on Sept. 13 with Alejandra Mustakis of Chile’s Idea Factory, former Mexican Ambassador Arturo Sarukahn, and hometown Liberty Global head Mike Fries.
The Biennial’s big-name panel takes place on the evening of Sept. 14. Titled “The Next 50 Years of Partnership in the Americas,” it will feature Linkedin chief Reid Hoffman, Pulitzer Prize-winning author Dave Eggers, and CNBC journalist Becky Quick.
The Biennial’s looser side — and arguably its more fun side — includes a variety of arts events. On Sept. 15 and Sept. 16, the Biennial plans to recreate one of Havana’s entertainment hotspots, Fábrica de Arte Cubano, or F.A.C, as it’s known.
The F.A.C. showcases Cuban music, dancing, food and more, and to import its authenticity, the Biennial has hired the club’s lead impresario and Havana personality, Equis “X” Alfonso, to produce the festivities.
He’ll bring along Cuban musician Issac Delgado and his band, Grupo Persona, as well as DJ Jigu e and Acosta Danza.
And like the real F.A.C., it will take place in a converted warehouse — in this case, the historic Denver Rock Drill industrial site in the Cole neighborhood, which is currently being redeveloped.
“This will be a vibrant opportunity for folks in Denver to explore a space they’ve probably never been in before,” said the Biennial’s Nick Swett. There’s no charge for the event, but attend- ees need to register online.
The Biennial’s visual arts component — in past years a major attraction — is toned down this time around and less exciting. Instead of producing its own exhibits, the organization is attaching itself through sponsorship to shows at partner institutions. The Denver Art Museum’s “Mi Tierra,” which has been up since March, is officially a Biennial event.
The Museum of Contemporary Art Denver is opening its affiliated show this week. “Saber Acomodar” features artists who work near Guadalajara, Mexico, a place the MCA has collaborated with for several years.
“Saber Acomodar” will be a more formal event than “Axis Mundi,” which is being organized by Denver artist Regan Rosburg and will feature 21 artists from the U.S. and Canada.
“Axis Mundi,” sponsored by Platteforum and The Temple studio space, is ambitious and spread out over three main sites, including two other spaces many Denverites may never have entered: the Olympic Building and the Land Library in the Curtis Park area.
The heady exhibits, a combination of group efforts and complex installations, promises to take on themes of “environmental melancholia, collective social mania and biophilia,” exploring our collective relationship to the planet at a time when both political and geographical climates are shifting internationally.
The installations will be interactive and immediate. Rosberg’s own piece, which is set in 3.2 tons of recycled plastic pellets, will invite people to walk through it without shoes — and without their mobile devices. “I don’t want to let people mediate the experience by taking pictures with their phones,” said Rosburg. “I want to control it.”
Ray Mark Rinaldi (media@rayrinaldi.com) is a veteran arts writer and critic based in Denver.