The International Biennial of Art and City is Bogotá’s largest contemporary art event. It transforms streets, plazas, and public spaces into an open-air museum, aiming to redefine the urban landscape and reflect on community life.

The International Biennial of Art and City, BOG25, proposed viewing Bogotá as a work of art in itself. Walking through the city amidst increasingly overwhelming daily routines often leads to the architecture becoming invisible.

BOG25 took place from September 20 to November 9. All events, interventions, exhibitions, and academic activities of the biennial were free of charge.

The Environmental Axis, a project led by Rogelio Salmona and formerly known as Jiménez Avenue, and before that, the San Francisco River, and before that, the Vicachá River; allowed one to admire, on both sides, true architectural gems ranging from neoclassical to brutalist: buildings that were erected with their own styles, disruptive for their times and that often go unnoticed.

This very pedestrian walkway, with the silent presence of water along its course—the ghost of the river—conversing with the eastern hills, was the central venue for this biennial: art took over the public space and various unconventional areas along a stretch of just under a kilometer. It was a great dialogue between this avenue steeped in history, the works of more than 100 national and international visual artists, and the residents and visitors of Bogotá.

BOG25 activated other venues such as the Bogotá Archives, another architectural gem; and it had several satellite locations and tours in various districts, allowing people to walk through the city as if it were a large open-air museum where they could speak openly, especially about one topic: happiness. What does happiness mean in a city like Bogotá?

BOG25 was organized by the Mayor’s Office of Bogotá through the Secretariat of Culture, Recreation and Sport.

Source: www.bienalbogota.com