Chile and Denmark Reveal Climate-Focused Pavilions for 2022 Venice Biennale

The 59th Venice Biennale, running from April 23 to November 27, 2022, under the theme 'Il latte dei sogni' curated by Cecilia Alemani, has announced the programs for the Chilean and Danish pavilions. Chile's pavilion, titled 'Turba Tol Hol-Hol Tol' and located at the Arsenale, is curated by Camila Marambio and features a multidisciplinary team including artist Ariel Bustamante, art historian Carla Macchiavello, filmmaker Dominga Sotomayor, architect Alfredo Thiermann, ecologist Bárbara Saavedra, and Selk'nam writer Hema'ny Molina. The project centers on the Selk'nam indigenous people of Tierra del Fuego, Patagonia, and their language: 'Hol-Hol Tol' means 'heart of the peatlands.' The exhibition highlights the ecological importance of peatlands, which absorb carbon and store it in deep organic layers, yet are threatened by mining, peat extraction, and drainage. Once destroyed, they shift from carbon sinks to carbon sources, releasing greenhouse gases. The Danish pavilion, located at the Giardini, features artist Uffe Isolotto's installation 'We Walked the Earth,' an immersive hyperrealistic environment blending idyllic Danish rural life with sci-fi elements. It presents a family of three centaurs in a 'transhuman' world, inviting visitors into their home filled with objects, personal effects, food, and tools, evoking an ambiguous atmosphere between tragic and idyllic, reflecting an uncertain present.