SITE SANTA FE's 12th International Biennial Announces Cecilia Alemani-Curated Edition Focused on Storytelling
The 12th SITE SANTA FE International biennial will open on 27 June, curated by Cecilia Alemani with storytelling as its central theme. Inspired by Godfrey Reggio's film Once Within a Time and poet N. Scott Momaday's concept of the "wheel of telling," the exhibition explores personal narratives and collective memory in Santa Fe and its region. Over 300 works from 1926 to the present will be displayed, with roughly half being new commissions. Site-specific sculptures, large-scale installations, and performances by artists including Guillermo Galindo, David Horvitz, Dominique Knowles, Simone Leigh, and Nora Naranjo Morse are among the planned commissions. The exhibition extends beyond SITE SANTA FE to partner institutions such as the New Mexico History Museum, Museum of International Folk Art, New Mexico Military Museum, Wheelwright Museum of the American Indian, and St. Francis Auditorium at the New Mexico Museum of Art, as well as local parks, a movie theatre, and empty storefronts. Running until 12 January 2026, the biennial features a diverse list of participants, including Korakrit Arunanondchai, Tejal Boor, Ali Cherri, Louise Lawler, Maja Ruznic, Wael Shawky, and Emmi Whitehorse, among many others. The exhibition aims to place works by local, national, and international artists in dialogue with regional figures to engage with Santa Fe's cultural landscape and history.
Key facts
- The 12th SITE SANTA FE International opens 27 June 2025
- Curated by Cecilia Alemani with storytelling as the theme
- Inspired by Godfrey Reggio's film Once Within a Time
- Features over 300 works from 1926 to present
- Roughly half of participating artists present new commissions
- Extends to multiple partner institutions and public spaces in Santa Fe
- Runs until 12 January 2026
- Includes artists such as Simone Leigh, Guillermo Galindo, and Nora Naranjo Morse
Entities
Artists
- Cecilia Alemani
- Godfrey Reggio
- N. Scott Momaday
- Guillermo Galindo
- David Horvitz
- Dominique Knowles
- Simone Leigh
- Nora Naranjo Morse
- Korakrit Arunanondchai
- Patricia Ayres
- Doña Tules (Maria Gertrudis Barceló)
- Donald Beauregard
- Louise Bonnet
- Tejal Boor
- Willa Cather
- Autumn Chacon
- Ali Cherri
- Helen Cordero
- Minerva Cuevas
- Santiago de Paoli
- Omari Douglin
- Esteban / Estebanico
- Ximena Garrido-Lecca
- Looking Glasses
- Candice Lin
- Greg Mac Gregor
- Maureen Gruben
- Terran Last Gun
- Raven Halfmoon
- Frederick Hammersley
- Sidsel Meineche Hansen
- Gabrielle L’Hirondelle Hill
- Sky Hopinka
- Lilli Hornig
- Maryam Hoseini
- Archbishop Nitten Ishida
- Saodat Ismailova
- Claude James
- Heechan Kim
- Karla Knight
- Louise Lawler
- D. H. Lawrence
- Dionne Lee
- Mire Lee
- Joanna Keane Lopez
- Pop Chalee (Merina Lujan)
- Doña Mala
- La Malinche
- Diego Marcon
- John McCracken
- Diego Medina
- Na Mira
- Hira Nabi
- Vladimir Nabokov
- Chester Nez and the so-called “Original29” Navajo Code Talkers
- Ni-hual
- Amol K. Patil
- Agnes Pelton
- Cristina Flores Pescorán
- Florence Miller Pierce
- Eliot Porter
- Will Rawls
- ZHANG Ruyi
- Maja Ruznic
- Rebecca Salsbury James
- Agnes Scherer
- Francis Schlatter
- Max Hooper Schneider
- Marilou Schultz
- Katja Seib
- Wael Shawky
- Penny Siopis
- The Fire Spirit, archenemy of Zozobra
- Luis Tapia
- Awa Tsireh
- Nora Turato
- Ultima
- Uman
- Daisy Quezada Ureña
- Ana Vaz
- Pablita Velarde (Tse Tsan)
- Gisèle Vienne
- WangShui
- Charisse Pearlina Weston
- Emmi Whitehorse
- Will Wilson
- Joseph E. Yoakum
- Norman Zammitt
- ZHANG Yunyao
- ZHANG XU Zhan
Institutions
- SITE SANTA FE
- New Mexico History Museum
- Palace of the Governors
- Museum of International Folk Art
- New Mexico Military Museum
- Wheelwright Museum of the American Indian
- St. Francis Auditorium at the New Mexico Museum of Art
- Canvas
Locations
- Santa Fe
- United States
- New Mexico