BIENALSUR ARRIVES AT MUSEO MAR IN MAR DEL PLATA
Fragmenting Obsolescence. Silent Spring explores new ways of observing matter and time, objects and their durability, and the relationship between extinction and obsolescence.
This year, MAR Museum, BIENALSUR’s Km 383 location, hosts an exhibition conceived as part of a curatorial project that will unfold across multiple BIENALSUR 2025 venues. Fragmenting Obsolescence. Silent Spring presents artworks and artists that propose possible ruptures in the modern notion of technological progress, challenging us to fragment the imposed vision of the future.
The exhibition takes as its starting point the 1962 book Silent Spring by scientist Rachel Carson, who warned of the devastating ecological consequences of pesticide use. Carson’s predictions about the potential extinction of birds due to these chemicals inspire Fragmenting Obsolescence, which brings together the work of ten artists who explore obsolescence from diverse perspectives. Installed in the main hall and Room 2 of the MAR Museum, the works evoke not only outdated technologies but also the obsolescence of non-renewable natural resources, along with a more symbolic dimension that reflects how we see, represent, and encode nature.
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Mariana de Matteis. Un nuevo Recuerdo, 2015-2025. Cortesía Museo Mar
“The artworks do not only evoke the figure of birds, but turn the idea of a lost song into a pathway toward deeper questions: Is there a connection between extinction and obsolescence? From the ecological ruins of the present, what technologies are left behind with the disappearance of certain life forms?” asks Clarisa Appendino, curator from the BIENALSUR team.
Participating artists in this edition include: Jesu Antuña (Argentina), Max de Esteban (Spain), Mariana De Matteis (Argentina), Fernando do Campo (Australia/Argentina), Iván González (Argentina), Sandra Guascone (Argentina), André Komatsu (Argentina), Florencia Levy (Argentina), Juan Reos (Argentina), and Márcio Vilela (Brazil).
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Max de Esteban. Cortesía de Museo Mar
BIENALSUR is a borderless artistic project that connects communities and territories in a horizontal, collaborative, inclusive, and pluralistic way. It is an art biennial that aims to amplify artists' voices beyond market logic, while maintaining strong academic standards. Now in its 5th edition, BIENALSUR will reach over 70 cities across five continents, with more than 140 institutions serving as host venues for projects developed within the BIENALSUR 2025 framework and in dialogue with local communities.
BIENALSUR continues with exhibitions across Argentina, France, Japan, Uruguay, Chile, Senegal, Saudi Arabia, and other countries—part of what UNESCO has called “an essential meeting point for contemporary creation.”
*Cover image: Juan Reos. National Bird Concert No. 9 (detail). Credit: Lihuel Gonzáles. Courtesy of Museo Mar.
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