In the Mexican city of Maní, where Maya codices and sacred objects were destroyed in 1562, contemporary art turns to what connects generations and cultures: language, words, and the diversity of ways in which human experience is expressed. From 26 November 2026 to 28 February 2027, Mérida and Maní on the Yucatán Peninsula will become the venues of the first international contemporary art biennial, VOCAL. 76 artists will take part in it, and exhibitions and projects will be hosted at 16 venues. At the center of the program is language in all the diversity of its forms: spoken speech, the written word, translation, interpretation, silence, and nonverbal communication.
Art as a Territory of Mutual Understanding
VOCAL is conceived as an international artistic dialogue in which language becomes not only a means of communication but also a material of art. The biennial's artistic director, the Mexican artist Abraham Cruzvillegas, proposes considering languages and dialects as independent modes of expression capable of entering into dialogue, intersecting, and even contradicting one another.
In a statement published by ArtReview on 22 September, Cruzvillegas emphasized that the project will address spoken and written speech, linguistic diversity, and everything that a person needs to express. Such an approach goes far beyond the usual understanding of language: an artistic statement can arise through sound, image, gesture, action, or silence.
A special place in this concept is occupied by the Yucatec Maya language. For the biennial, it is important to show it not as part of a vanished civilization but as a living system of communication and cultural memory. Today more than half a million people speak it. Artists connected to the region and its linguistic environment will present their works alongside recognized figures of the international art scene.
The Memory of Maní and the Living Maya Language
The historical context of Maní gives the biennial particular depth. On 12 July 1562, a religious auto-da-fé took place in the city's main square under the leadership of the Franciscan Diego de Landa. During this event, Maya codices, cult images, and other sacred objects were destroyed. Among the lost written testimonies were manuscripts containing knowledge about the Maya world, history, and worldview.
Centuries later, Maní becomes one of the venues of an international conversation about language and cultural heritage. However, this is not only about preserving historical memory. The organizers seek to show that Maya culture continues to develop and that its language remains part of contemporary life and artistic creation.
The biennial is also connected to the cultural program "Maya Renaissance" (Renacimiento Maya), which the government of Yucatán is developing. Presenting the project on 25 October, Governor Joaquín Díaz Mena directly identified this connection. According to him, VOCAL brings the Maya language to the center of international artistic dialogue, attracts representatives of world art to the region, and introduces local communities to works by recognized authors. Thus, the biennial becomes part of a broader process of strengthening the region's cultural identity and supporting the living Maya heritage.
The choice of Mérida and Maní makes it possible to go beyond traditional museum routes. Mérida is the cultural center of the peninsula, where Maya heritage coexists with colonial-era architecture and contemporary urban life. Maní, in turn, redirects attention to history directly in the place that preserves the memory of one of the most tragic episodes of cultural destruction.
International Names and New Artistic Projects
Among the 76 participants are Yoko Ono, Teresa Margolles, Rirkrit Tiravanija, Minerva Cuevas, Óscar Murillo, Bárbara Sánchez-Kane, Sandra Gamarra, Jimmie Durham, and Wael Shawky. Alongside them, the biennial features Mexican artists and authors from Yucatán and other parts of the peninsula, including Maya speakers.
A fundamental feature of the project is the juxtaposition of internationally renowned names with authors whose practices were formed in the cultural environment of the region. More than half of the participants represent the Mexican art scene. Such a combination makes it possible to see Yucatán not merely as a venue for an exhibition but as an active participant in the international artistic process.
The program will bring together works from museum and private collections, new works commissioned by the biennial, and artistic interventions in public spaces. Alongside the exhibitions, meetings with authors, discussions, educational projects, and events for local communities are planned.
One of the notable events will be an engagement with the work of Yoko Ono. On 15 December 2026, her work will be presented in the auditorium of the Centro Cultural Olimpo in Mérida Nine Concert Pieces for John Cage ("Nine Concert Pieces for John Cage"), created in 1966. It will be performed by nine local participants of different generations, representing different linguistic and gender identities. The work is built on the artist's instructions, which become the basis for independent artistic action. Yoko Ono herself will not be present at the event.
From a local initiative to an international platform
The founder of the biennial was the collector and patron of the arts Catherine Petitgas. Her connection with the artistic community of Yucatán was strengthened in 2023, when she initiated Proyecto Y — a program of professional support for young artists of the region. VOCAL became the next stage of this work, opening up opportunities for local authors for international cooperation and acquaintance with a broader artistic audience.
The main venue of the biennial will be the Centro Contemporáneo del Mayab in Mérida, where a specialized art library will also open. Museums, libraries, cultural centers, and public spaces of the city will take part in the program, and in Maní exhibitions and events will be housed in historical, cultural, and public spaces. All events of the biennial will be free of charge.
An important part of the project will be an educational program: guided tours, workshops, meetings with artists, and events for schoolchildren, families, and local communities. To accompany visitors, the organizers are preparing a team of mediators who will help them become acquainted with the works and understand the artistic ideas of the exhibitions. Thus, the biennial addresses not only a professional audience but also the residents of the region, for whom international art events are not always accessible.
VOCAL is conceived as a long-term initiative. The next editions of the biennial are planned for 2028 and 2030. This will make it possible to gradually develop the artistic infrastructure of Yucatán, strengthen ties between local and international authors, and create new opportunities for cultural exchange.
The name VOCAL precisely conveys the idea of the project: every culture has its own voice, its own memory, and its own way of telling about the world. When they meet, art becomes a space in which it is important not only to speak out but also to hear the other. This is precisely the special value of the biennial: Yucatán invites the world to a conversation in which the ancient Maya heritage enters into dialogue with contemporary art and the cultures of different countries.
