Possessing Nature: The Mexican Pavilion as a Site of Critical Analysis

This article examines the complexities of sustaining a critical curatorial approach in the context of the national pavilions at the Venice Biennale. It discusses Possessing Nature, the 2015 Mexican pavilion, from the author’s insider perspective as Project Coordinator. Curated by Karla Jasso, the exhibition presented an installation by Tania Candiani and Luis Felipe Ortega, and was conceived as a site of critical analysis focused on Venice’s and Mexico City’s environmental crises. This case study sheds light on the contradictory politics of the Biennale by exploring the challenges of introducing an experimental approach to mediation and of constructing the exhibition as a site of active research.