Closing of 12th International

After celebrating this signature contemporary art program’s triumphant return to Santa Fe in 2025, the SITE SANTA FE International biennial closed all the installations of its 12th edition on January 12, 2026. Titled Once Within a Time and curated by Cecilia Alemani, the sprawling exhibition extended beyond the walls of SITE SANTA FE’s building, located in the city’s downtown Railyard District, and into the galleries of New Mexico state museums and local businesses. From the Palace of the Governors at the New Mexico History Museum, the St. Francis Auditorium at the New Mexico Museum of Art, the Wheelwright Museum of the American Indian, and the New Mexico Military Museum, to a beloved local toy shop, a cannabis dispensary, and a converted former foundry, the 12th SITE SANTA FE International expanded its reach to an unprecedented fourteen partner venues all across Santa Fe. 

Declared “a show of astounding clarity and focus” by Frieze Magazine, Alemani’s International explored artists and figures who were critical to the development of stories around nuclear energy, for example, or the allure of the region’s landscape, or the power of language. The New York Times deemed it “revelatory even for those…who have visited this city for decades” and a “must-see” exhibition by Art in America. Additional media outlets such as The Wall Street Journal, The Observer, Forbes, Vogue, The Art Newspaper, Artforum, ARTnews, artnet, Art Basel Magazine, and Hyperallergic all reviewed the International to critical acclaim. On the strength of such press coverage, the 12th International saw not only doubled attendance to SITE SANTA FE compared to the previous year but also the highest annual visitorship numbers ever.  

Reflecting on this edition, the first after a seven-year hiatus, Phillips Executive Director Louis Grachos remarked upon what a landmark exhibition this was for both SITE SANTA FE and the city: “The year 2025 was a time to reflect on where it all began as we celebrated our 30th anniversary as an institution. Going back to our roots, we relaunched the International biennial with an exhibition that articulated our founders’ vision with remarkable clarity. It extended beyond the walls of SITE SANTA FE to a citywide collaboration with New Mexico state museums and local businesses alike. It felt as though the entire city were celebrating alongside us this summer, welcoming artists and visitors from across the globe as well as from right here in Santa Fe.” He continued: “I am deeply grateful to curator Cecilia Alemani for guiding us to realize her brilliant vision for Once Within a Time.”

Taking its name from legendary experimental filmmaker and Santa Fe-resident Godfrey Reggio’s latest project, Once Within a Time was conceived as an expansive family album that explored the city’s multifaceted identities and rich culture. Spanning more than ninety participants, including living and past artists and “figures of interest” who inhabited or traversed the region, the exhibition wove narrative connections between sites, art, and history that prompted new stories and new ways of seeing. 

Some of the highlights included an outdoor performance of Autumn Chacon’s experimental opera, Malinxe, staged at one of the partner venues, Finquita in Tesuque, just north of downtown Santa Fe. Renowned artist Jeffrey Gibson played the role of La Llorona in this haunting performance, which marked its New Mexico debut. 

A collaboration with mobile art space Axle Contemporary and artist David Horvitz involved apple picking in Tesuque, the same area where Japanese Americans held at the Santa Fe detention camp had done so during World War II, and distributing those baked apple pies from the back of the Axle truck as part of an interactive art experience.

Immersive, site-specific installations by Zhang Xu Zhan, Korakrit Arunanondchai, Amol K. Patil, Daisy Quezada Ureña, Charisse Pearlina Weston, Maja Ruznic, Minerva Cuevas, Max Hooper Schneider, Nora Naranjo Morse, Uman, Louise Lawler, Simone Leigh, and WangShui with Maryam Hoseini garnered critical media praise for their unique and provocative contributions to the 12th International.  

For those who could not attend the exhibition in person, the official exhibition catalogue, Once Within a Time, is now available at the SITE SANTA FE bookstore and online. The illustrated full-color, hardcover volume includes contributions from an all-star cast of writers, including: U.S. Poet Laureate Arthur Sze, legendary art critic Lucy R. Lippard, the venerated poet Mei-Mei Berssenbrugge, and curator Cecilia Alemani. The catalogue includes new essays from art historian Estevan Rael-Gálvez and award-winning journalist Alicia Inez Guzmán.

Since its creation in 1995, the SITE SANTA FE International biennial has served as a model and inspiration for countless exhibitions of its kind globally. When it launched, it was the only community-wide biennial of contemporary art in the United States and one of only a handful of biennials around the world. In keeping with SITE SANTA FE’s artist-centric approach, the International creates opportunities for artists from around the world to respond to the unique geography, history, and cultures of New Mexico. SITE SANTA FE would like to thank all of the many sponsors and donors who made this extraordinary biennial exhibition possible, alongside the artists, collaborators, museum staff, visitors, and friends and neighbors whose engagement brought this exhibition to life for many months across the city of Santa Fe.