The 7th Mercosul Biennial began in March 2008 with the launch of a new selection process for the chief curator. The competition was open to professionals from across the world and received 67 proposals from candidates from more than 20 countries. The method adopted marked a new stage in the evolution of the Mercosul Biennial, making the selection of the artistic direction more dynamic and transparent.

The chosen proposal, by curators Victoria Noorthoorn and Camilo Yáñez, met the Mercosul Biennial´s goals:
• A focus on the social contribution, in pursuit of real benefits for its audiences, partners and supporters;
• A continuous proximity with contemporary art creation and its critical discourses;
• Transparency in administration and all its actions;
• Priority on investments in education; and,
• The establishment of the Biennial as a reference in the field of contemporary art, education and related research.

In general terms, Noorthoorn and Yáñez have proposed a Biennial concept that establishes effective participation of its artists, benefiting from their creative energy to reflect on the role they represent. The project involves artists in the actual conception of the Biennial: considered as social players and constant producers of critical thinking, artists will be responsible for conceiving the exhibition formats, the education programme and the event’s editorial and communication policies.

The curatorial team for the 7th Mercosul Biennial includes:
Chief curators: Victoria Noorthoorn (Argentina) e Camilo Yáñez (Chile)
Curator of Education: Marina De Caro (Argentina)
Adjunct Curators: Roberto Jacoby (Argentina), Artur Lescher (Brasil), Mario Navarro (Chile) and Laura Lima (Brasil)
Co-curator Radiovisual: Lenora de Barros (Brasil)
Mass Media and Publications Curators: Erick Beltrán (México) and Bernardo Ortiz (Colombia)

The 7th Mercosul Biennial is an open platform of communication about the state of the more experimental and critical arts of the continent, in a dialogue with the world. For the Mercosul Biennial Foundation, this Biennial will promote actions devised to involve the public in a continuous process of approach and dialogue, making room for the Biennial’s contributions to the community to be positive and to grow with each edition. This continuous project of renewal and expansion involves a huge investment whose results are not confined to the present, but will also be perceived in the future.