The 12th SITE SANTA FE International Once Within a Time features seventy-one artists across more than twelve city venues, from June 27, 2025, to January 12, 2026.
12th SITE SANTA FE International: Once Within a Time
curated by Cecilia Alemani
June 27, 2025–January 12, 2026
Extending to partner institutions and unconventional venues across the city, the 12th SITE SANTA FE International: Once Within a Time is curated by Cecilia Alemani and draws inspiration from a cast of characters with ties to Santa Fe and New Mexico.
The 12th SITE SANTA FE International, a sprawling exhibition of contemporary art opening June 27, 2025, is titled Once Within a Time and is curated by Cecilia Alemani. The International will spread beyond SITE SANTA FE’s galleries to over a dozen locations and partner institutions around the city, such as the New Mexico History Museum, including the Palace of the Governors; St. Francis Auditorium, New Mexico Museum of Art; the Museum of International Folk Art; the New Mexico Military Museum; Doodlet’s toy shop; Best Daze cannabis shop; and Finquita in Tesuque (formerly Shidoni Gallery and Sculpture Garden), among others.
The 12th International takes its title, Once Within a Time, from the most recent film by Godfrey Reggio, the legendary Santa Fe-based experimental filmmaker who is also a participating artist in the exhibition. Once Within a Time includes seventy-one international artists, alongside over twenty “figures of interest”—both real and fictional, historical and contemporary—with strong ties to Santa Fe and the surrounding region. The exhibition will include more than 300 artworks made from 1926 to the present. Around half of the participating artists will present new commissions that engage directly or indirectly with the experiences and lore of the figures of interest. Full participants list here.
“Conceived as an expansive family album, Once Within a Time is inspired by a group of characters who have inhabited, traversed, or left their mark upon the Sante Fe region across the centuries,” says Alemani. “Rather than adhering to a single narrative, the exhibition embarks on a polyphonic journey, exploring the city’s multifaceted identities and rich cultural history. These interweaving narratives will foster unexpected connections between sites and artworks at the intersection of art, architecture, storytelling, and history.”
The International, formerly known as the SITE SANTA FE Biennial, was established in 1995 as the first community-wide biennial or triennial of its kind in the United States. For decades, it has provided a platform for artists from around the world to respond to the unique geography, history, and cultures of New Mexico. This edition is the first since 2018, and since executive director Louis Grachos’s return to the institution’s helm.
“In a groundbreaking departure from tradition, SITE SANTA FE is proud to partner with multiple institutions and venues to spark new conversations around contemporary art in the context of our city’s momentous history,” says Grachos. “Cecilia Alemani’s enthusiasm to encourage artists to respond to New Mexico’s culture and guide the development of the exhibition is superbly aligned with SITE SANTA FE’s ethos of collaboration and artist-centric exhibition-making.”
The 12th SITE SANTA FE International: Once Within a Time runs through January 12, 2026.
For more information, contact SITE SANTA FE at info@sitesantafe.org or 505-989-1199.
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