Panama City, September 30, 2025. The Canal Museum was the stage of a special tour of the Surcos exhibition: in the body and on the ground, it shows that currently it presents the works of the first National Pavilion of Panama at the Venice Art Biennial 2024.

On this occasion, the Ministry of Culture invited the media to share first-hand, with the organizing committee - composed of Gianni Bianchini, National Director of the Arts of the Ministry of Culture and Commissioner, Ana Elizabeth González, Executive Director and Chief Curator of the Canal Museum, Dr. Mónica E. Kupfer, History of art and curator. President, Foundation of Art and Culture, Mariana Núñez, Vice President of Communications and Culture of the City of Knowledge Foundation and Luz Bonadies, Manager of Communications and Marketing of the City of Knowledge Foundation - the progress of the process for participation in the public and details of the Spanish biennale and its 2026.

The meeting was also a space for dialogue with artists Brooke Alfaro and Gianna De Dier, who participated in the historic Panamanian debut in Venice. Both shared their experience on this international stage and emphasized the importance of opening opportunities for new generations of creators.

The historic debut of Panama in 2024
The first Panamanian participation at the Venice Art Biennial gave significant results:
• Almost $300 million was raised, most of them from private and public contributions.
• More than 45 thousand people visited Panama's National Pavilion in Venice.
• More than 70 national and international publications highlighted the country's proposal.

That success was a result of the joint work between the Ministry of Culture, the Panama Canal Museum, the City of Knowledge Foundation and the Civil and Cultural Foundation of Panama, and lays the foundations for a sustained presence at this stage of global prestige.

The exhibition currently stands at the Canal Museum, where thousands of Panamanian people have been able to get close and have been living their country's art experience in Venice.

Open call to artists: an opportunity for global projection
To 2026, Panama challenges an inclusive and transparent model: public call is open to Panamanian or local artists, both individual and collective, with a consolidated track record and innovative proposals.
The complete bases are available at www.panamapavion.org.

With this model of open and interinstitutional convocation, Panama aims to consolidate its presence at the Venice Art Biennial, to strengthen local capabilities and to project national talent in the most influential artistic stage of the world.