Starting August 29, Belém will host the 2nd edition of the Amazon Biennial, one of the region’s leading contemporary art exhibitions, held at the Amazon Biennial Cultural Center.

With Vale as the event’s main sponsor, through the Federal Law for Cultural Incentives, the Biennial arrives at a symbolic moment: on the eve of COP30, reinforcing the Amazon as a central territory in the global debate on the future, culture, and sustainability.

Under the concept of “green-distance”, inspired by the novel Verde Vagomundo by Pará-born writer Benedicto Monteiro, the Biennial brings together 74 artists, collectives, filmmakers, and musicians presenting works based on transdisciplinary practices. Curated by Manuela Moscoso (Ecuador), with Sara Garzón as associate curator, Jean da Silva leading the public program, and Mônica Amieva in charge of educational curation, the exhibition proposes dialogues among Pan-Amazonian and Caribbean geographies, bodies, and histories—revealing the Amazon as a continuous flow of voices, rhythms, and resistance.

“For 40 years we have been active in Pará, working to democratize access to culture and to highlight the diversity of artistic expressions in the region. The Amazon Biennial is one of the major milestones of this movement, and even more meaningful in this COP30 year,” says Hugo Barreto, CEO of Instituto Cultural Vale.

Vale and Culture

Vale is the largest private sponsor of culture in Brazil. In 2024, for projects carried out throughout the year, Instituto Cultural Vale invested R$198 million in 208 projects through the Federal Law for Cultural Incentives, covering 22 states and the Federal District. In Pará alone, R$35 million were allocated to 30 initiatives, including the Museum of the Amazons, which will be inaugurated in October.