Turba Tol Hol-Hol Tol, Chile Pavilion

The Selk’nam Hach Saye Cultural Foundation, the Karukinka Park of Tierra del Fuego, the Wildlife Conservation Society, and the Greifswald Mire Centre present “Turba Tol Hol-Hol Tol,” on view at the Chile Pavilion during the 59th Venice Biennale. The exhibition, curated by Camila Marambio, presents the works of artist Ariel Bustamante, art historian Carla Macchiavello, filmmaker Dominga Sotomayor and architect Alfredo Thiermann, joined as co-writers by ecologist Bárbara Saavedra, Selk’nam writer Hema’ny Molina, and cultural producer and biodiversity expert Juan Pablo Vergara. The show is a 360º multisensory installation and scientific experiment which aims to raise awareness about preserving peatlands, both among the most valuable and the least researched ecosystems on earth. The conservation of Peatlands in Chilean Patagonia is not only linked to the future well-being of humanity but also to the revival of the indigenous Selk’nam people; the artists present a need to imagine the return of a people who defend their sovereignty, challenging normative ecological narratives in the name of natural conservation.