The 12th International takes the title Once Within a Time, after a recent film by Godfrey Reggio, the legendary experimental filmmaker who has long resided in Santa Fe. Known for his Qatsi trilogy—comprising the movies Koyaanisqatsi (1983), Powaqqatsi (1988), and Naqoyqatsi (2002)—and his decades-long collaboration with composer Philip Glass, Reggio has remained one of the most singular voices in independent cinema. His most recent film, Once Within a Time (2022), which was shot entirely in studio during the Covid-19 pandemic, is a surreal tour de force through a world of handcrafted vignettes and miniature sets. The film intertwines fairytale atmospheres with apocalyptic landscapes, presenting an allegory of human nature and its conflict with technology.

Through its hypnotic vortices of images—in which children seem trapped, like broken ballerinas in a music box—the film Once Within a Time pursues a form of storytelling that blends the fantastical and the mundane in a moving portrait of the existential condition. As the title seems to suggest, the stories Reggio tells are both exceptional and endlessly repeatable.

Inspired by Reggio’s circular narratives, the 12th International places storytelling at its heart, with the aim of highlighting the lived experiences of several characters connected to the history of Santa Fe and its surrounding region. Conceived as a vast family album, Once Within a Time takes cues from the lives of a vibrant collection of Santa Feans, bringing together figures both historical and current, real and imagined, whose existential adventures step into dialogue with works of contemporary art.

Read the full Curatorial Statement

This iteration of the International will create dialogues and collaborations between SITE SANTA FE and a broad range of cultural institutions around Santa Fe. SITE SANTA FE’s galleries will serve as the nexus of the International, with arms of the exhibition extending to other parts of the city, including both partner institutions and non-traditional spaces like vacant storefronts and warehouses, open-air parks, toy shops, and haunted hotels. The artworks that each venue hosts will range from site-specific sculptures and large-scale installations to subtle disruptions and participatory actions, intertwining and interacting with the city’s unique environs. Among the many partnering institutions are the Museum of International Folk Art, The New Mexico History Museum, including the Palace of the Governors, the Wheelwright Museum of the American Indian, and the New Mexico Military Museum. By scattering these installations throughout the city, visitors will be prompted to explore Santa Fe through the eyes of the artists and the figures who have inspired them.

A full list of the artists included in the exhibition will be announced in February 2025.