Hauser & Wirth Partners to Protect 5,000 Acres of Guatemalan Cloud Forest
Hauser & Wirth has supported the permanent protection of approximately 5,000 acres of cloud forest in Guatemala's Northern Highlands since 2020, in partnership with local communities and non-profits Fundaeco, Re:wild, and Art into Acres. The effort, announced in conjunction with Earth Day, aims to safeguard one of the last large cloud forests in Northern Central America, a biodiversity refuge with high endemism. Artist Camille Henrot traveled to the forest in 2023 and her resulting film 'In the Veins' (2026) documents the ecosystem. The project includes establishing a women's clinic, the first in the region, and a partnership with Nobel laureate Rigoberta Menchú Tum to protect her ancestral family lands.
The Signal
The collaboration reflects a growing trend of galleries and artists directly funding land conservation, moving beyond traditional philanthropy to active environmental stewardship. For collectors and curators, this signals that major galleries like Hauser & Wirth are embedding sustainability into their institutional identity, potentially influencing artist relationships and programming. The project's community-led model, including an Indigenous-led civil association holding land title, offers a replicable framework for conservation in other threatened ecosystems, positioning the arts as a catalyst for tangible ecological impact.
- Artists: Camille Henrot, María Berrío
- People: Cliodhna Murphy, Ingrid Arias, Marco Cerezo, Haley Mellin, Rigoberta Menchú Tum
- Galleries: Hauser & Wirth
- Locations: Guatemala, Northern Highlands
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