The choreographies of the impossible set the scene and unveil their full cast

Fundação Bienal de São Paulo announces the full list of 121 participants of the 35th Bienal de São Paulo – choreographies of the impossible, curated by Diane Lima, Grada Kilomba, Hélio Menezes, and Manuel Borja-Villel, and the exhibit and spatial design, developed by the architects of Vão.

Full cast

The announcement of the full list of participants consolidates the curatorial collective’s intensive research on the urgencies of today’s world and unveils the different formats, movements and understandings of the title choreographies of the impossible. With 121 names confirmed, the complete list echoes the voices of diasporas and native peoples, broadening local and international dialogue.

According to the curators: “The participants in this Bienal challenge the impossible in its most varied and incalculable forms. They live in impossible contexts, develop strategies of circumvention, cross limits, and escape from the impossibilities of the world in which they live. They deal with total violence, the impossibility of life in full freedom, inequalities, and their artistic expressions are transformed by the very impossibilities of our time. This Bienal embraces the impossible, the choreographies of the impossible, as a politics of movement and political movements interwoven into artistic expressions. It is an invitation to move among artists who transcend the idea of a progressive, linear, western time. Impossibility is the guiding thread and the main criterion that guides the selection of these participants.”

For José Olympio da Veiga Pereira, president of the Fundação Bienal de São Paulo, the exhibition represents a new chapter and legacy for the institution. He emphasizes: “The 35th Bienal de São Paulo is a historic milestone that transcends the boundaries of the impossible. We are witnessing the convergence of exceptional artists, transformative ideas, and an incisive dialogue about the urgent issues of our time. This exhibition will become a lasting legacy, inspiring future generations and redefining the boundaries of what is possible in artistic expression.”

Full List

Ahlam Shibli
Aida Harika Yanomami, Edmar Tokorino Yanomami & Roseane Yariana Yanomami
Aline Motta*
Amador e Jr. Segurança Patrimonial Ltda.
Amos Gitaï
Ana Pi & Taata Kwa Nkisi Mutá Imê*
Anna Boghiguian*
Anne-Marie Schneider
Archivo de la Memoria Trans (AMT)
Arthur Bispo do Rosário
Aurora Cursino dos Santos
Ayrson Heráclito & Tiganá Santana*
Benvenuto Chavajay
Bouchra Ouizguen*
Cabello/Carceller
Carlos Bunga
Carmézia Emiliano
Castiel Vitorino Brasileiro*
Ceija Stojka
Charles White
Citra Sasmita
Colectivo Ayllu
Cozinha Ocupação 9 de Julho – MSTC
Daniel Lie*
Daniel Lind-Ramos
Davi Pontes & Wallace Ferreira
Dayanita Singh*
Deborah Anzinger*
Denilson Baniwa*
Denise Ferreira da Silva
Diego Araúja & Laís Machado
Duane Linklater*
Edgar Calel
Elda Cerrato*
Elena Asins
Elizabeth Catlett*
Ellen Gallagher* & Edgar Cleijne
Emanoel Araújo
Eustáquio Neves
flo6x8
Francisco Toledo
Frente 3 de Fevereiro*
Gabriel Gentil Tukano*
George Herriman
Geraldine Javier*
Grupo de Investigación en Arte y Política (GIAP)
Gloria Anzaldúa
Guadalupe Maravilla
Ibrahim Mahama
Igshaan Adams*
Ilze Wolff
Inaicyra Falcão*
Januário Jano
Jesús Ruiz Durand
John Woodrow Wilson
Jorge Ribalta
José Guadalupe Posada
Juan van der Hamen y León
Judith Scott
Julien Creuzet*
Kamal Aljafari
Kapwani Kiwanga
Katherine Dunham
Kidlat Tahimik
Leilah Weinraub*
Leopoldo Méndez
Luana Vitra
Luiz de Abreu*
MAHKU
Malinche
Manuel Chavajay*
Margaret Taylor Goss Burroughs
Marilyn Boror Bor*
Marlon Riggs
Maya Deren
M’barek Bouhchichi
Melchor María Mercado
Min Tanaka & François Pain
Morzaniel Ɨramari
Mounira Al Solh*
Nadal Walcot*
Nadir Bouhmouch & Soumeya Ait Ahmed*
Nikau Hindin
Niño de Elche*
Nontsikelelo Mutiti*
Patricia Gómez & María Jesús González
Pauline Boudry / Renate Lorenz*
Philip Rizk*
Quilombo Cafundó
Raquel Lima
Ricardo Aleixo
Rolando Castellón*
Rommulo Vieira Conceição
Rosa Gauditano
Rosana Paulino*
Rubem Valentim
Rubiane Maia
Sammy Baloji*
Santu Mofokeng*
Sarah Maldoror*
Sauna Lésbica by Malu Avelar with Ana Paula Mathias, Anna Turra, Bárbara Esmenia & Marta Supernova
Senga Nengudi
Sidney Amaral
Simone Leigh & Madeleine Hunt-Ehrlich
Sonia Gomes
stanley brouwn*
Stella do Patrocínio
Tadáskía*
Taller 4 Rojo
Taller NN
Tejal Shah*
The Living and the Dead Ensemble*
Torkwase Dyson*
Trinh T. Minh-Ha*
Ubirajara Ferreira Braga
Ventura Profana
Wifredo Lam*
Will Rawls
Xica Manicongo
Yto Barrada
Zumví Arquivo Afro Fotográfico

The names followed by * have already been announced in the first partial list.

Get to know more about them in the participants page.

The setting for the choreographies of the impossible: architectural design

For the development of the architectural design of the 35th Bienal de São Paulo, the renowned team at Vão was invited. With an outstanding track record, Vão is known for its innovative and award-winning approach in the field of architecture. The firm’s partners Anna Juni, Enk te Winkel, and Gustavo Delonero are highly regarded for their ability to create spaces that provoke interaction and reflection.

For the design of the 35th Bienal de São Paulo, Vão proposes an innovative look at the choreography of the Ciccillo Matarazzo Pavilion, exploring the relationship between the exhibition space and the visitor’s experience. The group took on the challenge of facing the modernist conceptual and structural conventions of the building itself, in order to create a different flow of movement in the relationship between artworks and people.

The architectural design developed by Vão promises to offer a new experience for visitors to the traditional Ciccillo Matarazzo Pavilion at the 35th Bienal de São Paulo, inviting the public to explore the space in a new way: the central opening of the Bienal Pavilion will be closed for the first time in history.

For the architects, the proposal goes beyond a new look at the iconic Pavilion: “From the very beginning, we sought a design that would place itself between the desire not to re-enact the existing spatial choreography and, at the same time, not to impose a different choreography, totally disconnected from its internal logics. To this end, we would have to dance with the existing and with the available. That is, in addition to the attention given to reusing materials left over from the old exhibitions, we aimed to create spaces from the constructive elements that constitute the Pavilion.”

Press conference and pre-opening for professionals 

The accreditation period for the press and cultural sector professionals for the pre-opening of the 35th Bienal de São Paulo began on June 7. The press conference will be held in person, at the Bienal auditorium, on September 4, from 9am to 10:30am, followed by the pre-opening of the exhibition especially for the press, until 4pm. On September 5, from 10am to 7pm, the pre-opening of the exhibition will take place for sector professionals, professors and guests, which accredited journalists may also attend.

Press accreditation can be obtained here.
Accreditation for cultural sector professionals can be obtained here.

About the Fundação Bienal de São Paulo

Founded in 1962, the Fundação Bienal de São Paulo is a private, nonprofit institution with no political or religious ties, whose actions are aimed at democratizing access to culture and fostering interest in artistic creation. Every two years, the foundation holds the Bienal de São Paulo, the largest exhibition in the Southern Hemisphere, and its itinerant exhibitions in several cities in Brazil and abroad. The institution is also the custodian of two Latin American artistic and cultural heritage assets: a historical archive of modern and contemporary art that is a benchmark in Latin America (Arquivo Histórico Wanda Svevo), and the Ciccillo Matarazzo Pavilion, the listed building designed by Oscar Niemeyer which is also the foundation’s headquarters. The Fundação Bienal de São Paulo is also responsible for the idealization and production of the Brazilian representations at the Venice Biennales of art and architecture, a prerogative granted to it decades ago by the Federal Government in recognition of the excellence of its contributions to Brazilian culture.

Service
35th Bienal de São Paulo – choreographies of the impossible
Curators: Diane Lima, Grada Kilomba, Hélio Menezes, and Manuel Borja-Villel
September 6 – December 10 2023
Tue, Wed, Fri, Sun: 10am – 7pm (last entry: 6:30pm)
Thu, Sat: 10am – 9pm (last entry: 8:30pm)
Ciccillo Matarazzo Pavilion
Ibirapuera Park – Gate 3
free admission

Press conference: September 4, from 9am to 10:30am
Pre-opening for the press: September 4, from the end of the press conference until 4pm
Press accreditation:
https://link.bienal.org.br/35-credenciamento-imprensa 

Pre-opening for cultural sector professionals: September 5, from 10am to 7pm
Accreditation for professionals:
https://link.bienal.org.br/35-credenciamento-profissionais