Through a partnership between the Fundação Bienal de São Paulo and the Minas Gerais State Secretariat of Culture and Tourism, via the Fundação Clóvis Salgado, the Palácio das Artes will host a special selection of the 35th Bienal de São Paulo – choreographies of the impossible. Curated by Diane Lima, Grada Kilomba, Hélio Menezes and Manuel Borja-Villel, the show will be on display in Belo Horizonte from June 20 to September 15, with free admission.

The capital of Minas Gerais, which has participated in the traveling exhibitions program since its first edition, will host the nineth exhibition and one of the largest held outside the Bienal Pavilion in Ibirapuera, with 22 participants: Ahlam Shibli, Aida Harika Yanomami, Edmar Tokorino Yanomami & Roseane Yariana Yanomami, Amos Gitaï, Anna Boghiguian, Dayanita Singh, Eustáquio Neves, Gabriel Gentil Tukano, Geraldine Javier, Katherine Dunham, Luana Vitra, Luiz de Abreu, Maya Deren, Min Tanaka & François Pain, Morzaniel Ɨramari, Nontsikelelo Mutiti, Ricardo Aleixo, Rommulo Vieira Conceição, Rosa Gauditano, Rosana Paulino, Sammy Baloji, Sonia Gomes e Zumví Arquivo Afro Fotográfico.

For the curators, it has always been crucial for the exhibition to reach cities other than São Paulo. According to them, “the debates proposed by the 35th Bienal cross countless territories around the world, so the fact that the choreographies of the impossible are not restricted to the Bienal Pavilion is extremely important for the work carried out”.

Andrea Pinheiro, president of the Fundação Bienal de São Paulo, emphasizes the importance not only of bringing the choreographies of the impossible to a wider audience, but also of strengthening ties between cultural institutions: “By bringing the Bienal de São Paulo to Belo Horizonte, a city with such a vibrant cultural scene, we are not only strengthening Brazilian cultural institutions, but also making art and culture accessible to a wider audience. Since the start of the traveling exhibitions program in 2011, the Palácio das Artes has been a key stop. The partnership with the Minas Gerais State Secretariat of Culture and Tourism, through the Fundação Clóvis Salgado, facilitates the exchange of experiences between audiences and institutions. This contributes significantly to building a more inclusive and culturally vibrant society throughout Brazil. We are excited about the opportunity to continue this journey and expand our cultural impact,” she says.

For Uiara Azevedo, visual arts manager at the Fundação Clóvis Salgado, the exhibition is a celebration of artists. “The Fundação Clóvis Salgado is very happy to be able to strengthen the institutional bond with the Fundação Bienal de São Paulo, exalting fundamental artists who are still with us and can have this celebration in life, while at the same time turning our attention to an artistic canon that also speaks volumes about the present time. Receiving more than 100 works by such diverse and representative artists, in multiple media and languages, in the galleries of the Palácio das Artes, only reaffirms how robust the Bienal’s occupation is in Belo Horizonte, as well as living up to the central idea of this 35th edition: it is, therefore, the choreographies of the impossible that bring, to the heart of the capital of Minas Gerais, what is urgent in the lives and arts made in Minas Gerais, Brazil and the world.”

The opening will also include a concert by Tambores de Aço Fundação CSN, a group made up of young scholarship students who were part of the Garoto Cidadão project. The group has an eclectic repertoire, influenced by Brazilian, Caribbean and Latin American music. With the stage truck, Tambores de Aço travels around Brazil, expanding the group’s reach and cultural impact.

On June 22, Aleixo will perform Diário da encruza [Crossroads Diary], based on the book of the same name, released in 2022. Dressed in the “poemanto”, a piece of “wearable art” he created in 2000, the artist will use a variety of unorthodox vocal techniques to bring to life a set of poems that celebrate and lament the Black lives constantly threatened by the deadly machine of racism.

Actions with the Fundação Bienal de São Paulo education team

During the traveling exhibitions, the Fundação Bienal de São Paulo, together with its partner institutions, carries out two fronts of educational work that complement each other.

These are training actions with the city’s teams of mediators and educators, and outreach actions for the general public. The educational publication of the choreographies of the impossible was divided into three different movements – or volumes – with content aimed at mediation and outreach actions. The third movement, prepared especially for the traveling exhibitions program, was produced based on the practices carried out during the exhibition at the Pavilion and is distributed free of charge to those taking part in the actions.

In Belo Horizonte, on June 20, during the opening of the exhibition, the Bienal’s education team will conduct a two-hour in-person mediated visit. This visit invites the public on a tour of the traveling exhibition at the Palácio das Artes, proposing dialogues with the 35th Bienal’s educational publication. The tour will highlight artists such as Luana Vitra, Gabriel Gentil Tukano, Rosana Paulino and Zumví Arquivo Afro Fotográfico, addressing discussions around the question: how are bodies in movement capable of choreographing the possible within the impossible?

On June 21, from 10 am to 12 pm, the Fundação Bienal de São Paulo will hold themed visits, also led by the Bienal’s education team. During this mediated visit to the traveling exhibition at the Palácio das Artes, works by Eustáquio Neves, Luana Vitra, Luiz de Abreu and Sonia Gomes will be presented. The action aims to promote a dialog between artists from Minas Gerais and contemporary artistic production.

In addition, on June 21, from 7 pm to 9 pm, there will be traveling meetings with the education teams from the Fundação Bienal de São Paulo and the Palácio das Artes. These meetings propose a conversation to share experiences of mediating the 35th Bienal, highlighting the traveling exhibition and its relationship with the educational publication. The meeting will be attended by performer, teacher and theater researcher Anderson Feliciano, who collaborated on the first movement of the educational publication.

On June 22, from 10 am to 12 pm, the Bienal’s education team will conduct a two-hour in-person thematic visit. The activity, entitled de tabela, will explore the relationship between the works on tour at the 35th Bienal de São Paulo in Belo Horizonte and soccer. The visit will address the issues of the impossibilities created by modernity and their impact on the public nature of sport. During the event, works by Ahlam Shibli, Zumví Arquivo Afro Fotográfico and Morzaniel Ɨramari, among other participants, will be highlighted, presenting a selection of stars who dribble the impossible in different historical temporalities.

These initiatives aim to create a collaborative and dynamic learning environment, providing enriching experiences for teachers, educators, mediators and those interested in art. With a focus on interaction with the public and the dissemination of contemporary art, the program seeks to strengthen ties between cultural institutions and contribute to a more inclusive society.

Service
35th Bienal de São Paulo – choreographies of the impossible
Traveling exhibitions program
Palácio das Artes Traveling Exhibition – Belo Horizonte
curators: Diane Lima, Grada Kilomba, Hélio Menezes and Manuel Borja-Villel
opening: Jun 20, Thursday, 7 pm
visitation: Jun 21 – Sep 15, 2024
Tue – Sat, 9:30 am – 9 pm
Sun, 5 pm – 9 pm
Palácio das Artes
Av. Afonso Pena, 1537
Belo Horizonte, Brazil
free admission

Mediated visit with the Bienal’s education team – opening
Jun 20, 2024
Thu, 7 pm
Palácio das Artes
Av. Afonso Pena, 1537
Belo Horizonte, Brazil
free admission

Mediated visit to the 35th Bienal de São Paulo – choreographies of the impossible
Palácio das Artes Traveling Exhibition – Belo Horizonte
Jun 21, 2024
Fri, 10 am
Palácio das Artes
Av. Afonso Pena, 1537
Belo Horizonte, Brazil
free admission

Launch meeting for the third movement of the educational publication of the 35th Bienal
Da dança, da esquiva e de seus saberes: caminhadas e aprendizagens with Anderson Feliciano
Jun 21, 2024
Fri, 7 pm
Palácio das Artes
Av. Afonso Pena, 1537
Belo Horizonte, Brazil
free admission

Mediated visits to the 35th Bienal de São Paulo – choreographies of the impossible
Palácio das Artes Traveling Exhibition – Belo Horizonte
de tabela
Jun 22, 2024
Sat, 10 am
Palácio das Artes
Av. Afonso Pena, 1537
Belo Horizonte, Brazil
free admission