For the first time, the Fundação Bienal de São Paulo’s traveling exhibitions program is coming to the city of La Paz, Bolivia, with a selection of the 35th Bienal de São Paulo – choreographies of the impossible. Through a partnership with the Government of the Plurinational State of Bolivia and the Fundación Cultural del Banco Central de Bolivia, with the support of the Instituto Guimarães Rosa – MRE, the Museo Nacional de Arte (MNA) will host, from August 16 to October 20, a selection of nine participants who took part in the last edition of the exhibition – held from September 6 to December 10, 2023 – and now are part of the traveling exhibition that has already visited ten cities in Brazil and around the world.

Curated by Diane Lima, Grada Kilomba, Hélio Menezes and Manuel Borja-Villel, the highlight of this traveling exhibition is Melchor María Mercado (Sucre, Bolivia, 1816-1871), who worked as an artist, educator and, above all, explorer. Known for his interest in the natural sciences, he portrayed Bolivia’s visual landscapes in a plural and sensitive way. Years of field research resulted in the work entitled Álbum de paisajes, tipos humanos y costumbres de Bolivia [Album of Landscapes, Human Types and Customs], which is part of the selection of works taking part in the exhibition in La Paz.

Self-taught, the work of Melchor María Mercado holds great patrimonial and documentary significance for his country. For this reason, and in the context of the 35th Bienal de São Paulo, the Fundação Bienal had to engage in nearly a year of negotiations with the Bolivian government, mediated by the Instituto Guimarães Rosa, responsible for Brazil’s cultural diplomacy and affiliated with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Since there was no legal framework for lending historical items to international institutions, a legal structure was created to facilitate the concession. Due to its historical importance and to document and publicize the event, the Fundação Bienal produced a video featuring testimonials from all involved parties and coverage of the transportation and installation process. YouTube link here.

Andrea Pinheiro, president of the Fundação Bienal, emphasizes the importance of the traveling exhibition in La Paz and celebrates the arrival of the 35th Bienal de São Paulo in Bolivia: “It is very significant for us to open this exhibition in Bolivia, especially because we have come closer to Bolivian culture and the Fundación Cultural del Banco Central de Bolivia through the work of Melchor María Mercado over the past year. More than establishing an exchange between cultural institutions, the initiative strengthens the bilateral relationship between neighboring countries and contributes to the internationalization of Brazilian art.”

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 complementary educational work fronts. These are training actions with the city’s teams of mediators and educators, and dissemination actions for the public.

On Wednesday 14, the education team will present projects developed in the context of the 35th Bienal de São Paulo – choreographies of the impossible such as educational publications, mediated visits, courses and other actions to promote the Bienal, its history and the historic building it occupies. The purpose of the conversation is to share experiences of education in contemporary art, considering the diverse audiences and contexts in which they take place, and to create a dialogue with education professionals working in La Paz.

The Bienal’s education team proposes conversations about and with the three movements of the educational publication of the 35th Bienal. The educational publication of the choreographies of the impossible is divided into three different movements – or volumes – with content focused on mediation and promotion actions. The third movement, specially prepared for the traveling exhibitions program, was produced based on practices carried out throughout the exhibition at the Pavilion and is distributed free of charge to the participants. The meeting is influenced by the thoughts of poet, playwright, and Professor Leda Maria Martins, artist Rosana Paulino, curator and researcher Sandra Benites, Regina Aparecida Pereira and Cíntia Aparecida Delgado, leaders of the Quilombo Cafundó. The meeting with the educational publication will take place on Friday 16, from 10am to 12pm at the Museo Nacional de Arte.

On the same day, the 16, during the opening, Bienal’s education team will conduct in-person guided tours, lasting two hours. This tour invites the public to explore the traveling exhibition.

Service

35th Bienal de São Paulo – choreographies of the impossible

Traveling exhibitions program La Paz, Bolivia – Museo Nacional de Arte
curators: Diane Lima, Grada Kilomba, Hélio Menezes and Manuel Borja-Villel
free admission

opening: Fri 16 aug, 18h30 – 21h30
visitation: 16 aug – 20 oct 2024
Mon – Fri, 9am – 7pm
Sat, 9am – 5pm
Sun, 9am – 1pm

Contemporary Art Educational Practices: The Experience of the Bienal de São Paulo
August 14, 2024
Wednesday, 7pm
Museo Nacional de Arte

Meeting with the Educational Publication of the 35th Bienal
August 16, 2024
Friday, 10am
Museo Nacional de Arte

Visit with the Bienal Education Team
August 16, 2024
Friday, 6:30pm (Exhibition Opening)
Museo Nacional de Arte

For more information about the educational program visits: educacao@bienal.org.br