Between ancestralities and the diasporas, the 35th Bienal de São Paulo announces the first list of artists of the choreographies of the impossible

Fundação Bienal de São Paulo is now disclosing the first partial list of artists of the 35th Bienal de São Paulo – choreographies of the impossible, in addition to the visual identity, poster, educational project and curatorial council of this edition.

Titled choreographies of the impossible and bringing together diverse artistic practices from different parts of the world, the 35th Bienal de São Paulo “wants to build spaces and times of perception that challenge the rigidity of western time linearity. What we see in this choreographic horizon are the strategies and policies of the movement that these practices have been creating in order to imagine worlds that confront the ideas of freedom, justice and equality as impossible achievements”, say Diane Lima, Grada Kilomba, Hélio Menezes and Manuel Borja-Villel, the curatorial collective of the exhibition.

For the curators, “the impossible refers to the political, legal, economic and social realities in which these artistic and social practices are set, but also to the way in which these practices find alternatives to circumvent the effects of these same contexts. The term choreography also helps us reflect on how the idea of moving freely remains at the core of a neoliberal conception of freedom. In line with the very paradox created by the title, we seek not to walk around a motif or to place thematic cores, but rather to make room for a continuous dance which we can choreograph together, even in difference.”

See here the curators’ profiles and the curatorial project of the 35th Bienal de São Paulo.

Partial list of artists

Fundação Bienal de São Paulo announces the first partial list of artists who will take part in the 35th Bienal de São Paulo – choreographies of the impossible. The selection is composed of 43 names, consisting of 37 artists, four duos and two collectives. The complete list will include over 100 participants and will be released in the first half of 2023. Below are the names currently being announced:

Aline Motta
Ana Pi & Taata Kwa Nkisi Mutá Imê
Anna Boghiguian
Ayrson Heráclito & Tiganá Santana
Bouchra Ouizguen
Castiel Vitorino Brasileiro
Daniel Lie
Dayanita Singh
Deborah Anzinger
Denilson Baniwa
Duane Linklater
Elda Cerrato
Elizabeth Catlett
Ellen Gallagher
Frente 3 de Fevereiro
Gabriel Gentil Tukano
Geraldine Javier
Igshaan Adams
Inaicyra Falcão
Julien Creuzet
Leilah Weinraub
Luiz de Abreu
Manuel Chavajay
Marilyn Boror Bor
Mounira Al-Solh
Nadal Walcott
Nadir Bouhmouch & Soumeya Ait Ahmed
Niño de Elche
Nontsikelelo Mutiti
Pauline Boudry & Renate Lorenz
Philip Rizk
Rolando Castellón
Rosana Paulino
Sammy Baloji
Santu Mofokeng
Sarah Maldoror
stanley brouwn
Tadáskía
Tejal Shah
The Living and the Dead Ensemble
Torkwase Dyson
Trinh T. Minh-ha
Wifredo Lam

Visual identity and website

© Nontsikelelo Mutiti / Fundação Bienal de São Paulo

In line with the curatorial project, the development of communication materials for the 35th Bienal will take on a process-based character, including graphic components that transform and densify over the different moments of the project. The visual identity for this edition features the commissioned work of the artist Nontsikelelo Mutiti, a renowned visual artist and educator born in Zimbabwe. Her commitment to highlighting the work and practices of black communities past, present, and future is evidenced by her conceptual approach to design, publishing, and archival practices. She currently holds the position of director of graduate studies in graphic design at the Yale School of Art in the United States.

At this time, the educational publication and a first version of the 35th Bienal website are being launched as the first applications of the edition’s visual identity. The website design is by Namibia Chroma and developed by Fluxo. It has content related to the educational project, as well as the curatorial and institutional presentation of the project. Over the coming months, the platform will be densified with additional sections and features, and new graphic treatments.

Educational publication

aqui, numa coreografia de retornos, dançar é inscrever no tempo © Fundação Bienal de São Paulo

On this occasion, we also present the first movement of the educational publication of the 35th Bienal de São Paulo, consisting of pedagogical material developed with the aim of bringing the public closer to contemporary art and encouraging reflection on the themes addressed in the exhibition.

José Olympio da Veiga Pereira, president of Fundação Bienal de São Paulo, highlights the relevance of the educational publication and announces some of the innovations for this year’s exhibition: “In order to provide an innovative approach, the educational publication of the 35th Bienal de São Paulo – choreographies of the impossible was divided into three volumes, each with distinct approaches and contents. The first two volumes were conceived to be used as a bibliography to train mediators and to disseminate the Bienal to students and teachers from public and private schools. The last volume, in turn, will be based on the educational experiences obtained during the 35th Bienal. Its release is planned for 2024 and will serve as the basis for the outreach activities planned for the traveling exhibition program, which for more than a decade has taken excerpts of the Bienal de São Paulo to several cities in Brazil and the world after its presentation at the Ciccillo Matarazzo Pavilion.”

Titled aqui, numa coreografia de retornos, dançar é inscrever no tempo [here, in a choreography of returns, to dance is to inscribe in time], the first movement of the 35th Bienal’s educational publication features contributions by Leda Maria Martins, Françoise Vergès, Sandra Benites, Anderson Feliciano, and Thiago Vinicius de Paula da Silva – Agência Solano Trindade, as well as by artists participating in this edition, including Inaicyra Falcão, Pauline Boudry and Renate Lorenz, and Torkwase Dyson.

The publication launch event will take place on Saturday April 29 at the Bienal Pavilion, from 3pm to 5pm, free admission, and will be attended by poet, essayist, playwright, and professor Leda Maria Martins and community leader Thiago Vinícius, from Agência Solano Trindade, with curators Diane Lima and Manuel Borja-Villel. The publication will be distributed free of charge to everyone who attends the event.

Curatorial council

Finally, this announcement also includes the presentation of the members of the curatorial council of the 35th Bienal de São Paulo. Composed of four professionals with diverse backgrounds and profiles, the council aims to complement the research of the edition’s curatorial collective from their own areas of expertise, in a productive space of exchange and dialogue. Its members are:

Omar Berrada Omar Berrada is a writer, translator, and curator whose work focuses on the politics of translation and intergenerational transmission. Recently, he published the poetry collection Clonal Hum and co-edited La Septième Porte, Ahmed Bouanani’s history of Moroccan cinema. He currently lives in New York.

Sandra Benites (Ara Rete in Guarani) was born in Porto Lindo Indigenous Land (MS). Of Guarani Nhandewa origin, she is a Guarani mother, researcher and activist. She works as a cultural programming and exhibition supervisor and as a consultant for the Museu das Culturas Indígenas, in São Paulo. She has been part of Funarte staff since 2023 as director of visual arts.

Sol Henaro is a curator and researcher. Between 2011 and 2015, she held the position of art collection curator at the Museo Universitario Arte Contemporáneo – MUAC (Mexico City), where she currently holds the position of curator of documentary collections of the Centro de Documentación Arkheia. She has been a member of Red Conceptualismos del Sur since 2010, motivated by her interest in questioning the construction of the historiographical account.

Thomas Jean Lax is a writer and curator specialized in performance and artistic production by black artists. He is currently a curator in the Media and Performance department at MoMA (New York, USA). He holds degrees in Africana studies and Art History from Brown University and Columbia University, and is a PhD candidate in Performance Studies at NYU (USA).

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 affiliations, whose actions aim to democratize access to culture and foster interest in artistic creation. Every two years, the Fundação holds the Bienal de São Paulo, the largest exhibition of the Southern Hemisphere, and its traveling exhibitions in several cities in Brazil and abroad. The institution is also the custodian of two items of Latin American artistic and cultural heritage: a historical archive of modern and contemporary art that is a standard reference in Latin America (the Arquivo Histórico Wanda Svevo), and the Ciccillo Matarazzo Pavilion, the head office of the Fundação, designed by the architect Oscar Niemeyer and listed as historical heritage. The Fundação Bienal de São Paulo is also responsible for conceiving and producing Brazil’s representations at the Venice Biennales of art and architecture, a prerogative bestowed upon it decades ago by the Federal Government in recognition of the excellence of its contributions to Brazilian culture.

Program

Open conversation with the curators of the 35th Bienal de São Paulo – choreographies of the impossible
Thursday, April 27, 2023
7pm – 8:30pm
Ciccillo Matarazzo Pavilion, 1st floor
free admission

Launch of the educational publication of the 35th Bienal de São Paulo
Saturday, April 29, 2023
3pm – 5pm
Ciccillo Matarazzo Pavilion, 1st floor
free admission

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
Ciccillo Matarazzo Pavilion
Parque Ibirapuera · Gate 3
free admission