Curated by Diane Lima, Grada Kilomba, Hélio Menezes and Manuel Borja-Villel, the 35th edition of the São Paulo Bienal includes 121 participants from various countries, with an emphasis on artists of indigenous and African descent.
The idea of Choreographies of the Impossible is represented in a variety of ways at the 2023 edition of the São Paulo Bienal, including the musicality found in the works, proposed dislocations and pathways, non-linear perceptions of time, and various poetics used to confront issues of today’s world, such as racism, environmental deterioration, and democracy.
According to the curators, the artistic practices featured in the exhibition go beyond representation and question the knowledge we’ve been given in a colonial and patriarchal tradition: “Our goal was to create an edition with no categories or limiting structures. This vision was born out of our curatorial team, where we embrace a decentralized system, moving away from traditional norms,” said the curators at the opening. “The question that remains is: how are the impossibilities of our everyday lives reflected in artistic production? These choreographies of the impossible help us to understand that we find strategies on daily basis to challenge the impossible, and it is these strategies and tools that turn the impossible possible that you’ll find in the artists’ work.”
35th São Paulo Bienal – Choreographies of the Impossible
On display until December 10, 2023
Open to the public: Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays, from 10am to 7pm. Thursdays and Saturdays, from 10 am to 9 pm.
Ciccillo Matarazzo Pavilion
Av. Pedro Alvares Cabral, s/nº.
Parque Ibirapuera, Portão 3
Free entry
Diego Araúja, Laís Machado, Sinkhole n. 2 – Ghost Diaspora. Audiovisual Installation with Palha da Costa and Sisal curtains in aluminium rails controlled by Arduino. Comissioned by Fundação Bienal de São Paulo for the 35th Bienal.
Frente 3 de Fevereiro, Ancestral Intelligence, 2023. Video installation freely inspired by the life, work and memory of Maurinete Lima, founder of Frente 3 de Fevereiro. Collection: Coletivo Frente 3 de Fevereiro. Comissioned by Fundação Bienal de São Paulo for the 35th Bienal.
Rosana Paulino, from the series Mangrove, Scarlet ibis, 2023. Graphite, acrylic and natural pigment on canvas. Courtesy: Mendes Wood DM and Rosana Paulino
Rommulo Vieira Conceição, Physical Space can be a Zone of Contention, Conventions and Fallible Certainties, 2023. Metal, wood, resin, glass fiber, polypropylene, polyurethane, and automotive paint. Technical drawing: Rafael Muniz. Execution: César Augusto de Sousa / ME Casmetal. Painting: Edson Batista Pereira. Comissioned by Fundação Bienal de São Paulo for the 35th Bienal.
Detail of Castiel Vitorino Brasileiro, Manufacturing the History of Life, 2023. Site-specific installation composed of black soil, fishing boat, alguidars, eucalyptus logs, bricks, corten steel and paintings. Comissioned by Fundação Bienal de São Paulo for the 35th Bienal.
Front: Denilson Baniwa in collaboration with Francineia Baniwa, Itá, 2023. Bas-relief stone carving. Courtesy of the artist and A Gentil Carioca. Back: Denilson Baniwa, Kwema, 2023, Dawn, Site-specific installation. Commissioned by Fundação Bienal de São Paulo for the 35th Bienal.
Zumví Arquivo Afro Fotográfico, Rosário dos Pretos Sisterhood Demonstration at Pelourinho during the Celebrations of Bahia Independence, in the 2nd of July. Digital transfer film photography. Courtesy: Zumví Arquivo Afro Fotográfico, Salvador. Photo: Lázaro Roberto
Sonia Gomes, from the series Fabric, Untitled, 2008. Stitching, bindings, and different fabrics. Courtesy of the artist and Mendes Wood DM.
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