Five months prior to its opening, the 32nd Bienal de São Paulo – Incerteza Viva [Live Uncertainty] announces the complete list of 81 participants, comprised of artists and collectives.
Curated by Jochen Volz along with co-curators Gabi Ngcobo (South Africa), Júlia Rebouças (Brazil), Lars Bang Larsen (Denmark) and Sofía Olascoaga (Mexico), the exhibition will be held from September 10 to December 11, 2016, at the Ciccillo Matarazzo Pavilion, focusing on notions of ‘uncertainty’ and ‘entropy’ to reflect on the current conditions of life and the possibilities offered by contemporary art to harbor and inhabit uncertainties.
The result of an investigative process initiated in March of 2015, the final list presents a selection of participants from 33 countries characterized by a strong presence of artists born after 1970, women – who represent over half of the artists invited – and commissioned projects, produced for the context of the exhibition.
According to curator Jochen Volz, the artists in the 32nd Bienal provide strategies and speculations on how to live with uncertainty. ‘We are seeking to understand diversity, to look at the unknown and question what we assume to be known. We view the different knowledges of our world as complementary rather than exclusionary.’
Many of the works currently in development involve artistic residencies in the city of São Paulo and research travels in Brazil. To cite a few examples: Carla Filipe in partnership with the Instituto de Botânica de São Paulo [Botanical Institute of São Paulo] is developing a garden of edible plants, spontaneous plants and endangered plants; Iza Tarasewicz is studying the presence in Brazil of the Polish musical rhythm known as Mazurka; Dalton Paula visited three cities involved in the tobacco economy, and Pilar Quinteros traveled to Serra do Roncador, in Mato Grosso State, to follow the tracks of the explorer Percy Fawcett (1867-1925), who disappeared in the 1920s.
‘The proximity of the curators with the Fundação Bienal team, as well as the expansion of the institution’s partnerships, make the 32nd Bienal an especially fertile edition,’ says foundation president Luís Terepins. ‘So far, we are counting on the commitment of 48 partners, including companies, governmental agencies and cultural institutions. In addition, the Fundação Bienal has also strengthened its relationships with international organizations that support the arts. By the time the exhibition opens, we will have a considerably higher number of supporters than the recent editions of the Bienal, an asset from the foundation added to the curatorial work.’
For example, in recent months, partnerships with organizations from Chile, Ghana and Peru helped to enable the realization of the Study Days in Santiago (Chile), Acra (Ghana) and Lamas (Peru), with a strong impact on the development of the curatorial proposal. The fourth event will take place in Cuiabá, Mato Grosso, from May 19th to the 22nd. An international seminar concatenating all Study Days will be held in São Paulo at the Fundação Bienal auditorium on June 10th and 11th.
Invited Artists
Alia Farid
Born in Kuwait, 1985. Lives and works in Kuwait and Puerto Rico
Alicia Barney
Born in Cali, Colombia, 1952. Lives and works in Bogota, Colombia
Ana Mazzei
Born in São Paulo, Brazil, 1980. Lives and works in São Paulo, Brazil
Anawana Haloba
Born in Livingstone, Zambia, 1978. Lives and works in Oslo, Norway
Antonio Malta Campos
Born in São Paulo, Brazil, 1961. Lives and works in São Paulo, Brazil
Bárbara Wagner
Born in Brasília, Brazil, 1980. Lives and works in Recife, Pernambuco, Brazil
Bené Fonteles
Born in Bragança, Pará, Brazil, 1953. Lives and works in Brasília, Brazil
Carla Filipe
Born in Aveiro, Portugal, 1973. Lives and works in Porto, Portugal
Carlos Motta
Born in Bogotá, Colombia, 1978. Lives and works in New York, USA
Carolina Caycedo
Born in London, United Kingdom, 1978. Lives and works in La Jagua, Colombia and Los Angeles, USA
Cecilia Bengolea and Jeremy Deller
Born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, 1984. Lives and works in Paris, France
Born in London, United Kingdom, 1966. Lives and works in London, United Kingdom
Charlotte Johannesson
Born in Malmö, Sweden, 1943. Lives and works in Skanör, Sweden
Cristiano Lenhardt
Born in Itaara, Brazil, 1975. Lives and works in Recife, Pernambuco, Brazil
Dalton Paula
Born in Brasília, Brazil, 1982. Lives and works in Goiânia, Goiás, Brazil
Dineo Seshee Bopape
Born in Polokwane, South Africa, 1981. Lives and works in Johannesburg, South Africa
Donna Kukama
Born in Mafikeng, South Africa, 1981. Lives and works in Johannesburg, South Africa
Ebony G. Patterson
Born in Kingston, Jamaica, 1981. Lives and works in Kingston, Jamaica and Lexington, Kentucky, USA
Eduardo Navarro
Born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, 1979. Lives and works in Buenos Aires, Argentina
Em’kal Eyongakpa
Born in Mamfe, Cameroon, 1981. Lives and works in South West Cameroon and Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Erika Verzutti
Born in São Paulo, Brazil, 1971. Lives and works in São Paulo, Brazil
Felipe Mujica
Born in Santiago, Chile, 1974. Lives and works in New York, USA
Francis Alÿs
Born in Antwerp, Belgium, 1959. Lives and works in Mexico City, Mexico
Frans Krajcberg
Born in Kozienice, Poland, 1921. Lives and works in Nova Viçosa, Bahia, Brazil
Gabriel Abrantes
Born in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA, 1984. Lives and works in Lisbon, Portugal
Gilvan Samico
Recife, Pernambuco, Brazil, 1928 – Recife, Pernambuco, Brazil, 2013
Grada Kilomba
Born in Lisbon, Portugal, 1968. Lives and works in Berlin, Germany
Güneş Terkol
Born in Ankara, Turkey, 1981. Lives and works in Istanbul, Turkey
Heather Phillipson
Born in London, United Kingdom, 1978. Lives and works in London, United Kingdom
Helen Sebidi
Born in Marapyane, South Africa, 1943. Lives and works in Johannesburg, South Africa
Henrik Olesen
Born in Esbjerg, Denmark, 1967. Lives and works in Berlin, Germany
Hito Steyerl
Born in Munich, Germany, 1966. Lives and works in Berlin, Germany
Iza Tarasewicz
Born in Kolonia Koplany, Poland, 1981. Lives and works in Bialystok, Poland and Berlin, Germany
Jonathas de Andrade
Born in Maceió, Alagoas, Brazil, 1982. Lives and works in Recife, Pernambuco, Brazil
Jordan Belson
Born in Chicago, Illinois, USA, 1926 – San Francisco, California, USA, 2011
Jorge Menna Barreto
Born in Araçatuba, São Paulo, Brazil, 1970. Lives and works in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
José Antonio Suárez Londoño
Born in Medellín, Colombia, 1955. Lives and works in Medellín, Colombia
José Bento
Born in Salvador, Bahia, Brazil, 1962. Lives and works in Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
Kathy Barry
Born in Christchurch, New Zealand, 1969. Lives and works in Auckland, New Zealand
Katia Sepúlveda
Born in Santiago, Chile, 1978. Lives and works in Cologne, Germany and Tijuana, Mexico
Koo Jeong A
Born in Seoul, South Korea, 1967. Lives and works in Berlin, Germany
Lais Myrrha
Born in Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil, 1974. Lives and works in São Paulo, Brazil
Leon Hirszman
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, 1937 – Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, 1987
Lourdes Castro
Born in Funchal, Portugal, 1930. Lives and works in Ilha da Madeira, Portugal
Luiz Roque
Born in Cachoeira do Sul, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, 1979. Lives and works in São Paulo, Brazil
Luke Willis Thompson
Born in Auckland, New Zealand, 1988. Lives and works in Auckland, New Zealand
Lyle Ashton Harris
Born in New York, USA, 1965. Lives and works in New York, USA
Maria Thereza Alves
Born in São Paulo, Brazil, 1961. Lives and works in Berlin, Germany
Mariana Castillo Deball
Born in Mexico City, Mexico, 1975. Lives and works in Berlin, Germany and Mexico City, Mexico
Maryam Jafri
Born in Karachi, Pakistan, 1972. Lives and works in New York, USA and Copenhagen, Denmark
Michael Linares
Born in Bayamón, Puerto Rico, 1979. Lives and works in San Juan, Puerto Rico
Michal Helfman
Born in Tel Aviv, Israel, 1973. Lives and works in Tel Aviv, Israel
Misheck Masamvu
Born in Mutare, Zimbabwe, 1980. Lives and works in Harare, Zimbabwe
Naufus Ramírez-Figueroa
Born in Guatemala City, Guatemala, 1978. Lives and works in Berlin, Germany and Guatemala City, Guatemala
Nomeda & Gediminas Urbonas
Born in Kaunas, Lithuania, 1968. Lives and works in Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA, Vilnius, Lithuania and Trondheim, Norway
Born in Vilnius, Lithuania, 1966. Lives and works in Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA, Vilnius, Lithuania and Trondheim, Norway
Oficina de imaginação política
Created in 2016. Based in São Paulo, Brazil
OPAVIVARÁ!
Created in 2005. Based in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Öyvind Fahlström
Born in São Paulo, Brazil, 1928 – Stockholm, Sweden, 1976
Park McArthur
Born in North Carolina, USA, 1984. Lives and works in New York, USA
Pia Lindman
Born in Espoo, Finland, 1965. Lives and works in Fagervik, Finland
Pierre Huyghe
Born in Antony, France, 1962. Lives and works in Santiago, Chile and New York, USA
Pilar Quinteros
Born in Santiago, Chile, 1988. Lives and works in Santiago, Chile
Pope.L
Born in Newark, New Jersey, USA, 1955. Lives and works in Chicago, Illinois, USA
Priscila Fernandes
Born in Coimbra, Portugal, 1981. Lives and works in Rotterdam, The Netherlands
Rachel Rose
Born in New York, USA, 1986. Lives and works in New York, USA
Rayyane Tabet
Born in Ashqout, Lebanon, 1983. Lives and works in Beirut, Lebanon
Rikke Luther
Born in Aalborg, Denmark, 1970. Lives and works in Copenhagen, Denmark and Berlin, Germany
Rita Ponce de León
Born in Lima, Peru, 1982. Lives and works in Mexico City, Mexico
Rosa Barba
Born in Agrigento, Italy, 1972. Lives and works in Berlin, Germany
Ruth Ewan
Born in Aberdeen, United Kingdom, 1980. Lives and works in Glasgow, United Kingdom
Sandra Kranich
Born in Ludwigsburg, Germany, 1971. Lives and works in Frankfurt, Germany
Sonia Andrade
Born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, 1935. Lives and works in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Susan Jacobs
Born in Sydney, Australia, 1977. Lives and works in Melbourne, Australia and London, United Kingdom
Till Mycha (Helen Stuhr-Rommereim and Silvia Mollicchi)
Born in Lawrence, Kansas, USA, 1986. Lives and works in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
Born in Sansepolcro, Italy, 1983. Lives and works in St-Erme, France and London, United Kingdom
Tracey Rose
Born in Durban, South Africa, 1974. Lives and works in Johannesburg, South Africa
Ursula Biemann and Paulo Tavares
Born in Zurich, Switzerland, 1955. Lives and works in Zurich, Switzerland
Born in Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil, 1980. Lives and works in São Paulo, Brazil and Quito, Ecuador
Víctor Grippo
Born in Junín, Argentina, 1936 – Buenos Aires, Argentina, 2002
Vídeo nas Aldeias
Created in 1986. Based in Olinda, Pernambuco, Brazil
Vivian Caccuri
Born in São Paulo, Brazil, 1986. Lives and works in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Wilma Martins
Born in Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil, 1934. Lives and works in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Wlademir Dias-Pino
Born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, 1927. Lives and works in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Xabier Salaberria
Born in Donostia-San Sebastián, Spain, 1969. Lives and works in Donostia-San Sebastián and Barcelona, Spain