Gabriel Pérez-Barreiro, artistic director of the 33rd Bienal de São Paulo, has announced a new ‘operating system’ for Affective Affinities, the title of his edition. Questioning the traditional thematic model for curating large-scale exhibitions, Pérez-Barreiro has invited seven artists to each curate a group show, putting their own work in dialogue with that of their peers, and which will make up the seven sections of the biennial.
Mamma Andersson will look a figuration in the painting tradition, from popular art to contemporary art; Antonio Ballester Moreno will create a show looking at the history of abstraction and its relationship with nature, pedagogy and spirituality; Sofia Borges considers concepts of tragedy and ambiguous form; Waltercio Caldas takes a historical reflection on form and abstraction; Alejandro Cesarco will work with artists that deal with translation and image; Claudia Fontes meditates on the issues involving the relationship between art and narrative; and Wura-Natasha Ogunji will collaborate with artists she worked with closely in the past, sharing issues on identity and African diaspora.
Affective Affinities will run from 7 September – 9 December 2018
9 November 2017
