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INTERVIEW BIENNIAL OF SÃO PAULO | PAGES 18AND 19 the visitor will find the choices of own Pérez-Barreiro. The disclosure
BIENNIAL ERASES THE of the final names must occur soon, but he added that his selection is
extremely wide, ranging from an unpublished film to some historical
BORDER BETWEEN marks. Among them we highlight works from the Césio, Siron Franco’s
series. Made in 1987, the work makes a sour criticism of radioactive
ARTISTS AND CURATORS accident occurred in Goiânia shortly before. In total, the biennial will
take about 80 participants, a number that Pérez-Barreiro considers
satisfactory to be able to make a light exposition, without the visitor
IN SEARCH OF AN AFFECTIVE WATCHFUL EYE FOR ART, GABRIEL PÉREZ- feel exhausted after the visit.
BARREIRO BET ON A COLLECTIVE TO THE 33RD SÃO PAULO BIENNIAL The idea is to exercise in the public the office of look, to give the
possibility that they can perform their own choices, understand
BY MARIA HIRSZMAN affectively the artwork not rationally. The title chosen, which merges
references to Goethe and Mário Pedrosa – about whom Pérez-
THE NEXT Biennial of São Paulo promises to dismantle a series of Barreiro has just done an exhibition at the spanish museum Reina
long models. The first of institutions to have its tradition scratched is Sofía-reiterates this way. The notion of attention, of interaction with
the curator-author’s. Since at least the 23rd edition of the event, the works, it is also essential in this project. “What has changed radically
exhibition is organized around a personal project, often imposed from in recent years is the introduction of social networks, the invasion
the outside, from an idea directed from only one responsible, that at of technology in people’s lives. This leads us to think about how to
most shared responsibilities with a team of assistants. Uncomfortable create the possibility of a real space, space of thinking about the
with this, Gabriel Pérez-Barreiro decided to reverse things. And diluted reality that surrounds us and art is a highly privileged space for that
in his project not only the idea of guiding concept, adopting as theme the because speaks of relationship, speaks sof ambiguity, “he explains.
notion quite open of “Affective Affinity”, but especially horizontalizing This focus developing, of exchange between the viewer and the
radically not only the design, but the exhibition as a whole, when invites work wins a big weight in the educational project. In fact it also
seven artists to take by his side the curatorship of the event. introduces a change of focus in relation with other issues, indicates
In other words, remove the classic border between curators and Pérez-Barreiro, at to the extent that it will focus on a material with
artists. “I think that these two terms are equivalent”, is very keen a longer life, without strict link with the Biennial’s content so that
to clarify Pérez-Barreiro. “The care few conditions and they are just it can become a broader instrument to awareness of own attention
by bureaucratic order, relating to issues such as budget — equal to beyond the temporal limits of the event.
all – have to insert your own work on display and not interfere with
the other’s Island “he explains. Island is as it has been called the FEIRAS SP-ARTE
units designed by Alejandro Cesarco, Antonio Ballester Moreno,
Claudia Fontes, Mamma Anderson, Sofia Borges, Waltercio Caldas SEE, KNOW AND
and Wura-Natasha Ogunji. Of different generations and backgrounds,
the paths for each of them are unique and diverse. (WHY NOT?) BUY
While Waltércio Caldas has been dealing with works that already
exist, proposing a work closer to a museum curatorship (in a manner BETWEEN APRIL 7 AND 15, SÃO PAULO RECEIVES HUNDREDS OF
similar to that which had developed in the 6th Mercosul biennial, VISITORS FROM BRAZIL AND THE WORLD TO CHECK TRENDS OF THE
also curated by Pérez-Barreiro, in 2007), Wura Ogunji and Claudia CONTEMPORARY ARTISTIC PRODUCTION
Fontes – which already has a tradition of networking – turned to the
community of artists, horizontalizing the system and incorporating BY ARTE!BRASILEIROS
new works commissioned especially for the 33rd Biennial .
“Are seven classes of curatorship,” says “I looked at them more by THE SP-ARTE, held every year in the second week of April, at São
difference, by the formal and process diversity, than by similarity “, Paulo Biennial Pavilion, promises to confirm the traditional meeting
adds the curator. “Is an inheritance of modernism to think that there of national and international art circuit agents in the city. The event
are correct and incorrect versions”, he explains. The need to expand will embrace 131 galleries, solo presentations and curated spaces.
horizons in a way not so controlled and to take risks that could remove For the third time, there will be a space dedicated to design, with
him from the confortable position of repeat what he already know more than 33 galleries present.
how to do, took Pérez-Barreiro to avoid doing more of the same. The city prepares for daily openings of gallery exhibitions, nightly
From the seven curators-guest artists, he knews previously only two guided tours at Gallery Night, book launches, seminars and debates
of them (Waltércio Caldas and Alejandro Cesarco). Other rules that at museums.
the curator has established for his choices were the balance between On Saturday, April 7, ARTE57 Gallery opens Quimera, the first
genders and respect a certain geopolitical equilibrium traditionally individual show by the artist Fernanda Feher.
followed for the Biennale, to ensure greater representativeness of Tomie Ohtake Institute organizes a full afternoon of activities around
Brazilian artists and Latin Americans (with each of these groups Turbulence, with guided tours with Paulo Pasta and Paulo Miyada at
corresponding to about one-third of the exibitions) not necessarily the Cecily Brown exhibition, conversations with Brazilian and foreign
the co-curators involved will have to obey to the same criteria artists that visit the city especially this week and an unprecedented
Woven through each of the seven islands of each of the artists-curators, performance by the artist Bené Fonteles.

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