The 120 artists that will be featured in the 35th edition of the Bienal de Sao Paulo have been announced by the event’s organisers, the Fundaço Bienal. The “Choreographies of the Impossible” Bienal is co-curated by Manuel Borja-Villel, an art historian and former director of the Reina Sofa, artist Grada Kilomba, independent curator Diane Lima, and anthropologist Hélio Menezes. The exhibition focuses on the work of artists of colour, particularly those of African, Indigenous, and non-European descent, as well as those from the Global South. In a statement issued in April of this year, the foursome referred to this version as “a mutual project around multiple possibilities to choreograph the impossible.” “As the title already suggests,” they said, “it is an invitation to radical imaginations about the unknown, or even about what figures as im/possible.”
Curators of the current Bienal have made a new statement claiming that “the participants in this Bienal challenge the impossible in its most varied and incalculable forms.” They adapt to impossible situations by coming up with solutions to go around obstacles, overcome barriers, and break free from their restrictive environments. Their artistic expressions are affected by the very impossibilities of our day, and they deal with utter brutality, the impossibility of life in full freedom, and inequality.
Separately, Fundaço Bienal de So Paulo president José Olympio da Veiga Pereira described the Bienal as “a historic milestone that transcends the boundaries of the impossible.” Also, Pereira claimed that the show “will become a lasting legacy, inspiring future generations and redefining the boundaries of what is possible in artistic expression.”
The Ciccillo Matarazzo Pavilion, designed by Vo, an architecture group in Brazil, will host the opening ceremony on September 6. Here is the full roster of contributing musicians.
| Igshaan Adams | Aline Motta | Stella do Patrocínio |
| Ricardo Aleixo | Nontsikelelo Mutiti | Maya Deren |
| Kamal Aljafari | Senga Nengudi | Katherine Dunham |
| Mounira Al-Solh | Eustáquio Neves | Torkwase Dyson |
| Sidney Amaral | Bouchra Ouizguen | Carmézia Emiliano |
| Amador e Jr. Segurança Patrimonial Ltda. | Rosana Paulino | Inaicyra Falcão |
| Gloria Anzaldúa | Ana Pi and Taata Kwa Nkisi Mutá Imê | flo6x8 |
| Deborah Anzinger | Davi Pontes and Wallace Ferreira | Frente 3 de Fevereiro |
| Diego Araúja and Laís Machado | José Guadalupe Posada | Ellen Gallagher |
| Emanoel Araújo | Quilombo Cafundó | Rosa Gauditano |
| Archivo de la Memoria Trans (AMT) | Will Rawls | Amos Gitai |
| Elena Asins | Jorge Ribalta | Sônia Gomes |
| Sammy Baloji | Marlon Riggs | Patricia Gómez and María Jesús González |
| Denilson Baniwa | Philip Rizk | Grupo de Investigación en Arte y Política (GIAP) |
| Yto Barrada | Jesús Ruiz Durand | Ayrson Heráclito and Tiganá Santana |
| Arthur Bispo do Rosário | Citra Sasmita | George Herriman |
| Anna Boghiguian | Sauna Lésbica por Malu Avelar with Ana Paula Mathias, Anna Turra, Bárbara Esmenia and Marta Supernova | Nikau Hindin |
| Marilyn Boror Bor | Anne Marie Schneider | Morzaniel Ɨramari |
| M’barek Bouhchichi | Judith Scott | Januário Jano |
| Pauline Boudry and Renate Lorenz | Tejal Shah | Geraldine Javier |
| Nadir Bouhmouch and Soumeya Ait Ahmed | Ahlam Shibli | Kapwani Kiwanga |
| Ubirajara Ferreira Braga | Dayanita Singh | Wifredo Lam |
| Castiel Vitorino Brasileiro | Ceija Stojka | Simone Leigh |
| stanley brouwn | Tadáskía | Daniel Lie |
| Carlos Bunga | Kidlat Tahimik | Raquel Lima |
| Margaret Taylor Goss Burroughs | Taller 4 Rojo | Daniel Lind-Ramos |
| Edgar Calel | Taller NN | Duane Linklater |
| Cabello/Carcelle | Francisco Toledo | The Living and the Dead Ensemble |
| Rolando Castellón | Trinh T. Minh-ha | Ibrahim Mahama |
| Elizabeth Catlett | Gabriel Gentil Tukano | MAHKU |
| Elda Cerrato | Rubem Valentim | Rubiane Maia |
| Benvenuto Chavajay | Juan van der Hamen y León | Sarah Maldoror |
| Manuel Chavajay | Ventura Profana | Malinche |
| Colectivo Ayllu | Luana Vitra | Xica Manicongo |
| Rommulo Vieira Conceição | Nadal Walcott | Guadalupe Maravilla |
| Cozinha Ocupação 9 de Julho | Leilah Weinraub | Leopoldo Méndez |
| Julien Creuzet | Charles White | Melchor María Mercado |
| Aurora Cursino | John Woodrow Wilson | Santu Mofokeng |
| Denise Ferreira da Silva | Ilze Wolff | |
| Luiz de Abreu | Aida Harika Yanomami, Edmar Tokorino Yanomami, and Roseane Yariana Yanomami | |
| Niño de Elche | Zumví Arquivo Afro Fotográfico |
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