In an open letter that was released earlier this month, workers on the most recent edition of the Biennial de Sao Paulo, the most prestigious biennial in Latin America, condemned what they termed as “terrible working conditions.”
The accusation made in the letter, which was made public on October 18th and published anonymously on the website of seLecT_ceLesTe, was that the biennial was putting on a public front of diversity while secretly concealing a culture of what the letter referred to as “discrimination.”
According to the letter, the fixed-term contract that was made by Fundacao Biennial subjects us to working conditions that range from below-market VR [a type of insurance that is common in Brazil] and insufficient adequate food to strenuous workload, an environment with excessive heat that causes fainting, waiting for up to three hours for a shift that allows people to go to the toilet, in addition to intimidating attitudes, which characterise moral harassment, among other things.
The workers continue by claiming that the biennial is responsible for “the same structures of violence that are denounced by the artists who make up the Biennial” and that the biennial has breached the law. In addition, the workers claim that the biennial is responsible for executing these claims.
The foundation that runs the biennial claimed in a statement that its officials and various departments “were not contacted” by the workers prior to the publishing of the letter. This is according to the foundation’s statement.
It is vital that it be evident that, objectively, the wages paid by Fundaço Biennial are in absolute line with the best values practised in the market, as can be observed by simple comparative study, as the biennial wrote. “It is essential that it is clear that, objectively, the salaries paid by Fundaço Bienal are in absolute line with the best values practised in the market.” “In a similar vein, the working environment and hours are in complete compliance with all applicable labour laws, collective bargaining agreements, and best management practises.”
After that, the statement from the biennial promised to conduct an inquiry into the charges that were made in the letter and to “adopt, if applicable, the appropriate measures.”
The letter sent by the labourers gained widespread attention in Brazil, where several people pointed out that it appeared to be in conflict with the decolonial ethos of the 2023 edition.
The current edition of the Sao Paulo Biennial will continue till December 10th.
image courtesy: wikimedia commons
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