The Bienal de Sao Paulo (founded in 1951) adopts the concept of doing away with borders and abolishes the traditional 'national representations', engaging an international curatorial staff in the global selection of artists. The 27th Bienal de Sao Paulo expands its duration by means of seminars organized throughout the year and grows physically as well: a significant number of artists in residence explore Brazil's political geography and promote new forms of interaction with local agents beyond the limits of Sao Paulo.
The title of the exhibition, "How to Live Together", inspired on seminars by Roland Barthes at the College de France in 1976-77, proposes a reflection on the construction of shared spaces. Coexistence and living together, rhythms of production and cooperative practices are matters that weave attempts at reaching an ethical sense of Living-Together. The 27a Bienal is conceptually located at the crossroads of two lines of thought that Helie Oiticica (1937-1980) developed: the sense of "construction", at the base of nee-concrete experimentation, and the "farewell to aesthetics". In the exhibition, these two lines translate into "Constructive Projects" and "Programs for Life".
The seminars were conceived to analyze concepts that guide contemporary artistic production. In January, "Marcel, 30", organized by guest curator Jochen Volz, gathered the speakers Ricardo Basbaum, Jurgen Harten, Stephane Huchet, Lisette Lagnado, Rirkrit Tiravanija and Dorothea Zwirner, who debated the logic of museum exhibitions starting from an analysis of artist Marcel Broodthaers' work.
In April, the seminar "Architecture", organized by Adriano Pedrosa, invited Beatriz Colomina, Jessica Morgan, Marjetica Potrc, Ana Maria Tavares, Eyal Weizman and Guilherme Wisnik to discuss the friction between art and architecture. "Reconstruction", held in June and organized by Cristina Freire, had the participation of Tony Chakar, Minerva Cuevas, Joao Frayze-Pereira, Jean-Marc Poinsot, Viktor Misiano and Renato Janine Ribeiro, proposing a discussion on the profile of destroyed cities, displacements, diasporas and migrations.
On 4 and 5 Aug., Lisette Lagnado organized "Collective Life", with the participation of Jane Crawford, Catherine David, Celso Favaretto, Jeanne Marie Gagnebin, Yuko Hasegawa and Peter Pal-Pelbart. On 9 and 10 Oct., the seminar "Exchanges", organized by Rosa Martinez, will gather Nicolas Bourriaud, Paulo Herkenhoff, Carlos Jimenez, Ernesto Neto, Maria Rita Kehl and Renata Salecl. In November, the seminar "Acre", organized by Jose Roca, will bring together the speakers Manuela Carneiro da Cunha, Jimmie Durham, Thierry de Duve, Francisco Foot Hardman and David Harvey to debate matters related to territories and boundaries.
The 27th Bienal de Sao Paulo also takes a step forward in the democratization of the knowledge of contemporary art and aesthetic experience. The creation of four centers of artistic discussion located in strategic points of the outskirts of Sao Paulo is a part of the Educational Project of this Bienal. The new initiative is aimed at enlarging the composition of the Bienal's visiting public beyond the most privileged social classes. The project is organized by Denise Grinspum.
This edition of the Bienal will publish a three-volume catalogue: guide to the exhibition with images of works displayed and interviews with guest artists, compilation of texts by curators and intellectuals and a record of all conferences presented during the six international seminars organized throughout the year. Rodrigo Cervino Lopez is in charge of the graphic design and layout of the three books. The co-curator Adriano Pedrosa is the publication's editor. Marta Bogea is responsible for the displays.
The 27th Bienal de São Paulo has a total of 119 participating artists (consult list below). Of the slected artists seven were invited to realize graphic projects for the catalogue, 10 are international artists in residence in Brazil and the "Fortnight of Films" gathers nine other filmmakers, running from 04 Oct. to 18 Oct. at the Cine Bombril and, later, at the Lasar Segall Museum.