There’s always a pock of sea for a man to sail in

A new edition of the Sao Paulo Biennial will open on Sept. 25 with as many expectations as ever among creators, curators, collectors and gallery owners. This 29th edition, running under a “title” taken from Brazilian poet Jorge de Lima’s (1895-1953) work, will gather nearly 160 artists, far more than the 42 creators who attended the 2008 biennial. In addition, organizers hope to lure both Brazilian visitors and international public to the event.

The curatorship team headed by Moacir dos Anjos and Agnaldo Farias has announced a few changes, like the elimination of the national delivery concept that marked the biennial till 2004 and that had previously been slashed in 2006 under Lisette Lagnado’s leadership. In the same breath, the curatorship staff will contribute general ideas to the head curators of the different areas without any conceptual digressions whatsoever. It’s also in the Biennial’s best interest to stress on Europe and North America. Instead of the “historic halls”, there’ll exhibitions of referential works by Latin American artists culled just to show what Latin America is going through in terms of policy issues.

This year, Sao Paulo Biennial’s concept is based on the notion that it’s impossible to separate art from policy –in a wide sense. Art, through its own language, is “capable of blocking the sensorial coordinates we use to understand the world and live it, by introducing topics and answers previously absent, modifying it and improving it”. On this matter, the title There is always a pock of sea for a man to sail in allows visualizing curators’ intentions, by reaffirming the Utopian dimension of art. The show will display into curatorial and integrated areas six thematic cores related to the politic thinking and artistic action.

Sao Pablo’s 29th Biennial is also extended to other areas through an educational program, discursive activities, artistic residencies and its website, offering a multifaceted project where art is a way of knowing and changing the world in a unique way. Many of these are being already carried out.

We’ll soon provide further information on the Biennial, which will be on the map until December.

Sources: Universes in Universe y Web Oficial de la Bienal