The 36th Bienal de São Paulo is set to open with a bold new theme: reframing humanity as an ever-evolving living practice. The event promises to be one of the most thought-provoking editions in recent history.
The 36th Bienal de São Paulo is set to open in September with a bold new theme: reframing humanity as an ever-evolving living practice. Titled ‘Nem todo andante anda estradas / Da humanidade como prática‘ (‘Not All Travellers Walk Roads / Of Humanity as Practice‘), the event promises to be one of the most thought-provoking editions in recent history.
The Bienal de São Paulo is a renowned international contemporary art exhibition held every two years in the city of São Paulo, Brazil.
Founded in 1951, it is one of the oldest and most prestigious biennales in the world.
The event showcases a diverse range of artistic expressions from over 50 countries, featuring painting, sculpture, photography, installation, and performance art.
With a focus on innovative and thought-provoking works, the Bienal de São Paulo attracts millions of visitors and has become an integral part of Brazil's cultural scene.
Curated by a diverse team led by chief curator Dr. Bonaventure Soh Bejeng Ndikung, the Bienal de São Paulo will explore three central axes: reclaiming space and time, asking the public to see themselves reflected in others, and taking the estuary as a symbol and metaphor for generative encounters.
Dr. Bonaventure Soh Bejeng Ndikung is a Cameroonian art historian and curator.
He serves as the Artistic Director of the Museum of Contemporary Art in Munich, Germany.
Born in 1973, Dr. Ndikung holds a Ph.D. in Philosophy from Humboldt University Berlin.
He has curated numerous exhibitions worldwide, exploring themes such as identity, language, and cultural exchange.
His work focuses on bridging art and science, philosophy, and technology.
The first ‘Invocation‘ series, held globally across cities such as Morocco, Guadeloupe, Tanzania, and Japan, tested these ideas through performances, lectures, and rituals that explored sound, music, rhythm, and voice. These events aimed to call in the energy needed to bring about a more inclusive and coexistence-driven exhibition.
At the heart of the Bienal de São Paulo lies a polyphonic curatorial model that offers a wide plurality of perspectives. Artists were selected not for tokenist markers of identity but for the conceptual and poetic force of their work, which expands our understanding of what it means to be human.
The transformation of the Ciccillo Matarazzo Pavilion into an estuary serves as a powerful symbolic metaphor translating Brazil‘s complex history marked by the fusion of Indigenous peoples, Europeans, and enslaved Africans. Within this framework, the exhibition will explore how cultures manage difference, navigate conflict, and pursue coexistence through new modes of thought and beauty.
A Universal Scale
The 36th Bienal de São Paulo marks a deliberate effort to construct a truly multicultural platform for critical engagement with the idea of humanity in this precarious historical moment. Moving beyond the confines of identity, geography, and chronology, the event will attempt to address the human condition on a genuinely universal scale.
By reframing humanity as an ever-evolving living practice, the Bienal de São Paulo invites us to reimagine our relationships, confront asymmetries and conflicts, and explore alternative forms of coexistence between beings. As Dr. Thiago de Paula Souza notes, ‘How does one become human? How does one exercise and practice humanity?‘
The 36th Bienal de São Paulo promises to be a groundbreaking edition that will challenge our understanding of what it means to be human in the face of an increasingly complex world.
