São Paulo – One of the most important art exhibitions in the world, the 36th São Paulo Biennial will open to the public on September 6, featuring works by 120 artists, including prominent figures from various Arab nations. Morocco alone will be represented by seven artists, as well as co-curator Alya Sebti. With the theme “Not All Travellers Walk Roads—Of Humanity as Practice,” the Biennial took its title from the poem “Da calma e do silêncio [Of Calm and Silence] by Conceição Evaristo to explore themes dear to humanity: nature, encounters, and movements.
The concept of the exhibition was developed by Cameroonian Bonaventure Soh Bejeng Ndikung alongside co-curators Alya Sebti, Anna Roberta Goetz, Thiago de Paula Souza, and Keyna Eleison. Communication and strategy consultancy is provided by German Henriette Gallus. The team drew inspiration from migratory birds as a methodology for selecting the artists for this Biennial. “Through the birds’ navigational senses, their impulse to move across lands and waters, their survival instincts, their expanded understanding of spaces and times, as well as their urgencies and agencies, we were able to engage with artistic practices across diverse geographies while reflecting on what it means to unite humanity in the context of the 36th São Paulo Biennial,” Ndikung said at the exhibition’s launch.
Alya Sebti gave an interview to ANBA shortly after the announcement of the curatorial team in June 2024. Even at the early stages of the curatorial concept, she had already indicated what was to come: other projects involving her would explore encounter, environment, and migration. “I was fascinated (and still am!) by this unique institution, of such scale and so deeply rooted in its territory while facilitating conversations with the rest of the world,” Sebti said about the São Paulo Biennial.
Artists and themes related to the Arab world will be represented in the exhibition through various forms of artistic expression. From Morocco, works by Amina Agueznay, Chaibia Talal (1929–2004), Farid Belkhaia (1934–2014), Laila Hida, Leila Alaoui (1982–2016), Malika Agueznay, Mohamed Melehi (1936–2020), and Meriem Bennani, who explores visual arts and technology in her projects, can be seen. The Biennial will also feature creations or performances by artists from Mauritania, Algeria, Lebanon, Iraq, Sudan, and Palestine. The Biennial will host exhibitions at the Pavilion in Ibirapuera Park and at Casa do Povo in São Paulo.
The São Paulo Biennial will have free admission and will run until January 11. More information is available here.
Translated by Guilherme Miranda
