Contemporary Art Comes Alive at the Bienal de Arte de Sao Paulo

Founded in 1951, the Bienal de Arte de Sao Paulo has been held every two years in the city since its inception. It is officially the second oldest biennial in the world, with its role model the Venice Biennial earning the title since its beginnings in 1895. The Bienal de Arte de Sao Paulo was begun by an industrialist of Italian-Brazilian background named Ciccillo Matarazzo, and ever since 1957, the event has been held in the Parque do Ibirapuera’s Ciccillo Matarazzo Pavilion.

This pavilion was designed by a team of architects led by the famous designers Oscar Niemeyer and Helio Uchoa, who designed it to be able to interact with the landscape in an appealing way – and also have around 30,000 square meters of exhibition space! Initially, the purpose of the Bienal de Arte de Sao Paulo was to showcase international pieces of contemporary art – typically items from the United States and Western Europe – and build an awareness of artistic materials outside of Brazil. This would presumably then grow the Brazilian art scene to enable access to international exhibits and thus establish Sao Paulo as a prominent center for world-class artistry.

Essentially, the Sao Paulo Biennial for art is a way for foreign and Brazilian art to interact with both Brazilians and foreigners in a non-judgmental and inclusive environment. Since it includes pieces of art from all across the world in its displays, the event is considered to be once of the most important art exhibits in all of Brazil. Often during the Biennial, there are lectures given by national speakers on the trends and newest developments in contemporary art, both in Brazil and across the world.

Another important part of the Bienal de Arte de Sao Paulo is the secondary aspect of the event, which has been running since 1973. This is the International Biennial for Architecture and Design, and it runs concurrent with the art exhibits. The exhibits for architecture are displayed in the same location in Ibirapuera Park, sometimes overlapping in the Matarazzo Pavilion, but oftentimes displayed in the Biennial Pavilion.

Both the Bienal de Arte de Sao Paulo and the Architecture Biennial continue to remain as true to their Venetian model as possible, building awareness and collaborating efforts in both art and architecture. The next Biennial should be held in 2008, and it typically runs at the end of November through the first week of December. Each event also has a little bit of a different flair about it, so if you’ve attended one Biennial, there is no need to worry that there won’t be anything new to see – the international exhibitions are held under the direction of rotating chief curators, and a new theme is embarked upon each time around.

From bienal de arte de sao paulo back to sao paulo attractions