14th Curitiba Biennial Opens with 400 Works by 100 Artists Addressing Sociopolitical Conflicts

festival-fair · 2026-04-23

The 14th Curitiba Biennial, inaugurated on September 21, presents 400 works by approximately 100 artists under the theme 'Fronteiras em Aberto' (Open Borders). General curators Tereza de Arruda and Adolfo Montejo Navas lead the event, which expands beyond the central Museu Oscar Niemeyer to other cities and countries. The biennial's thematic inspiration stems from the 30th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, reconfiguring perspectives, particularly in Eastern Europe. A curatorial team including Massimo Scaringella, Gabriela Urtiaga, Ernestine White, Esebjia Bannan, and Julie Dumont joins the project. South African artist Sethembile Msezane presents performances denouncing the inviability of Black women in her country, blending ritualism and activism in public spaces. German filmmaker and cyberartist Hito Steyerl contributes with her video game 'Factory of the Sun,' focusing on systemic privilege and forced diaspora. The BRICS segment, curated by Ernestine White-Mifetu, Esenija Bannan, Lu Zhengyuan, and Tereza de Arruda, features the Russian collective AES+F with their multimedia work 'Inverso Mundus.' Brazilian artist Cildo Meireles is represented by his 1969/1970 sculpture 'Cruzeiro do Sul.' The biennial also features a video series projected on municipal buses until March 1, reaching new audiences beyond traditional fair and biennial circuits.

Key facts

Inaugurated on September 21.
Features 400 works by about 100 artists.
Theme is 'Fronteiras em Aberto' (Open Borders).
Central venue is Museu Oscar Niemeyer.
Expands to other cities and countries.
Inspired by 30th anniversary of Berlin Wall fall.
Includes video projections on city buses until March 1.
General curators are Tereza de Arruda and Adolfo Montejo Navas.

Entities

Artists

Institutions

14ª Bienal de Curitiba
Museu Oscar Niemeyer
Galeria Galatea Salvador
Nara Roesler
Museu de Arte do Espírito Santo (MAES)
Movimento Grevista Negro
Midiateca Capixaba
Secretaria da Cultura (Secultes)
Fundo de Cultura do Estado do Espirito Santo (Funcultura)
Política Nacional Aldir Blanc (PNAB)
Ministério da Cultura (MINC)
Sesc Sorocaba
Frestas – Trienal de Artes
Capela João de Camargo
Clube 28 de Setembro
Monumento Pelourinho
Monumento à Mãe Preta
CAIXA Cultural São Paulo
Phi Projetos
Cinnamon
CAIXA
Governo do Brasil
Centro Cultural Banco do Brasil Belo Horizonte (CCBB BH)
Ateliê Marlene Barros
Ponto de Cultura Coletivo ZBM
Universidade de Aveiro
MASP — Museu de Arte de São Paulo Assis Chateaubriand
El Espacio 23
Coleção Jorge M. Pérez
Janaina Torres Galeria
FAMA Museu
IMS - Instituto Moreira Salles
Biblioteca de Fotografia
10×10 Photobooks
Getty Research Institute
Museo Reina Sofía
Rijksmuseum
New York Public Library
Paris Photo
Livraria da Travessa
Simões de Assis
Galeria Estúdio Reverso
NND|Azeco
NONADA SP
DAN Galeria
SP-Arte
Casa de Cultura do Parque
Projeto 280X1020
Instituto de Cultura Contemporânea (ICCo)
Lei Rouanet
banco BV
Laranjinha
Banco Itaú
Biblioteca Brasiliana Guita e José Mindlin - USP
Instituto Hercule Florence
Documenta Pantanal
Centro Maria Antônia da USP
Bibliothèque nationale de France (BnF)
Coleção Cyrillo Hercules Florence
Fonte
Carmo Johnson Projects
Itaú Cultural
Ilê Asipá
Pina Luz
Centro de Pesquisa e Formação do Sesc
PGHEA-MAC/USP
Curitiba Biennial
Oscar Niemeyer Museum
Venice Biennale

Locations

Curitiba
Brazil
Berlin
Germany
East Europe
South Africa
Cape Town
Italy
Argentina
Russia
Belgium
Salvador
Bahia
Recife
Pernambuco
Olinda
São Paulo
Zona Leste
Vitória
Espírito Santo
Sorocaba
New York
United States
Tokyo
Japan
Mumbai
India
Beijing
China
Jakarta
Indonesia
Belo Horizonte
Minas Gerais
La Puntana
Gran Chaco
Paraguay
Amazon
Miami
Florida
Campo Grande
Mato Grosso do Sul
Itu
Nova York
Amsterdam
Netherlands
Madrid
Spain
Los Angeles
California
Lorena
Jardim Paulista
Vila Nova Conceição
Alto de Pinheiros
Porto Feliz
Mato Grosso
Grão-Pará
Pantanal
Vila Madalena
Santo Antônio da Patrulha
Rio Grande do Sul
Algarve
Portugal
Rio de Janeiro
Bom Retiro
Bela Vista
Eastern Europe

Sources

ARTE!Brasileiros — 2019-11-26
ARTE!Brasileiros — 2019-12-05