ARTFEED — Contemporary Art Intelligence

Pandemic Drives Art World Online with Critiques and Notable Virtual Events

exhibition · 2026-04-23

The art sector experienced a transition to online communication due to the COVID-19 pandemic, a move that Giselle Beiguelman criticized in April 2020 for the antiquated methods of cultural institutions. High-quality recordings became increasingly favored, as noted by managers who observed global discussions. Noteworthy virtual events included Alfredo Jaar at Festival ZUM (2020), a dialogue between Rosana Paulino and Ailton Krenak in June 2020, and an online discussion at the 34th Bienal de São Paulo in February featuring Jota Mombaça and others. Various exhibitions were announced in Brazil, such as 'Barracas e fachadas do nordeste' (Jan 30-May 30), 'Solidão Coletiva' (Mar 3-Jul 12), and 'Mestre Didi' (Apr 8-Jul 5). A lecture on Alberto Henschel's photography is set for April 23.

Key facts

  • The pandemic accelerated a global shift to online platforms like Instagram Live and YouTube for art events.
  • Giselle Beiguelman criticized the art world's digital migration in April 2020 as a return to a primitive internet.
  • Alfredo Jaar emphasized daily news reading as essential for an artist's understanding of the world in a 2020 Festival ZUM talk.
  • Ailton Krenak and Rosana Paulino discussed systemic exclusion and environmental issues in a June 2020 virtual conversation hosted by Ashoka.
  • The 34th Bienal de São Paulo's online talk in February featured artists discussing historical persistence, symbolized by an 18th-century bell from Ouro Preto.
  • Over twenty physical exhibitions are scheduled across Brazil from January through November 2026.
  • The 4th Frestas Triennial in Sorocaba, titled 'do caminho um rezo', features 188 works from 102 participants.
  • The exhibition 'O que elas viram' at IMS Paulista presents 106 historical photobooks by women, spanning from 1843 to 1999.
  • The project 'Langsdorff: A expedição fluvial 200 anos depois' revisits a 19th-century scientific expedition to reflect on contemporary environmental crises.

Entities

Artists

Institutions

  • Folha de S.Paulo
  • arte!brasileiros
  • Festival ZUM
  • Trienal de San Juan
  • Organização Ashoka
  • Pinacoteca do Estado
  • 34ª Bienal de São Paulo
  • Galeria Galatea
  • Nara Roesler
  • Museu de Arte do Espírito Santo (MAES)
  • Movimento Grevista Negro
  • Universidade Federal do Espírito Santo
  • Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro
  • Secretaria da Cultura (Secultes)
  • Fundo de Cultura do Estado do Espirito Santo (Funcultura)
  • Política Nacional Aldir Blanc (PNAB)
  • Ministério da Cultura (MINC)
  • Midiateca Capixaba
  • Sesc Sorocaba
  • Capela João de Camargo
  • Clube 28 de Setembro
  • 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
  • Janaina Torres Galeria
  • FAMA Museu
  • IMS - Instituto Moreira Salles
  • 10×10 Photobooks
  • Biblioteca de Fotografia
  • Getty Research Institute
  • Museo Reina Sofía
  • Rijksmuseum
  • New York Public Library
  • Livraria da Travessa
  • Simões de Assis
  • El Espacio 23
  • Coleção Jorge M. Pérez
  • Galeria Estúdio Reverso
  • NONADA SP
  • NND|Azeco
  • DAN Galeria
  • Casa de Cultura do Parque
  • 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
  • Instituto Moreira Salles (IMS)
  • Império Russo
  • 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

Locations

  • São Paulo
  • Brazil
  • Chile
  • United States
  • Salvador
  • Bahia
  • Recife
  • Pernambuco
  • Olinda
  • Vitória
  • Espírito Santo
  • Rio de Janeiro
  • Sorocaba
  • Porto Feliz
  • Mato Grosso
  • Grão-Pará
  • Nova York
  • Tóquio
  • Mumbai
  • Pequim
  • Jacarta
  • Belo Horizonte
  • Minas Gerais
  • Maranhão
  • Portugal
  • Aveiro
  • Santiago
  • Argentina
  • La Puntana
  • Gran Chaco
  • Paraguay
  • Campo Grande
  • São Paulo-SP
  • Itu
  • Amsterdã
  • Netherlands
  • Madri
  • Spain
  • Los Angeles
  • USA
  • Miami
  • Florida
  • EUA
  • Alameda Lorena
  • Jardim Paulista
  • Vila Nova Conceição
  • Centro
  • Alto de Pinheiros
  • Boaçava
  • Vila Madalena
  • Bela Vista
  • Bom Retiro
  • Cidade Universitária
  • Jardim Faculdade
  • Funcionários
  • Centro de Vitória
  • Ouro Preto
  • Vila Rica
  • Brasília
  • Sérvia
  • ex-Iugoslávia
  • Fortaleza
  • Algarve
  • Santo Antônio da Patrulha
  • RS
  • Amazonas
  • Tietê
  • Pantanal
  • Amazônia
  • Rio Guandu

Sources

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