33rd São Paulo Biennial Employs Artist-Curators and Explores Affective Affinities

The 33rd São Paulo Biennial, named 'Affective Affinities', takes place from September 7 to December 9, 2018, at the Ciccillo Matarazzo Pavilion located in Ibirapuera Park. Curated by Gabriel Pérez-Barreiro, the exhibition features twelve individual and collective projects created by seven artist-curators: Alejandro Cesarco, Antonio Ballester Moreno, Claudia Fontes, Mamma Andersson, Sofia Borges, Waltércio Caldas, and Wura-Natasha Ogunji. This approach revisits a format previously utilized by Walter Zanini in 1981 and resonates with the 1969 Paris Youth Biennial led by Jacques Lassaigne. The thematic inspiration stems from Johann Wolfgang von Goethe's 1809 work 'Elective Affinities' and Mário Pedrosa's 1949 thesis. Artists commissioned include Tamar Guimarães, Vânia Mignone, and others, with tributes to Aníbal López, Feliciano Centurión, and Lúcia Nogueira. Noteworthy is Siron Franco's 'Césio/Rua 57', which addresses the 1987 Goiás radioactive contamination incident. Alvaro Razuk designed the architecture, while Lilian L’Abbate Kelian and Helena Freire Weffort managed educational programs, Fabiana Werneck oversaw editorial direction, and visual identity was crafted by Raul Loureiro.