36th Bienal de São Paulo Embraces Estuary as Curatorial Metaphor, Showcasing 120 Artists
Running until 11 January 2026 at the Ciccillo Matarazzo Pavilion in São Paulo, Brazil, the 36th Bienal de São Paulo is named 'Not All Travellers Walk Roads' and subtitled 'Of Humanity as Practice'. Chief curator Bonaventure Soh Bejeng Ndikung, alongside cocurators Alya Sebti, Anna Roberta Goetz, Thiago de Paula Souza, and Keyna Eleison, draws from Conceição Evaristo's 1990 poem and Édouard Glissant's notion of opacity. The exhibition showcases 120 artists and highlights the estuary as a convergence for scattered communities. Notable works include Pol Taburet's 'Someone’s Child' (2025), Antonio Társis's 'Orchestra Catastrophe: Act I' (2025), and Christopher Cozier's 'After the Appeal Will Come the Next Delivery' (2025), focusing on themes of collective joy and resistance.
Key facts
- The 36th Bienal de São Paulo runs through 11 January 2026 at Ciccillo Matarazzo Pavilion in São Paulo, Brazil.
- Chief curator Bonaventure Soh Bejeng Ndikung leads a team including Alya Sebti, Anna Roberta Goetz, Thiago de Paula Souza, and Keyna Eleison.
- The exhibition title 'Not All Travellers Walk Roads' is inspired by a 1990 poem by Afro-Brazilian writer Conceição Evaristo.
- 120 artists are featured, with a curatorial focus on the estuary as a metaphor for convergence and the African diaspora.
- Antonio Társis's installation 'Orchestra Catastrophe: Act I' (2025) explores mineral extraction in Africa using matchbox panels and coal pendants.
- Christopher Cozier's 'After the Appeal Will Come the Next Delivery' (2025) uses flags to denounce genocides in Gaza and Sudan.
- Forensic Architecture/Forensis's video 'The People’s Court I' (2025) documents ecocidal impacts in Nigeria's Niger Delta from oil extraction.
- The exhibition design includes vibrant curtains in Oscar Niemeyer's pavilion, with critiques of weaker works in the central atrium.
Entities
Artists
- Conceição Evaristo
- Bonaventure Soh Bejeng Ndikung
- Alya Sebti
- Anna Roberta Goetz
- Thiago de Paula Souza
- Keyna Eleison
- Pol Taburet
- Antonio Társis
- Christopher Cozier
- Felix Gonzalez-Torres
- Madame Zo
- Laure Prouvost
- Tanka Fonta
- Frank Bowling
- Ana Raylander Mártis dos Anjos
- Maxwell Alexandre
- Isa Genzken
- Mestre Batatinha
- Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
- Joseph Beuys
- Theo Eshetu
- Josèfa Ntjam
- Behjat Sadr
- Gê Viana
- Ernest Cole
- Madame Zo (Zoarinivo Razakaratrimo)
- Zózimo Bulbul
- Julianknxx
- Aline Baiana
- Hao Jingban
- Mao Ishikawa
- Akinbode Akinbiyi
- Vilanismo
- Manauara Clandestina
- Noor Abed
- Ming Smith
- Forugh Farrokhzad
- Kader Attia
- Tuấn Andrew Nguyễn
- Leila Alaoui
- Lynn Hershman Leeson
Institutions
- 36th Bienal de São Paulo
- Ciccillo Matarazzo Pavilion
- ArtReview
- HKW
- Forensic Architecture
- Forensis
- Chevron
- Guggenheim
- Tate
- Fundação Bienal de São Paulo
- Pavilhão Ciccillo Matarazzo
- Casa do Povo
Locations
- São Paulo
- Brazil
- Berlin
- Germany
- Gaza
- Sudan
- Niger Delta
- Nigeria
- Ugbo Kingdom
- Madagascar
- Salvador
- Rwanda
- Congo
- Zambia
- China
- Minas Gerais
- New York
- United States
- London
- United Kingdom
- Bom Retiro neighborhood