ARTFEED — Contemporary Art Intelligence

Antoni Muntadas's 'About Academia' Video Installation Arrives Digitally in Brazil

digital · 2026-04-23

Spanish artist Antoni Muntadas' two-part video installation, 'About Academia,' was showcased in 2011 and 2017 and became available online for Latin America from April 30 to October 31, 2021. This digital adaptation, developed in collaboration with Fórum Permanente, Instituto de Estudos Avançados da USP (IEA), and Biblioteca Brasiliana José e Guita Mindlin, modifies the original pieces for virtual viewing in response to COVID-19, featuring translations in Portuguese and Spanish. A roundtable discussion on April 30 included Muntadas and notable figures such as Néstor Garcia Canclini, Eliana Sousa Silva, Macaé Evaristo, Ailton Krenak, and Martin Grossmann. Two more roundtables are scheduled for May 10 with participants from both Brazil and abroad. Muntadas, who was born in Barcelona in 1942, has resided in New York since 1971.

Key facts

  • The digital version of 'About Academia' launched on April 30, 2021.
  • The project is accessible online until October 31, 2021.
  • The adaptation was made necessary by the COVID-19 pandemic.
  • The work features interviews with professors, academics, and students.
  • Roundtables were organized to expand the debate within a Latin American context.
  • The original installation was presented at Harvard University's Carpenter Center in 2011.
  • Antoni Muntadas has been based in New York since 1971.
  • The project is a partnership between Fórum Permanente, IEA-USP, and Biblioteca Brasiliana.

Entities

Artists

  • Antoni Muntadas
  • Néstor Garcia Canclini
  • Eliana Sousa Silva
  • Macaé Evaristo
  • Ailton Krenak
  • Martin Grossmann
  • Nikki Moore
  • David Gange
  • Julia Buenaventura
  • Mariko Murata
  • Naomar de Almeida Filho
  • Helena Nader
  • Guilherme Wisnik
  • Renato Janine Ribeiro
  • Noam Chomsky
  • David Harvey
  • Carol Becker
  • Ute Meta Bauer

Institutions

  • Fórum Permanente
  • Instituto de Estudos Avançados da USP (IEA)
  • Biblioteca Brasiliana José e Guita Mindlin
  • Universidade de São Paulo (USP)
  • Carpenter Center for the Visual Arts
  • Harvard University
  • Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
  • Programa em Arte, Cultura e Tecnologia (ACT MIT)

Locations

  • Brazil
  • Latin America
  • Barcelona
  • Spain
  • New York
  • United States
  • Mexico
  • England
  • Colombia
  • Japan

Sources