Bárbara Wagner & Benjamin de Burca present Swinguerra film for Brazil at 2019 Venice Biennale

Bárbara Wagner & Benjamin de Burca are representing Brazil at the 2019 Venice Biennale with their two-channel synchronized film Swinguerra, which explores dance movements from Recife's peripheries. The artists describe the work as rooted in local traditions while acknowledging transnational influences through globalized culture and internet access. They note that all national representation is problematic but necessary to embrace complexity rather than narrow definitions. The Brazilian pavilion is located in the Giardini. Wagner and de Burca argue that the Venice platform is vital for Brazilian art facing retrogressive downgrading and attacks from right-wing forces that seek to repress artistic expression domestically. They highlight how public opinion in Brazil has been influenced to view art negatively, ranging from considering it futile to accusing it of encouraging moral perversion. The artists emphasize that Swinguerra combines 'swing' with 'guerra' (war) to examine dance as resistance to economic pressures from social and political prejudices. They reject the idea of a single perspective on Brazil, describing it as a vast and complex landmass. The Venice Biennale runs from May 11 to November 24, 2019.