Clínica Geral: Expanded Pedagogies in Art Mentorship

An interview with Érica Burini and Kauê Garcia, mediators of the Clínica Geral program at Ateliê 397 in São Paulo, explores the program's pedagogical approach. Clínica Geral is a semester-long mentorship for artists, curators, and researchers, emphasizing horizontal exchange, critical listening, and collective discussion over market success. Burini, a curator and art historian, and Garcia, an artist, bring complementary perspectives—theoretical and practical—to guide participants through experimental processes. The program, conducted virtually, aims to create a safe, non-hierarchical space where artists develop critical autonomy. Challenges include financial sustainability and engaging artists in experimental proposals that push beyond comfort zones. Both mediators stress the importance of listening, reference-sharing, and fostering an independent art circuit outside commercial galleries. The interview also touches on tensions within the Brazilian art scene, including the struggle for independent spaces to survive amid market pressures and public funding cuts.