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João Fernandes Assumes Artistic Direction at Instituto Moreira Salles Amid Brazilian Cultural Resilience

institutional · 2026-04-23

João Fernandes, the new artistic director of Instituto Moreira Salles in São Paulo, arrives from leading roles at Fundação Serralves in Porto (1996-2012) and Museo Reina Sofía in Madrid. He views his appointment as an opportunity to engage with Brazil's complex history and vibrant contemporary culture, despite current political and environmental challenges. Fernandes emphasizes the institute's unique capacity to intertwine memory with the present, citing its autonomy and diverse archives spanning literature, photography, visual arts, and cinema. He admires how Brazilian culture subverts distinctions between erudite and popular forms, referencing figures like Hélio Oiticica, Mário Pedrosa, and Claudia Andujar. Recent positive cultural energy, including the Panorama da Arte Brasileira and films like 'Bacurau,' reinforces his optimism. His initial focus involves learning the institution's operations and teams before shaping a programming identity that critically engages memory as a collective, discussable entity. The article also lists numerous concurrent exhibitions across Brazil, such as 'Claudia Alarcón & Silät: viver tecendo' at MASP, 'Frestas – Trienal de Artes' in Sorocaba, and 'O que elas viram: fotolivros históricos de mulheres, 1843-1999' at IMS Paulista.

Key facts

  • João Fernandes is the new artistic director of Instituto Moreira Salles in São Paulo.
  • He previously directed Fundação Serralves in Porto from 1996 to 2012 and was artistic director of Museo Reina Sofía in Madrid.
  • Fernandes believes the institute is ideally positioned to work with memory and the present due to its autonomous archives and programming.
  • He cites Brazilian culture's ability to subvert divisions between erudite and popular art as a key fascination.
  • Recent cultural events like the Panorama da Arte Brasileira and Kleber Mendonça's film 'Bacurau' signal a unique energy in Brazil.
  • His first year includes a pre-scheduled exhibition by Harun Farocki.
  • Fernandes aims to build a programming identity through collaboration with the institute's teams.
  • The article lists over twenty other current exhibitions across Brazil, highlighting a vibrant art scene.

Entities

Artists

  • João Fernandes
  • Hélio Oiticica
  • Mário Pedrosa
  • Ferreira Gullar
  • Walter Zanini
  • Claudia Andujar
  • Lothar Baumgarten
  • Harun Farocki
  • Montez Magno
  • Mari Ra
  • Zé di Cabeça
  • Fabio Miguez
  • Adenor Gondim
  • Luciano Feijão
  • Júlio Bittencourt
  • Marlene Barros
  • Claudia Alarcón
  • Deborah Paiva
  • Nuno Ramos
  • Marcos Amaro
  • Thalita Hamaoui
  • Rogério Medeiros
  • Rafael Hayashi
  • Lázaro Roberto
  • Ivald Granato
  • Felipe Rezende
  • Andrea Brazil
  • Darks Miranda
  • Flávia Metzler
  • Ivan Cardoso
  • Yuli Yamagata
  • Flavia Renault
  • Belony Ferreira
  • Mestre Didi
  • Paulo Pedro Leal
  • Anna Atkins
  • Elizabeth B. Brownell
  • Eslanda Cardozo Goode Robeson
  • Annette Messager
  • Angèle Etoundi Essamba
  • Hiromix
  • Maureen Bisilliat
  • Gretta Sarfaty
  • Vilma Slomp
  • Claudia Jaguaribe
  • Anna Mariani
  • Stefania Bril
  • Francisco Brennand
  • José Cláudio
  • Cao Guimarães
  • Marcelo Silveira
  • Maria Noujaim
  • Georg Heinrich von Langsdorff
  • Ludwig Riedel
  • Néster Rubtsov
  • Aimé-Adrien Taunay
  • Hercule Florence
  • Wilhelmine von Langsdorff
  • Lalo de Almeida
  • Paula Sampaio
  • Miguel Chikaoka
  • João Pompeu
  • La Chola Poblete
  • Sandra Gamarra Heshiki
  • Santiago Yahuarcani
  • Damián Ortega
  • Sol Calero
  • Carolina Caycedo
  • Pablo Delano
  • Rosa Elena Curruchich
  • Manuel Herreros
  • Mateo Manaure
  • Jesús Soto
  • Iberê Camargo
  • Jasper Johns
  • Henri Matisse
  • Marie Laurencin
  • Tadeu Kaingang
  • Silvia Rivera Cusicanqui
  • Antônio Bispo dos Santos (Nêgo Bispo)
  • Carlos Lacerda
  • Alberto Henschel
  • Juca Rosa
  • Abdias Nascimento
  • Lorenzo Mammi
  • Manuel Borja-Villel
  • Mario Pfeifer
  • Voluspa Jarpa
  • Noam Chomsky
  • Helio Oiticica
  • Tomás Toledo
  • Alana Silveira
  • Renato Lopes
  • Elaine Pinheiro
  • Karenn Amorim
  • Nicolas Soares
  • Ronaldo Domingues de Almeida
  • Adriana Machado
  • Paulo Bruscky
  • Luciara Ribeiro
  • Naine Terena
  • Khadyg Fares
  • Antônio Bispo dos Santos
  • Nêgo Bispo
  • Guilherme Wisnik
  • Daniela Thomas
  • Hannah Arendt
  • Betânia Pinheiro
  • Fábio Nunes
  • Júlia Martins
  • Adriano Pedrosa
  • Laura Cosendey
  • Colectivo Acciones de Arte
  • Tadeu Chiarelli
  • Walter Benjamin
  • Russet Lederman
  • Olga Yatskevich
  • Miguel Del Castillo
  • Ana Paula Cavalcanti Simioni
  • Catalina Bergues
  • Hélio Menezes
  • Maria Alice Milliet
  • Christian-Jack Heymès
  • Claudio Cretti
  • Guilherme Teixeira
  • Ana Avelar
  • José Augusto Ribeiro
  • Antonio Florence
  • Francis Melvin Lee
  • Mônica Guimarães
  • Moacir dos Anjos
  • Aracy Amaral
  • Paula Borghi
  • Paula Ramos
  • Ayrson Heráclito
  • Rodrigo Moura
  • Jean Boghici
  • Mônica Cardim

Institutions

  • Instituto Moreira Salles
  • Fundação Serralves
  • Museo Reina Sofía
  • MASP — Museu de Arte de São Paulo Assis Chateaubriand
  • Galeria Galatea Salvador
  • Nara Roesler
  • Museu de Arte do Espírito Santo (MAES)
  • Sesc Sorocaba
  • CAIXA Cultural São Paulo
  • Centro Cultural Banco do Brasil Belo Horizonte (CCBB BH)
  • Janaina Torres Galeria
  • FAMA Museu
  • IMS - Instituto Moreira Salles
  • Simões de Assis
  • Galeria Estúdio Reverso
  • NONADA SP
  • DAN Galeria
  • Casa de Cultura do Parque
  • Biblioteca Brasiliana Guita e José Mindlin - USP
  • Itaú Cultural
  • Pina Luz
  • Centro de Pesquisa e Formação do Sesc
  • 10×10 Photobooks
  • Getty Research Institute
  • Rijksmuseum
  • New York Public Library
  • Paris Photo
  • Livraria da Travessa
  • Instituto Hercule Florence
  • Documenta Pantanal
  • Centro Maria Antônia da USP
  • Bibliothèque nationale de France (BnF)
  • MoMA
  • Ateliê Marlene Barros
  • Ponto de Cultura Coletivo ZBM
  • Universidade de Aveiro
  • El Espacio 23
  • Coleção Jorge M. Pérez
  • Phi Projetos
  • Cinnamon
  • Movimento Grevista Negro
  • Universidade Federal do Espírito Santo
  • Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro
  • Secretaria da Cultura (Secultes)
  • Fundo de Cultura do Estado do Espirito Santo (Funcultura)
  • Política Nacional Aldir Blanc (PNAB)
  • Ministério da Cultura (MINC)
  • Midiateca Capixaba
  • Instituto de Cultura Contemporânea (ICCo)
  • Lei Rouanet
  • banco BV
  • Laranjinha
  • Banco Itaú
  • Carmo Johnson Projects
  • Terreiro Ilê Asipá
  • Capela João de Camargo
  • Clube 28 de Setembro
  • Monumento Pelourinho
  • Monumento à Mãe Preta
  • Serviço de Repressão à Mendicância
  • Moreira Salles Institute
  • Serralves Foundation
  • Reina Sofía
  • Galeria Nara Roesler - SP
  • Fonte
  • Pinacoteca de São Paulo (Pina Luz)
  • Ilê Asipá
  • ARTE!Brasileiros
  • Universidade de São Paulo
  • ArtReview
  • V Seminário ARTE!Brasileiros
  • Museu de Arte do Espírito Santo
  • Secretaria da Cultura
  • Fundo de Cultura do Estado do Espirito Santo
  • Política Nacional Aldir Blanc
  • Ministério da Cultura
  • CAIXA
  • Governo do Brasil
  • Centro Cultural Banco do Brasil Belo Horizonte
  • MASP
  • IMS Paulista
  • Biblioteca de Fotografia
  • NND|Azeco
  • SP-Arte
  • Projeto 280X1020
  • Instituto de Cultura Contemporânea
  • BBM-USP
  • Bibliothèque nationale de France
  • PGHEA-MAC/USP

Locations

  • São Paulo
  • Brazil
  • Porto
  • Portugal
  • Madrid
  • Spain
  • Avenida Paulista
  • Salvador
  • Bahia
  • Recife
  • Pernambuco
  • Olinda
  • Vitória
  • Espírito Santo
  • Sorocaba
  • Nova York
  • United States
  • Tóquio
  • Japan
  • Mumbai
  • India
  • Pequim
  • China
  • Jacarta
  • Indonesia
  • Belo Horizonte
  • Minas Gerais
  • Itu
  • La Puntana
  • Argentina
  • Gran Chaco
  • Paraguay
  • Alemanha
  • Germany
  • Westphalia
  • Miami
  • EUA
  • Los Angeles
  • Amsterdã
  • Netherlands
  • Algarve
  • Santo Antônio da Patrulha
  • Rio Grande do Sul
  • Rio de Janeiro
  • Porto Feliz
  • Mato Grosso
  • Grão-Pará
  • Amazônia
  • Pantanal
  • Cameroon
  • Fortaleza
  • Ilha de Itaparica
  • Recôncavo Baiano
  • Zona Leste paulistana
  • subúrbio ferroviário soteropolitano
  • Cidade Universitária
  • Boaçava / Alto de Pinheiros
  • Vila Madalena
  • Bela Vista
  • Bom Retiro
  • Jardim Paulista
  • Vila Nova Conceição
  • Centro
  • Funcionários
  • Jardim Faculdade
  • Alto de Pinheiros
  • Vulcano
  • France
  • England
  • Madri
  • Florida
  • Campo Grande
  • Mato Grosso do Sul
  • California
  • Lorena
  • Boaçava
  • Ceará

Sources