Luana Vitra's Iron Installation Anchors 35th São Paulo Biennial with Biographical and Historical Layers

Luana Vitra created a site-specific installation for the 35th São Paulo Biennial, where iron serves as the central element of her research. The work incorporates copper and silver, unfolding into a myriad of meanings that weave biographical, poetic, symbolic, historical, and metaphysical references. Vitra, who grew up in Contagem, Minas Gerais, connects her family history to mining; her great-grandfather, Domingos Zacarias, died of silicosis from inhaling mine residue. The installation also acknowledges the central role of African culture in developing mining technology during Brazil's colonial period. Within a 100-meter open area on the pavilion's second floor, Vitra combines small sculptures of birds, metallic arrows referencing the orixá Ogum, herbs, shells, and indigo blue—another allusion to African presence. The artist, who also works in dance and performance, establishes a spatial choreography aligning with the Biennial's theme of 'impossible choreographies.' Vitra, who recently won this year's Pipa Prize, expressed happiness in participating in an edition that breaks from a singular logic, noting it is the first to feature Black curators and 80% non-white participants.