São Paulo Biennial Embraces Experimental Production Amid Institutional Challenges

The São Paulo Biennial has become a crucial platform for experimental art production, contrasting with a local museum scene focused on displaying existing collections. Recent editions, including the 2014 and 2016 biennials, have prioritized commissioning new works. This strategy is linked to curators like Jochen Volz, previously of London's Serpentine Galleries, and Charles Esche, director of the Van Abbemuseum. Artists such as Erika Verzutti, Lais Myrrha, and Cristiano Lenhardt have created large-scale or monumental works for the first time through these commissions. The Biennial's role is amplified by the perceived limitations of São Paulo museums like the Museu de Arte Moderna de São Paulo, MAC-USP, and Pinacoteca do Estado, which rarely exhibit new productions. This institutional landscape has shifted since the 1970s and 1980s when the MAC, under Walter Zanini, actively fostered young artists through events like the Jovem Arte Contemporânea shows. The current art market, with fairs like Art Basel Miami Beach under Samuel Keller, has also incorporated biennial-like programming such as seminars and performances. The Biennial's experimental focus sometimes clashes with expectations for more accessible art, but it continues a tradition of boldness, exemplified by Picasso's delayed inclusion in the Venice Biennale and his subsequent prominent showing in São Paulo's early editions.