Verbier Art Summit Confronts Elitism with Radical Politics and Indigenous Leadership
The third edition of the Verbier Art Summit (VAS) took place on February 2-3 in Verbier, Switzerland. Established by local community members, the summit is spearheaded by Anneliek Sijbrandij-Schachtschabel and curated by Jochen Volz, the director of São Paulo's Pinacoteca do Estado. The theme, "We are many. Art, the political and multiple truths," showcased artists such as Tania Bruguera and Nadine Terena, who remarked, "Art is not for cowards." The event featured a mix of public presentations, private discussions, a film by Tobias Madison, and a mobile sculpture test by James Capper. A book compiling the lectures will be released at the Pinacoteca on June 22. Volz also referenced the Brumadinho dam collapse during the summit.
Key facts
- The Verbier Art Summit's third edition occurred February 2-3 in Verbier, Switzerland.
- Jochen Volz, director of Pinacoteca do Estado de São Paulo, curated the 2019 summit.
- The theme was "We are many. Art, the political and multiple truths."
- Participants included Tania Bruguera, Boaventura de Souza Santos, Nadine Terena, and Gabi Ngcobo.
- Nadine Terena stated "Art is not for cowards," framing indigenous survival as artistic resistance.
- A book of summit lectures will be launched at the Pinacoteca on June 22, 2019.
- The event included private discussions in chalets closed to journalists and public presentations.
- Rirkrit Tiravanija reconfigured the auditorium by moving into the audience and leading a silent exercise.
Entities
Artists
- Tania Bruguera
- Boaventura de Souza Santos
- Nadine Terena
- Gabi Ngcobo
- Jochen Volz
- Tobias Madison
- James Capper
- Grada Kilomba
- Rirkrit Tiravanija
- Barbara Hendricks
- Anneliek Sijbrandij-Schachtschabel
- Beatrix Ruf
- Daniel Birnbaum
Institutions
- Verbier Art Summit (VAS)
- Pinacoteca do Estado de São Paulo
- Museu Stedelijk
- Museu de Arte Moderna de Estocolmo
- Grupo Mexa
- 32ª Bienal de São Paulo
- 10ª Bienal de Berlim
- Alto Comissário da ONU para Refugiados (ACNUR)
- UNHCR
Locations
- Verbier
- Switzerland
- São Paulo
- Brazil
- Brumadinho
- Stockholm
- Sweden
- Amsterdam
- Netherlands
- South Africa
- Cuba
- Portugal
- England
- Thailand