The 22nd Sesc_Videobrasil Biennial was titled Memory is an Editing Station—a reference to the poem Open Letter to John Ashbery, by Waly Salomão—with artistic direction by Solange Oliveira Farkas and curated by Raphael Fonseca (Brazil) and Renée Akitelek Mboya (Kenya).
Exhibition view, Sesc_Videobrasil Biennial, 2023. Photo: Camila Gonzatto
Leila Danziger, O que desaparece, o que resiste (What disappears, what resists), Sesc_Videobrasil Biennial, 2023. Photo: Eduardo Nasi
Bringing together more than 100 works by 60 artists and collectives from 38 countries across Africa, the Americas (South, Central and North), Asia, Europe (Eastern and Portugal), the Middle East and Oceania, the curatorial scope of the Sesc_Videobrasil Biennial presented different visions and ways of dealing with memory—and forgetting—whether individual or collective, linked to social, political and cultural contexts. These considerations were presented in diverse works that made use of multiple mediums, such as video, installation, photography, performance and textile.
This edition of the biennial also reflected on the history of the project itself, which began four decades ago with the first Videobrasil festival, held in the final years of Brazil’s devastating military dictatorship. To this end, a parallel exhibition called 40 Years Special was held, which covered the entire history of the event and its changes over time.
Sesc_Videobrasil Biennial was on display at Sesc from May 24th, 2023 to February 25th, 2024.
Works by Airton Krenak, exhibition view, Sesc_Videobrasil Biennial, 2023. Photo: Camila Gonzatto
Tromarama Collective, Soliloquy, 2018. Photo: Camila Gonzatto
Detail of work by La Chola Poblete, Sesc_Videobrasil Biennial, 2023. Photo: Camila Gonzatto
Julia Baumfeld, Era, Sesc_Videobrasil Biennial, 2023. Photo: Camila Gonzatto.
Gabriela Pinilla, Guerrillera, montaña, compañera (Guerilla, mountain, companion), Sesc_Videobrasil Biennial, 2023. Photo: Eduardo Nasi
Vitória Cribb, BUGs, Sesc_Videobrasil Biennial, 2023. Photo: Camila Gonzatto