In Conversation with Igor Simões

A Look at Latin American Women’s Art

One of the curators of the Mercosul Biennial, postponed because of the current pandemic, reconstructs the history of the exhibit and talks about how notions of art and Latin-American identity were being negotiated in each of the earlier editions.

Arpillera Collective (Chile). University for all 1973 - 1990. LIisa Flora Voionmaa Collection. Museum of Memory and Human Rights. Photo: Biennial of the Mercosur

Performance Priscila Rezende. Photo: Guto Muniz

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by Alexandre Araujo Bispo

Tue 28 Apr, 2020

The educational curator of the 12th Mercosul Biennial, Igor Simões, comments on the specifications of the 12th edition of the exhibit which has taken place in Porto Alegre since 1997. Originally planned to open in April 2020, the conception for the Biennial, titled Feminino(s): visualidades, ações e afetos (The feminine(s): visualities, action and affection), came from a thematic approach more sensitive to issues such as gender and race. Having suspended the physical opening planned for April, due to the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic, it was decided that a series of interviews with the artists, team and curators would be published on a digital platform. In his interview, Simões reminds us of the important role the Biennial plays in educating the public and professionals, as well as of how crucial exchange with other South American countries is in the context of contemporary art.

C&AL: How important is the Mercosul Biennial to the reshaping of Brazil’s contemporary art scene away from the Rio-São Paulo axis? And how does the event stimulate the cultural center in Brazil’s Southern region?

Igor Simões: The Mercosul Biennial has always been particularly focused and had a certain perspective on education, which intensified with the 6th edition (2006). This has always been a specific principle of the exhibit. Although the concern varies with each edition, the Mercosul Biennial has always been known for its educational perspective, which has had a series of local effects. Today, in graduate programs, in the universities, there is a large number of heirs to the Biennial. This is because, here in Rio Grande do Sul, it has taken on an educational role: simple things, like producing a workforce that is able to handle setting up an exhibition in a Biennial format, or training people who are going to think about cultural mediation. This has had a direct impact on local institutions.

It is a cultural event that must always be thought of in systemic and geopolitical terms. The Biennial came about at a euphoric time with respect to the working of the economy through blocs. It was born as part of a broader strategy to stabilize certain cultural capitals. Porto Alegre, in this sense, was elected to be a sort of Mercosul cultural capital. Certain areas of the city welcomed institutions like the Iberê Camargo Foundation, for example, which turned up in an area dislocated from the downtown area. That produced a new type of management of that space which has to engage with very tough social issues, such as, for instance, gentrification and the socio-spatial segregation as a result of it.

C&AL: And the interest in Latin American art? How has this been accomplished from the start of the Biennial and what effects can be observed in its artistic production?

IS: The first edition of the Mercosul Biennial (1997) was curated by the historian, critic and curator Frederico Morais. In the opening text of the catalogue, he reflected on writing Latin American art history. When people look at the first Biennial, they notice there was a whole effort to think about Latin American art history. It’s interesting to observe how the notions of “art” and of “Latin American” were being negotiated in each of the subsequent editions.

This debate, that starts in the South of Brazil, is important, because it has also produced a kind of very characteristic thought in the universities. I’d say that around here we are more aware of these Latin American issues compared to what I see in other regions of Brazil. The Biennial accentuates this interest in the region. Its emergence/establishment carries this weight, because it reveals the way contemporary art is discussed from here in the South. It’s interesting, for instance, to notice this in the repertoires that circulate among local artists: they reflect a view on the Pampa (the Plains of Rio Grande do Sul) and the relationship with Latin America.

Performance Priscila Rezende. Photo: Guto Muniz

C&AL: Could you talk specifically about this edition of the 12th Mercosul Biennial, and how its opening was impeded by the current Covid-19 pandemic?

IS: Among the focuses of this new edition is a greater emphasis on the value of education as an important agent of social transformation. This in a time when some institutions are breaking up, when some educational sectors are closing that have historically had a very strong presence in Porto Alegre. The Biennial seeks, in a way, to rearticulate a network associated with the educational aspects of institutions, but also with the public. For this edition, thinking about the planet from the perspective of the South was decisive. In light of the unexpected Covid-19 pandemic, some of the artists are going to be featured on the Biennial’s website.

C&AL: Could you also comment on the names that were selected for this Biennial?

IS: The absolute majority of selected artists is made up of Latin American women. Among them, there is a very significant presence of Brazilians and, among them, black women. It’s worth mentioning that Rosana Paulino, one of the women being honored, and the Chilean Cecília Vicuña are among them. These are artists with long trajectories, not always necessarily known for the visibility of their works. But there are also young artists like Priscila Rezende from Minas Gerais and Renata Felinto from São Paulo. Among the men, is Helô Sanvoy, from Goías, for example. There are also indigenous artists who negotiate this theme in their production in different ways. I think it’s also important to highlight the non-binary presence among the selected names. There are Cis artists: women and men; gay artists: women and men; trans artists, but also artists that don’t deal with sexual categories. Important names include Jota Mombaça and Élle De Bernardini – two artists whose work is distinct, but whose work is helpful in thinking about the place of trans art in contemporary Brazilian art. Another point is the discussion about the resignification of practices which for a long time were associated with women’s work. In this sense, the concepts of weaving, thread or fabric appear in works like Rosana Paulino’s Tecido social (Social Fabric), Chilean Cecília Vicuña’s Quipus or the works of the Argentinian duo Chiachio & Giannone.

Another interesting example is the Arpilleras women’s collective. This is a group who uses embroidery to denounce dictators, like the Chilean dictator, and other issues involving State violence. Their work is as delicate as it is strong. In addition to the Latin Americans, there are also African artists and artists with a very presence on the European continent. Lastly, it is important to stress that this Biennial looks mainly at the production of Latin American women, without seeking to reduce them to a single totalizing notion. Rather, these women are burdened by different issues of gender, race, territory and class.

Igor Simões holds a Ph. D in Visual Arts, with a specialization in History, Theory and Art Criticism. He is Assistant Professor at the State University of Rio Grande do Sul and one of the curators of the 12th edition of the Mercosul Biennial happening in Porto Alegre.