Imagined Communities
October 9, 2019–February 2, 2020
Associação Cultural Videobrasil and Sesc São Paulo announce the list of 55 artists and collectives selected for the 21st Contemporary Art Biennial Sesc_Videobrasil | Imagined Communities, an exhibition and public program of events dedicated to the production of the Global South, to be held from October 9, 2019, through February 2, 2020, at Sesc 24 de Maio, in São Paulo.
A total of 2,280 artists from 105 countries submitted works to the 21st Biennial Open Call. Formed by the artistic director Solange Farkas and the trio of curators Gabriel Bogossian, Luisa Duarte, and Miguel López, the curatorial team was in charge of both the selection and the choice of guest artists. Also part of the selection jury were the curators Alejandra Hernández Muñoz, Juliana Gontijo and Raphael Fonseca.
Participants in the 21st Contemporary Art Biennial Sesc_Videobrasil:
Adrian Balseca, Ecuador / Ahmad Ghossein, Lebanon / Alberto Guarani, Brazil / Alto Amazonas Audiovisual, Brazil / Ana Carvalho, Ariel Kuaray Ortega, Fernando Ancil, Patrícia Ferreira Para Yxapy, Brazil / Andrea Tonacci, Italy / Brazil / André Griffo, Brazil / Aykan Safoglu, Turkey / Germany / Brett Graham, New Zealand / chameckilerner, Brazil / United States / Clara Ianni, Brazil / Claudia Martínez Garay, Peru / the Netherlands / Dana Awartani, Saudi Arabia / Ellie Kyungran Heo, South Korea / United Kingdom / Emo de Medeiros, France / Benin / Erin Coates, Australia / Ezra Wube, Ethiopia / United States / Federico Lamas, Argentina / Gabriela Golder, Argentina / George Drivas, Greece / Georges SENGA, Democratic Republic of the Congo / Hiwa K, Iraq / Germany / Hrair Sarkissian, Syria / United Kingdom / Jim Denomie, United States / Jonathas de Andrade, Brazil / Julia Mensch, Argentina / Köken ErguN, Turkey / Luiz de Abreu, Brazil / Marilá Dardot, Brazil / Marton Robinson Palmer, Costa Rica / Maya Shurbaji, Syria / Megan-Leigh Heilig, South Africa / Belgium / Mohau Modisakeng, South Africa / Mônica Nador, Brazil / Movimento de Luta nos Bairros, Vilas e Favelas, Brazil / Natalia Skobeeva, Russia / United Kingdom / Nelson Makengo, Democratic Republic of the Congo / Nidhal Chamekh, Tunisia / France / Nilbar Güreş, Turkey / United States / No Martins, Brazil / NoÉ MartÍnez, Mexico / Omar Mismar, Lebanon / Paul Rosero Contreras, Ecuador / Paulo Mendel & Vitor Grunvald, Brazil / Roney Freitas & Isael Maxacali, Brazil / Rosana Paulino, Brazil / Sadik Afraji, Iraq / the Netherlands / Tang Kwok Hin, China / Teresa Margolles, Mexico / Thanh Hoang, Vietnam / Thierry Oussou, Benin / the Netherlands / TIÉCOURA N’DAOU, Mali / Tomaz Klotzel, Brazil / VoteLGBT, Brazil / Ximena Garrido-Lecca, Peru
Participants will compete for seven awards granted by an international jury:
–Residency Awards: three eight-week artist residencies (airfare, lodging, and per diem) provide support for the production of an original work at one of the partners of the Videobrasil Residency Network:
Instituto Sacatar (Itaparica, Bahia, Brazil)
An international residency program on the island of Itaparica, providing each selected artist a room, a separate studio, meals and logistical support, hosting artists of all ages, nationalities and disciplines
MMCA Residency Changdong (Seoul, Korea)
Run by the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea (MMCA), a platform for experimentation and relationship among artists, curators, and scholars
Sharjah Art Foundation Residency Programme (Sharjah, United Arab Emirates)
Not only a place for reflection and exploration, but also a site of exchange and insertion into the contemporary circuit of the Middle East, the program expands the possibilities of dialogue between residents, the local community, and the region’s cultural scene
–State of the Art Award: Cash prize for the best participating artist or group
–Sesc Contemporary Art Award: Two cash prizes for works by Brazilian artists. The works will become part of the Sesc Brazilian Art Collection
–O.F.F. Award: Cash prize offered by the Ostrovsky Family Fund to an artist with original research on the moving image
About Videobrasil
Videobrasil is a contemporary art biennial and a cultural association that researches and disseminates art produced in regions of the world’s geopolitical South—Latin America, Africa, Eastern Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. Chaired by Solange Farkas since 1983, it is part of a network of initiatives that includes exhibitions, displays, publications, documentaries, meetings, and artistic residencies.
About Sesc
Sesc – Serviço Social do Comércio (Social Service of Commerce) is a private nonprofit institution, established in 1946 by entrepreneurs of the goods and services market all over Brazil. In the state of São Paulo, Sesc has 39 centers that encompass its areas of activity in fields of Culture, Education, Sports, Leisure and Health. Sesc São Paulo activities are guided by their educational nature and the pursuit of social welfare based on a comprehensive understanding of the term culture. In this sense, by offering full accessibility to its spaces and contents, the institution aims at the democratization of cultural assets as form of individual autonomy.
