The upcoming 33rd São Paulo Biennial titled "Affective Affinities," open to the public from September 7 thru December 9, 2018 – inspired by the novel Elective Affinities (1809), by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, and by the thesis "On the Affective Nature of Forms in the Work of Art" (1949), by Brazilian critic Mário Pedrosa – aims to promote the individual experience of the visitor with the works instead of a pre-determined curatorial narrative. The title of the biennial aims to characterize a way of understanding the exhibition based on associations, and on artistic and cultural affinities among the artists involved. As in Mário Pedrosa's writings, the proposal is to investigate the ways in which art creates an environment that fosters relations and communication, which moves from the artist to the object and to the observer. Presence, attention and the environment are premises that guide the curatorship of this edition, in reaction to a world of ready-made truths, where the fragmentation of information and inability to focus attention can lead to alienation and passivity. Against this backdrop, the 33rd Bienal de São Paulo will comprise 12 individual projects selected by Gabriel Pérez-Barreiro and seven collective exhibitions conceived by the artist-curators previously announced: Mamma Andersson (Luleå, Sweden, 1962); Antonio Ballester Moreno (Madrid, Spain, 1977); Sofia Borges (Ribeirão Preto, Brazil, 1984); Waltercio Caldas (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, 1946); Alejandro Cesarco (Montevideo, Uruguay, 1975); Claudia Fontes (Buenos Aires, Argentina, 1964); and Wura-Natasha Ogunji (St. Louis, USA, 1970). Details regarding their curatorial proposals will be provided shortly. The selection by Gabriel Pérez-Barreiro features commissioned projects by eight artists (Alejandro Corujeira, Luiza Crosman, Nelson Felix, Tamar Guimarães, Maria Laet, Denise Milan, Vânia Mignone, and Bruno Moreschi), an iconic series by Siron Franco based on the 1987 radioactive accident in Goiania, and posthumous tributes to three artists: Aníbal López (Guatemala), Feliciano Centurión (Paraguay) and Lúcia Nogueira (Brazil). Registration for professionals and the press Registration for professionals and the press will begin on March 20 on the Fundação Bienal de São Paulo's website. A press preview will be held on September 4 and, on September 5-6, the 33rd Bienal will be open to professionals from the field. Press preview: September 4, 2018 Preview for the press, professionals and guests: September 5-6, 2018 Press registration and images for download: bienal.org.br/press33 Registration for professionals: bienal.org.br/accreditation For more information visit:
www.bienal.org.br