Exploring Beyond Posthuman and Interspecies Trends, São Paulo Bienal Ponders: What Remains of Humanity?
The 36th São Paulo Bienal, titled "Not All Travellers Walk Roads – Of Humanity as Practice," is now open to the public, offering a thought-provoking exploration of what it means to be human. Organized into six chapters, the show spans a wide range of themes, from the primordial to the transcendent, and features the works of approximately 120 individual and collective artists.
Curated under chief curator Bonaventure Soh Bejeng Ndikung and his team, the exhibition is inspired by Afro-Brazilian poet Conceição Evaristo's poem and guided by themes of humanity as practice and listening. The involvement of the indigenous artist Aislan Pankararu, while not explicitly detailed, seems to indicate a companion or thematic correspondence to the exhibition.
One of the highlights of the show is the career-spanning Frank Bowling survey, interspersed throughout each chapter. The opening chapter features a Precious Okoyomon installation of dirt and plants, setting a natural and organic tone.
Oscar Murillo's installation from the "Social Cataracts" series equates vision loss with ignorance, using the example of Claude Monet's late-career cataracts. While some consider this an ableist metaphor, the installation is a powerful commentary on the societal impact of blindness and ignorance.
The exhibition favours work in textiles and sound, and is dominated by jewel tones. Nguyễn Trinh-Thi, Leonel Vásquez, and Myriam Omar Awadi have impressive sound installations, where mechanized sculptures and instruments elegantly make intriguing noises.
Sharon Hayes's "Research" series (2019-24) features verité video interviews with various groups of people about their lives, including a women's football team from the Southern United States discussing their gender expressions. Aline Baiana's video work in the show addresses the threat to the human way of life due to chemical companies.
Gervane de Paula's wood carvings are playful, perverse, subtle, and incredibly weird, while Frankétienne's canvases make remarkable use of varnish and glitter in works that showcase raw playfulness and a sophisticated command of color and composition.
Moffat Takadiwa's ornate architectures made from trash are showcased in the exhibition, representing contemporary crises as described by the curator. Hayes's raw footage of candid conversations exudes humanity in a world dominated by carefully edited views into the lives of others.
The show's finale, about beauty, stars enchanting abstractions by Aislan Pankararu, but it isn't any more beautiful than any other section. The show suggests that the world is wretched and beautiful at the same time, a poignant reminder of both the harsh realities and the inherent beauty that coexist in our world.
The curator, Ndikung, describes himself as a "hopeless optimist," suggesting that he thinks a better world is possible even if he doesn't think it is very practical, and that it is always worthwhile to dream one up with art. The 36th São Paulo Bienal is free and open to the public, and located inside one of the city's major parks, attracting school children from around the country by the hundreds of thousands and having a local audience as much as a global one.
Remembering both the wretchedness and beauty of the world together is the best option in times like these, according to the exhibition. The show is themed around exploring what it means to be human, and it does so in a way that is both thought-provoking and engaging, making it a must-visit for art lovers and anyone seeking a deeper understanding of humanity.
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