SP-Arte International Art Festival Unveils Edition 13 In Sao Paulo

Sp-Arte 2017

São Paulo International Art Festival, SP-Arte is a biannual exhibition now in its 13th edition. The event promotes a citywide programme that includes museums, galleries and cultural spaces, consolidating a dynamic platform for cultural and artistic exchanges between curators, collectors, artists, galleries, works and admirers of art and design.

SP-Arte/2017 welcomed 134 participating galleries (90 Brazilian and 44 international from 11 countries) and featured over 2000 artists across its seven sections: Main, Solo, Showcase, Design, the debuting Repertório [Repertoire], Performance and a special edition of Japan House. As part of the São Paulo International Art Festival, SP-Arte 2017 had 180 events throughout the city.

Attendance reached a record 30.000 visitors over the five days of the event in the Bienal Pavilion, including illustrious art world figures such as a group from the acquisitions committee of Museu de Arte Lima (MALI), Gabriel Perez-Barreiro (Curator, CPPC, and curator of next São Paulo Bienal), Michael Wellen, (Curator, Tate), Christine Bruhl and Michael Juul Holm (Director of Køs Museum and curator and editor of Louisiana Museum of Copenhagen respectively) and Gary Mercer (Collector, USA). SP-Arte was supported by events, including gallery nights, private collection visits, panel discussions, book launches, performances, and guided tours that made the week a success.
SP-Arte director, Fernanda Feitosa, said, “It was fantastic to see the city transformed for SP-Arte week. This year we welcomed exciting new collaborations such as the exhibition in partnership with Galpão Videobrasil, a special project with Japan House, and a take over of the Talks program by Artsy. We are very pleased with the results of this edition, the combination of high calibre works, a full agenda and a positive atmosphere turned this year’s event into a success.”

SP-Arte, is perhaps the most important art events in Latin America, taking place from 6-9 April 2017, with leading galleries, artists and talks, which continue to enrich the vibrant local cultural scene. Founded in 2005, this year SP-Arte brings together 134 art galleries and 25 design galleries representing more than 2,000 artists in the historical Oscar Niemeyer Bienal Pavilion.

During the event, local museums and cultural institutions host a strong parallel program that includes panel discussions, exhibition openings and special visits that offer an overview of the contemporary art circuit in São Paulo. SP-Arte is an essential component of the Latin American art landscape and is positioned as a rallying point for the arts, that also strengthens and supports the country’s creative economy.

“SP-Arte interweaves artists, galleries, museums, and other cultural spaces together to form a festival that is much more than a single event. In April, São Paulo is the place to be, it is the best moment to see and experience the energy of the city in a celebration of art,” invites Fernanda Feitosa, SP-Arte’s founder and director.

In the main sector International and national exhibitors present highlights of worldwide modern and contemporary art. Among the international galleries there will be heavyweights such as David Zwirner, Marian Goodman and Alexander Gray from New York; Lisson Gallery, Stephen Friedman and White Cube from London. Franco Noero, Turin, Continua, San Giminiano are some of the Italian galleries present this year, while Berlin brings names such as neugerriemschneider and Gregor Podnar. From Latin America, highlights include El Museo, Bogotá, kurimanzutto, Mexico City and Sur, Montevidéu. On the local scene, highlights include Almeida e Dale, Bergamin & Gomide, Casa Triângulo, Dan, Fortes D’Aloia & Gabriel, Gustavo Rebello, Luciana Brito, Luisa Strina, Mendes Wood DM, Millan, Nara Roesler, Paulo Kuczynski, Pinakotheke and Vermelho, to name a few.
Newcomers include 24 new galleries for this year’s edition. The galleries Taka Ishii, Tokyo/New York, as well as White Rainbow, from London, are both specialised in Japanese art and have chosen to highlight the photography of the country in their booth presentations. From New York, Cheim&Read will debut showcasing three female artists from the 20th century: Louise Bourgeois, Lynda Benglis and Joan Mitchell. Other newcomers include KOW, from Berlin, and the Italians Studio d’Arte Campaiola, from Rome; P420, from Bologna, and Paci Contemporary, from Brescia. From Portugal come Francisco Fino and Madragoa, both from Lisbon, and Kubikgallery from Porto, in addition to the returning galleries Baginski and Filomena Soares.

Repertório [Repertoire] Sector Curated by Jacopo Crivelli Visconti, this sector was developed with the intention of introducing artists who had essential contributions to the comprehension of contemporary art, some of those not enough recognised by a wider audience.This year’s presentation highlights works created in the 1980s by artists born before the 1950s. The section includes works by artists who have been inspiring generations of other artists, such as Dan Graham, Richard Long, Lothar Baumgarten and Pino Pascali, as well as local artists such as Mario Cravo Neto, Rubem Valentim and Guilherme Vaz. See the full list of galleries here.

Solo Sector Curated by Luiza Teixeira de Freitas, the sector offers a thoughtful selection for deeper analysis. Galleries present single booth presentations by artists such as Renate Bertlmann (Richard Saltoun, London); Gabriel Abrantes (Galeria Francisco Fino, Lisbon) and Carolina Martinez (Portas Vilaseca, Rio de Janeiro). Other highlights include Plan B, with a project by Iranian artist Navid Nuur, and espaivisor, with the Croatian historical artist Sanja Ivekovic. See the full list of galleries here.

Showcase Sector Emerging galleries showcase up to three names in the contemporary scene, drawing people to discovering new talents through their trajectories; Galleries in the sector include Cavalo, Inox, Mezzanine, Periscópio, Luis Maluf and Via Theory, which is specialised in contemporary art and takes part in the event for the first time. See the full list of galleries here.

SP-Arte/2017 is sponsored by Itaú, Vivo and Iguatemi São Paulo with the cultural support of the State of São Paulo.

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