SP-Arte/Foto2016

SP-Arte/Foto, the offshoot event of SP-Arte, the art fair that put Brazil on the international art calendar, presents its 10th edition at the shopping mall JK Iguatemi August 24-28, with the participation of important photography galleries from all over the country. Founded in 2007 the Fair quickly established itself as the main photography fair in Brazil with its innovative program embracing the photography market.

In 2016, the fair will present the new exhibitors, Andrea Rehder, Biographica, Blau Projects, Luciana Caravello and Pinakotheke. Also present will be returning galleries Casa Triângulo, Fass, Gávea, Luciana Brito, Millan and Vermelho, bringing influential names in modern and contemporary photography from Brazil and abroad; Babel, Lume and Portas Vilaseca will focus soley on bringing contemporary photography, while Folio and Schoeler will present its photo books. 

The Fair

Over the past ten years, photography has expanded into diverse platforms and techniques, becoming the most prevalent artistic medium in contemporary life. Throughout this rapid growth, SP-Arte/Foto has supported galleries and photographers who work creatively with new ways of printing and dialoguing with the format. Once again the Fair will bring seminal names of the Brazilian modernist schools, such as Cine Clube Bandeirante. “SP-Arte/Foto presents fundamental names in art history and Brazilian photography to a new generation and to the world, as we can see by the recent acquisitions of Brazilian photographers by MoMA,” says Fernanda Feitosa, director of the Fair.

Sarah Meister, curator of photography at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) NY, visited Brazil for the 2015 edition as the Fair’s guest speaker. “Establishing a dialogue between Brazil and abroad in the last few years has been a great accomplishment for SP-Arte/Foto, and it will continue to be a challenge for future editions,” confirms Fernanda, who plans on maintaining SP-Arte/Foto as a local event with the majority of participating Galleries coming from Brazil.

“SP-Arte/Foto has found its ideal format. Its quality lies in the diversity that the select galleries bring.” Other than modern and contemporary photography presented in traditional formats, SP-Arte/Foto is noteworthy for becoming the first fair to open its space to photo books, a médium that has been on the rise in recente years. 

Over the course of its trajectory, SP-Arte/Foto has had approximately 80,000 visitors in its nine years. The list of notable people in the local and international photography scene that have visited the event is extensive: from artists such as Miguel Rio Branco, Claudia Andujar, Caio Reisewitz, Hildegard Rosenthal, and Rochelle Costi to curators and professionals like Jean-Luc Monterosso (Maison Européenne de la Photographie), Mark Lubell (Magnum Photos), Peter MacGill (Pace/MacGill), and Shoair Mavlian (Tate Modern), in addition to international artists Elliott Erwitt, José Manuel Ballester, and Martin Parr along with researchers, critics, journalists, and photography lovers.

The Fair has also had special exhibitions created for the Fair. In 2008, the photography expert, Iatã Cannabrava curated Fragmentos do Modernismo na Fotografia Brasileira for the gallery Bergamin, and in 2013 the exhibition Paulo, José e Ademar | 3 modernos displayed vintage Brazilian photographs from the 1950-60s curated by Isabel Amado and Iatã Cannabrava. In 2014, SP-Arte/Foto presented a solo exhibit by artist João Castilho who was awarded a grant from Fotografia Zum. Other special presentations include the exhibit of the pioneer in photojournalism, Jean Manson in 2008 and 2015 by galeria FASS.

In its recent editions, the Fair has sought to expand its boundaries and renew the publics experience through different initiatives. Book releases have highlighted the work of artists like Bob Wolfenson, Claudia Jaguaribe, Cassio Vasconcelos, German Lorca and Pedro Martinelli. In 2010, SP-Arte/Foto began its talks program with names like Cristiano Mascaro, Denise Gadelha, Giselle Beiguelman, João Farkas, and Sergio Burgi. More recently, in 2015, the fair launched a special JK Circuit that partnered stores with galleries to exhibit works. The initative also included partnerships that offered exclusive menus and restaurant discounts at the shopping mall during the Fair week. 

Galleries

ABACT - Associação Brasileira de Arte Contemporânea [São Paulo]; Andrea Rehder [São Paulo];  Arte 57 [São Paulo];  ArtEEdições [São Paulo];  Babel [São Paulo];  Baró [São Paulo];  Biographica [São Paulo]; Blau Projects [São Paulo];  Bolsa de Arte [Porto Alegre e São Paulo]; Casa Nova Arte [São Paulo];  Casa Triângulo [São Paulo];  DAN [São Paulo]; FASS [São Paulo]; Fólio [São Paulo];  Fotospot [São Paulo];  Gávea [Rio de Janeiro];  Leme [São Paulo];  Livraria Madalena [São Paulo];  Luciana Brito[São Paulo];  Luciana Caravello [Rio de Janeiro];  Lume [São Paulo]; Marcelo Guarnieri [Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo e Rio de Janeiro];  Mario Cohen [São Paulo];  Millan [São Paulo];  Pinakotheke [Rio de Janeiro e São Paulo];  Portas Vilaseca [Rio de Janeiro];  Raquel Arnaud [São Paulo]; Room 8 [São Paulo]; Schoeler [São Paulo]; SIM [Curitiba]; Vermelho[São Paulo];  Zipper [São Paulo].