SP-Arte, Latin America's Biggest Art Fair, Returns, Debuting a Hybrid and Concise Model at ARCA

The 17th edition of SP-Arte, the International Art Festival of São Paulo, will run from 20th-24th October at ARCA, a 9000-square-meter warehouse in Vila Leopoldina, São Paulo. Following principal changes and innovations in the art scene, the fair will debut a hybrid model: in-person events will return in harmony with Viewing Room, SP-Arte's digital space, which will present a consistent program of online activities at the site www.sp-arte.com, where the public will also have access to a calendar of events prepared for the fair, also accessible through the fair's Instagram page: @sp_arte.

124 exhibitors have been confirmed for this edition, including art and design galleries, specialized publishers, museums, and special projects, meeting the public once more at the new physical address and in Viewing Room. "SP-Arte contributes to and is an essential element in São Paulo's cultural calendar, as well as being an active participant in the resumption of major cultural events in the city, with all the protocols necessary for a comfortable and safe visit. The entire circuit is excited to meet again", says Fernanda Feitosa, founder of SP-Arte.

At ARCA, SP-Arte will bring together major national and international art galleries. Among the national galleries will be names such as Galeria Millan (SP), Galeria Luisa Strina (SP), Bergamin & Gomide (SP), Fortes D'Aloia & Gabriel (SP-Rio), Silvia Cintra + Box 4 (RJ), Almeida & Dale Galeria de Arte (SP), Dan Galeria (SP), and Pinakotheke (SP). Also participating are Brazilian art galleries with an international presence, including Mendes Wood DM (São Paulo - NY - Brussels), Nara Roesler (São Paulo - NY - Rio de Janeiro), and Galeria Jaqueline Martins (São Paulo - Brussels). Among the fair debuts are young galleries who have been redesigning the visual arts circuit, including Quadra (RJ), HOA (SP), and Projeto Vênus (SP), with a focus on emerging artists and renewed artistic practices. Beyond the hub of Rio-São Paulo, SP-Arte will also feature Galeria Karla Osorio (Brasilia) and Paulo Darzé Galeria (Salvador).

In a year where traveling abroad is still complicated, the fair maintains a quality international presence, with foreign galleries in this edition including Galleria Continua (Brazil, Italy, China, Canada, Cuba, and France), Galería de las Misiones (Uruguay), Opera Gallery (USA), Piero Atchugarry Gallery (USA), Marian Goodman Gallery (USA, France, and England), Galeria de Arte Patricia Ready (Chile), and Galería SUR (Uruguay), the latter participating in SP-Arte since its first edition.

Next to ARCA, will be art publishers Cobogó, Ubu, Familia Editions, Ikrek e Taschen, BEI, ArtNexus, Desapê, Edições SESC, Fotô Editorial, and Olhares, presenting artist's books and specialized publications.

The complete list of exhibitors is available at this link.

VIEWING ROOM

This edition's Viewing Room expands the physical limits, bringing together art and design galleries and a network of special projects that are part of SP-Arte exclusively online.

A series of QR codes and signage will transport visitors at ARCA to the galleries participating in the online event, one of a number of strategies that unify the event, ensuring all visitors access the same SP-Arte. Invited specialists will put together Curatorships, highlighting works presented at ARCA and in Viewing Room, brought together under a theme defined by the guests. Among the confirmed specialists are Ricardo Sardenberg, Catarina Duncan, Tiago Mesquita, and Pollyanna Quintella.

Among the already confirmed special art projects are names including 01.01 Art Platform, Casa Chama, Levante Nacional TROVOA, Espaço Delirium, and Piscina.

Based on the lessons learned through holding three online editions since last year, one of them entirely dedicated to photography, this edition's Viewing Room will also include a design section, comprising of seven stores: ETEL, Artemobilia Galeria, Jacqueline Terpins, Mobília Tempo, Passado Composto Século XX, Sandra & Marcio, and Hugo França.

In the space dedicated to cultural institutions, Viewing Room will feature Pinacoteca do Estado (SP), Museu de Arte Moderna de São Paulo (MAM-SP), Museu de Arte Moderna do Rio de Janeiro (MAM Rio), Instituto de Arte Contemporânea (IAC), Instituto Inhotim (MG), and Instituto Tomie Ohtake (SP).

PROGRAM

Traditionally, SP-Arte brings together major names in contemporary art for in-depth discussions throughout its events, which stimulate art and culture. The program in this 17th edition involves the active participation of galleries and partners to support semi-in-person activities.

Before the event, MJournal will visit artists' studios for exclusive chats about the artistic process in their creative spaces. The partnership continues in special coverage of the event, with behind-the-scenes footage and comments. The videos will be shown on Instagram and the SP-Arte website.

For an immersive experience, SP-Arte will present five audio guides, developed by researchers Frederico Coelho and Camila Bechelany, looking at key topics in Brazilian art, from modernism to the contemporary, crossing themes and works found throughout the gallery stands. The audio guide texts will be available on the SP-Arte website for those who visit the fair in the Viewing Room.

SP-Arte will host the fourth edition of Cápsulas, a Galeria Jaqueline Martins project aiming to bring together national and international thinkers who address contemporary themes such as the environment, politics, and civil rights within the context of the arts. Invited to the conversations in this fourth edition, led by Lisette Lagnado and Mirtes Marins, are Sandra Benites, Anita Eckman, Denilson Baniway, and Edgar Caleo. The event will be streamed live on the SP-Arte YouTube channel. In the same vein of partnership, SP-Arte is also working with 01.01 Art Platform to stimulate the decolonization of art collections, whether private or public, in conversations surrounding the relations between ethics and aesthetics in Afro-diasporic production.

The public can follow SP-Arte's social media pages, which will also stream the event Vivo - Meet the Artists, with live interviews that explore diversity and the valorization of emerging names focused on poetics of race and Afro-diasporic production.

And at STATE, next to ARCA, curator Ana Carolina Ralston will organize an exhibition of art and technology, including important names in Brazilian art.

ABOUT THE NEW LOCATION

ARCA is a 1960s industrial warehouse in Vila Leopoldina, a hub in keeping with the growth and dynamization of São Paulo. Initially a driving force in the industrialization of the city, today, ARCA joins with SP-Arte to reimagine the potential of artistic encounters. The inside space spans about 9,000 square meters, with a 16m high ceiling. It is close to the roads that run along the Pinheiros and Tietê rivers, the main highways that lead to the interior of the state can be accessed nearby, and there are a good number of cycling lanes in the surrounding area. It also has the CEAGESP market and Villa-Lobos Park as welcome neighbors.

Traditionally taking place in April in the Pavilhão da Bienal, SP-Arte changed dates and location to guarantee that the festival could take place in the safest way possible. "Although the Pavilhão that used to be our home will host the 34th Bienal, also postponed because of the pandemic, we decided to innovate and test a new model on a smaller scale that is more welcoming for business. At the same time, it is a space more than adequate for the pandemic situation that we are attentive to, so much so that we waited until the best moment", points out Fernanda Feitosa.

Also hosting a portion of the event will be STATE, a center of innovation, residencies, and labs for businesses and start-ups that neighbors ARCA. Features of the program there will include publishers, stand talks, and an exhibition on art and technology curated by Ana Carolina Ralston.

SP-ARTE SAFETY MEASURES

SP-Art will adopt all the safety measures necessary to ensure that visiting can take place in the best way possible. Tickets can only be purchased online and are by appointment, with a limited attendance capacity.

To access the event, visitors must present proof of vaccine (printed or digital) or a negative Covid-19 test, carried out within 48 hours of visiting the event. Those interested can take a test at Drogasil, at cost price for visitors going to SP-Arte.

On site, there will also be temperature tests and social distancing of 1.5m between people will be recommended.. Frequent hand sanitation and use of masks will be obligatory for staying on site.

Information:

SP-Arte

Location: ARCA (Av. Manuel Bandeira, 360 - Vila Leopoldina, São Paulo - SP, 05317-020)

Exhibition Dates: from 20th to 24th October 2021

Opening Times: Wednesday, midday - 9 pm | Thursday to Saturday, midday - 8 pm | Sunday, 11 am - 6 pm

Booking Visits: www.sp-arte.com

Age Rating: All ages

Ticket Price: R$ 25.00 (half-price) and R$ 50.00 (full price)