TERESITA FERNÁNDEZ: HEAVEN, SEA AND EARTH CONVERGE

The title of the 60th International Art Exhibition of the Biennale di Venezia, "Stranieri Ovunque", refers, in part, to foreignness as the inherent nature of the subject. Understood in this way, the national pavilions of Spain, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom exhibit artistic proposals that develop the theme of colonialism and reconstruct histories, remedy ties between identity and territory, and explore the dramatic plurality of this potent historical axis. That said, this review does not intend to unveil or unpack the most unjust transcendental truths, but merely to reflect on the musings of others.

Museu de Arte de São Paulo Assis Chateaubriand (MASP) features the exhibition Catherine Opie: Genre/Gender/Portraiture, with works by one of the leading names in contemporary international photography

Why highlight stories that often remain on the periphery of artistic discourse? Adriano Pedrosa justifies his curatorial decision with works by 331 artists -mostly from the global south- that open the way to powerful narratives. Finally, we see the axis being twisted. It is difficult to escape the white gaze, more so to move authentically through a Eurocentric space. Given this, the communicative reach of figuration serves to challenge the symbolic order of domination and destabilize the colonial project. The stories that are made explicit and the narratives of magic and everyday life help to recognize without revictimizing. 

A man is waiting. In elegant clothes, the figure is placed in the center of what looks like a hotel bar. He plays the lead role on a sort of stage, an interior that is something of a cage, something of a scenic locus, as if a possible flirtation or a desired encounter would provide some catalysis of emergence, a quick enjoyment, an intense release, however short and finite, perhaps dismantling a routine of limits. Man in Blue (1954) works as a synthesis of the not so extensive but very significant gathering of the celebrated Francis Bacon (1909-1992) in A Beleza da Carne (The Beauty of Meat), at Masp (São Paulo Museum of Art). The exhibition is curated by Adriano Pedrosa, artistic director of the institution and curator of the current edition of the Venice Biennale, the 60th, on show until November in the Italian city, and co-curated by Laura Cosendey.

Future Imaginaries, the collective exhibition at The Autry Museum of the American West, explores the rise of Futurism in contemporary Indigenous art as a means of enduring colonial trauma, creating alternative futures and advocating for Indigenous technologies in a more inclusive present and sustainable future.

The Armory Show is taking place from September 6^th to 8^th. The fair’s 30^th edition features over 235 galleries from 35 countries, showcasing artist projects in the Platform section, as well as highlights from sections Galleries, Focus, Solo and Presents, alongside presentation details for the Gramercy International Prize. Now part of the Frieze network, the Armory Show presents a revitalized program that offers a comprehensive view of the contemporary art world.

The Center for Creative Photography presents Louis Carlos Bernal: Retrospectiva, a landmark survey of one of the most significant American photographers of the twentieth century.