Mentre sta per avviarsi la 60 edizione della Biennale di Venezia segnalo la quinta edizione di quella di Coimbra, aperta da pochi giorni, dal titolo Il Fantasma della Libertà.
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Curated by Ángel Calvo Ulloa and Marta Mestre, THE PHANTOM OF LIBERTY is inspired by the 1974 film of the same name by Spanish surrealist Luís Buñuel and this edition also celebrates the spirit of Surrealism, as 2024 marks 100 years since the publication of André Breton's Manifesto of Surrealism.
Considered one of the most important contemporary art biennials on the Iberian Peninsula, Anozero takes place across the city of Coimbra, including several recently designated UNESCO World Heritage sites.
The biennial offers visitors a special opportunity to explore the unique stories and transformations of these spaces, which include the Monastery of Santa Clara-a-Nova, Círculo de Artes Plásticas de Coimbra (CAPC - Sede e Sereia), Sala da Cidade (Coimbra City Hall), the Botanical Garden, the Colégio das Artes and the Pátio das Escolas (University of Coimbra), with an intervention in the Coimbra-B train station.
There are 10 projects specifically conceived for this edition, including works by Yonamine (Angola), Patricia Gómez and María Jesús González (Spain), Priscila Fernandes (Portugal/Netherlands), Daniel Barroca (Portugal), Filipe Feijão (Portugal/France), João Marçal (Portugal) and Susanne S. D. Themlitz (Portugal/Germany), Jeremy Deller (UK), Pedro G. Romero (Spain) and the collective NEG - Nova Escultura Galega (Spain).
Drawing inspiration from artists from Angola, Argentina, Brazil, France, Germany, Mozambique, Portugal, Spain, the UK and USA, THE PHANTOM OF LIBERTY coincides with the 50th anniversary of the Carnation Revolution, a pivotal event in Portugal's history that resulted in the country’s transition to democracy and contributed to the end of the Portuguese Colonial War.
Both the Carnation Revolution and ideas surrounding Surrealism offer artists a fascinating point of departure to explore themes connected with liberty, as well as the strategies of contemporary art to challenge, displace, and inhabit it.
With a focus on artistic production in peripheral territories while expanding the notion of the Global South, THE PHANTOM OF LIBERTY will also untangle untold stories that evoke a revolutionary spirit. This spirit was present in the independence movements throughout the Global South, including Angola and Mozambique.
With this in mind, also leading the curatorial team are João Fernandes, Artistic Director of Art of Instituto Moreira Salles in Brazil, and Paula Nascimento, the architect and curator acclaimed for winning the Golden Lion at the 55th Biennale di Venezia for Angola’s National Participation.
PARTICIPATING ARTISTS
Adam Pendleton (United States, 1984)
Adriano Correia de Oliveira (Portugal, 1942–1982) + Rosalía de Castro (Spain, 1837–1885)
Aline Motta (Brazil, 1974) + Ricardo Aleixo (Brazil, 1960)
Andrea Büttner (1972, Germany)
Bárbara Fonte (Portugal, 1981)
Berio Molina (Spain, 1979)
Carla Filipe (Portugal, 1973)
Castiel Vitorino Brasileiro (Brazil, 1996)
Cildo Meireles (Brazil, 1948)
Clara Menéres (Portugal, 1943–2018)
Daniel Barroca (Portugal, 1976)
Davi Pontes (Brazil, 1990) + Wallace Ferreira (Brazil, 1993)
Diego Bianchi (Argentina, 1969)
Filipe Feijão (France/Portugal, 1975)
Ilídio Candja Candja (Mozambique, 1976)
Jeremy Deller (England, 1966)
João Marçal (Portugal, 1980)
Luís Cília (Portugal, 1943)
Maria Velho da Costa (Portugal, 1938–2020)
Mauro Cerqueira (Portugal, 1982)
NEG - Nova Escultura Galega (Spain)
Patricia Gómez (Spain, 1978) + María Jesús González (Spain, 1978)
Paula Siebra (Brazil, 1998)
Paulo Nazareth (Brazil, 1977)
Pedro G. Romero (Spain, 1964)
Priscila Fernandes (Portugal/Netherlands, 1981)
Regina Silveira (Brazil, 1939)
Robert Filliou (France, 1926–1987)
Rosemarie Trockel (Germany, 1952)
Sandra Poulson (Portugal, 1995)
Susanne S. D. Themlitz (Portugal/Germany, 1968)
Teresa Lanceta (Spain, 1951)
Túlia Saldanha (Portugal, 1930–1988)
Yinka Esi Graves (England, 1983)
Yonamine (Angola, 1975)
