Adriano Pedrosa. Image courtesy of the Museu de Arte de São Paulo Assis Chateaubriand.
Bazilian Adriano Pedrosa, artistic director of Museu de Arte de São Paulo Assis Chateaubriand (MASP), has been selected by the Board of La Biennale di Venezia to curate the 60th International Art Exhibition. This is the first time a Latin American has ever been in charge of curating the prestigious event held in Venice since 1895.
At MASP, Pedrosa has curated many exhibitions, including solo shows dedicated to the work of Tarsila do Amaral, Anna Bella Geiger, Ione Saldanha, Maria Auxiliadora, Gertrudes Altschul, Beatriz Milhazes, Wanda Pimentel, and Hélio Oiticia, as well as the ongoing series devoted to different Histories, which spotlights under-recognized histories of art.
Before becoming the artistic director of MASP, Pedrosa had a considerable amount of curatorial experience, including the São Paulo Biennial, the Istanbul Biennial, the San Juan Triennale, and the Shanghai Biennale.
This year, Pedrosa was the recipient of the Audrey Irmas Award for Curatorial Excellence, given by the Central for Curatorial Studies at Bard College, New York.
“I am honored and humbled by this prestigious appointment,” Pedrosa said in a statement. “The Biennale is certainly the most important platform for contemporary art in the world, and it is an exciting challenge and a responsibility to embark on this project. I look forward to bringing artists to Venice and realizing their projects.”
Pedrosa has a degree in Law from the Universidade Estadual do Rio de Janeiro and a master’s degree in Art and Critical Writing from the California Institute of the Arts. He has published in Arte y Parte, Artforum, Art Nexus, Flash Art, and Frieze, among others.
Running from May to November each year, alternating between art and architecture since its inception, the Venice Biennale attracts an average of half a million visitors yearly. This year, the event attracted more than 800,000 visitors, setting an all-time attendance record, according to the organization. This is the longest-running survey of contemporary art that explores themes of politics and contemporary cultural & social issues through performance, sculpture, and installations.
The 60th International Art Exhibition is set to be held from Saturday, 20 April to Sunday, 24 November 2024 (pre-opening on April 17, 18, and 19).