Maria do Carmo M. P. de Pontes is the new Masters sector curator

Please note: SP-Arte 2020 has been suspended due to force majeure. Soon, find out more about the São Paulo International Art Festival 17th edition.

In 2020, curator Maria do Carmo M. P. de Pontes takes charge of the Masters sector at SP-Arte, which takes place from 1^st to 5^th April, at the Bienal Pavilion (Ibirapuera Park). With the aim to create a historical exhibition and present relevant names for the development of Brazilian and international art, the sector builds, under Pontes curatorship, dialogues between works by artists whose careers ended far too soon with those by artists that passed away at an old age and had further control of their narratives.

The sector reunites names, whose connections are given by their trajectories and artistic aesthetics, rather than by theme, technique or generation. Pontes also promises to reflect upon questions such as: what defines a production as historical? When can we classify an artist as such? “There is an intrinsic difference in the way of looking at productions that were abruptly interrupted and productions of those who grew old, and thus had more control over the narrative of their work,” she completes.

Conducted four years ago, the curator’s research brings together over 160 artists who have passed away up to the age of fourty, and will lead to a publication in the future. A selection of these names will compose the sector in the 16th edition of SP-Arte: “This is an opportunity to reflect upon the work by these people in relation to one another, and to turn a current research into a physical exhibition,” affirms the curator.

The curator

Maria do Carmo M. P. de Pontes (São Paulo, 1984) is a writer and independent curator with a master’s degree in curating from Goldsmiths College. Recent projects and exhibitions include “Rhythmic Beats: Ivan Serpa and His Legacy” (2019) at the Brazilian Embassy in London; “Faço tudo para não fazer nada” [I do Everything in Order to Do Nothing] (2017–18), Carlito Carvalhosa’s solo show at Galeria Nara Roesler, São Paulo; “Hallstatt” (2016–17), at Galpão Fortes D’Aloia & Gabriel, São Paulo; curatorship of Solo Projects at ARCO Madrid (2016); “Akakor” at Baró Galeria, São Paulo (2015); and “Alter-heróis” [Alter-heroes] (2014) at the Museum of Contemporary Art of the University of São Paulo (MAC–USP). In 2014, she founded Question Center, a nomadic platform of short exhibitions that draws on generational bonds among artists. She lives and works in London.

Masters Sector in 2019

Curated by Tiago Mesquita, the sector presented an exhibition with a historical focus, drawing on 20^th century artists, in particular names relevant to the post-World War II context (between 1950 and 1980). Problems peculiar to the period, such as crises of representation and a conceptual bias of a critical tone, permeated the works selected for the edition.