Cultural Anthropophagy
The 24th Bienal de São Paulo 1998
The 1998 Bienal de São Paulo remade art history from a Brazilian perspective, and presented a new model for exhibition-making in the era of post-colonial globalisation. The show employed the Brazilian notion of anthropophagy as both concept and method, encouraging ‘contamination’ and ‘cannibalisation’ of the canon, alongside an expanded understanding of its pedagogic function for the integration of art, culture and political history.
In the sixth book in Afterall’s Exhibition Histories series, the 24th Bienal is presented in detail, with critical reappraisal and extensive photographic documentation of this important exhibition. The main essay by Lisette Lagnado provides extensive critical analysis and historical context, with additional texts by Renato Sztutman, on the history of anthropophagy, Mirtes Marins de Oliveira, on the Bienal’s critical reception, Carmen Mörsch and Catrin Seefranz on its educational commitments, and an afterword by Pablo Lafuente providing further valuable insights. Also included are interviews with participating artists including Dias & Riedweg, Oswald de Andrade’s original ‘Manifesto antropófago’ and a previously unpublished script by Andrea Fraser.
