Associação Cultural Videobrasil

22nd BIENNIAL SESC_VIDEOBRASIL

1. THE CALL

Through this open call, the Associação Cultural Videobrasil and Sesc São Paulo invite artists and/or collectives to submit up to (03) three works that may by selected to participate in the 22nd Biennial Sesc_Videobrasil, to be held in October 2023, at Sesc 24 de Maio, in São Paulo, Brazil.

The works must dialogue with this edition’s curatorial approach, according to the statement in the Annex. Only the curators and the artistic direction may establish the number of artists and works that will take part in the Biennial.

2. PARTICIPANTS

Eligible to take part in this open call are artists and/or collectives originating from countries of the Global South, of the Community of Portuguese Speaking Countries (CPLP), or based on these locations at least for the last five years, as well as indigenous artists of any nationality. For application of collectives, at least one member must meet the same requirement regarding their origin and location.

2.1. Individual registration does not exclude the possibility of artists also registering as participants in a collective, by creating different user names on the registration platform.

2.2. The artists or collectives that register must provide documents stating the authenticity of the information presented and the place and period of residence at the address provided. These documents may be requested, and failing to present them may result in disqualification.

3. WORKS

Works made in any language or media will be accepted, provided they have never been previously shown in São Paulo, that is, that they have not been exhibited at public events or sessions in the city up to the date of the Biennial. All application requirements must be observed and respected according to the guidelines of the items in section 4 of this document.

3.1. The artist or collective must the owner the intellectual property rights and related copyright (image, voice, third-party rights, etc.) of the submitted work.

3.2. The works submitted must not be shown in the city of São Paulo until the selection is announced, which is scheduled to take place by March 2023; the selected works can only be exhibited at other events two months after the Biennial is held in November 2023.

4. ENTRY

Call-for-entry is free to all applicants and must be done through the registration platform, accessible through this link. The deadline is September 2, 2022 at 6 pm (UTC−3). Entry forms submitted after this date will not be accepted.

4.1. Registration
To apply, the artist or representative of a collective must register an email and a password on the Biennial’s registration platform, accessible through this link. This information will be requested every time the applicants access the application form. The information provided in the form must be saved and can be changed at any time during the process. When the form is completed, the artist or collective must choose to accept the Agreement and submit it to complete the application. After that, any changes to the form will no longer be possible.

4.2. Authorship information:
Applicants must provide:

a) Personal information (name, address, contacts).
b) Short bio (up to 1,000 characters with spaces) containing a brief description of the applicant’s line of research and participation in exhibitions, residencies, awards, grants, presence in collections, etc.
c) Résumé (in PDF, TXT or DOC format, up to 2 MB), in Portuguese and English, if possible.
d) Portfolio (photographic records of works, and texts or publications about the applicant’s production, in PDF, TXT or DOC format, up to 10 MB), in Portuguese and English, if possible.
e) Portrait and/or representative image (in PDF, JPG, TIFF or PNG format).
f) Other materials and links the applicant deems relevant for analysis.

4.3. Information about the works
Regarding the submitted works, the following information must be included:

a) Technical data (title, series, country and year of production, predominant language or format, materials, dimensions).
b) Presentation text (up to 1,000 characters with spaces).
c) Technical summary, with a proposal for work installation, necessary equipment, technical plan (including exhibition design), as well as requirements regarding handling, maintenance and conservation.
d) Information on exhibition of the work in previous locations, if any (year, location, link).
e) Insurance information.
d) Representative image (representative images, photographic records and/or sketches).

4.3.1. In the case of video works, performances or sound pieces:
a) send links for all files on online platforms (Vimeo, YouTube, or others). In restricted access links, provide username and password. Links must remain available until April 2023. The Biennial undertakes not to disclose them.
b) Spoken works, or works with lettering in a language other than Portuguese, Spanish or English, must be subtitled in English.

4.4. Additional material
Additional material regarding the submitted works can be provided, and may include critical texts, publications and records of previous exhibitions. This material may be included in the Annexes section. Texts may be sent in DOC, TXT or PDF format, and images in JPG, PNG or TIFF (up to 10 MB).

4.4.1. Providing complementary materials does not exempt applicants from fully completing the application form.

4.4.2. After selection, all files provided by non-selected applicants will be removed from the databases of Associação Cultural Videobrasil.

4.5. Application confirmation
After filling out all the fields in the form, the applicant must accept the Agreement. For each application, a unique registration number is provided and a confirmation email is sent; these must be kept at a secure location, as only the applicants who have this number will be considered registered.

4.5.1. Incomplete applications or in a language other than Portuguese, Spanish or English will not be considered.

4.5.2. The Biennial is not responsible for applications not received for any technical reasons that prevent the receipt of data until the deadline.

4.5.3. Acceptance implies full and unrestricted agreement with the conditions established in this open call. Failure to comply with the rules may cause the application to be rejected.

5. SELECTION PROCESS

The selection process has two stages: the first analysis, carried out by the pre-selection committee, composed of guest curators; and the final selection, carried out by the curators and the artistic direction of the 22nd Biennial, which defines how many and which artists, collectives and works will take part in the event. The connection of the works with the curatorial concept proposed for this edition is a fundamental criterion in this process.

5.1. Selection results will be announced in February 2023 on Associação Cultural Videobrasil’s and Sesc São Paulo’s websites. The selected artists and/or collectives will be notified by email.

5.2. The final decision of the curators and artistic directors is irrevocable, and the results cannot be appealed.

5.3. After the selected participants are announced, the artists must ensure that the participating works are not exhibited in São Paulo two months after the Biennial is held. Failing to comply may result in disqualification.

6. GENERAL PROVISIONS

6.1. Each artist and/or collective selected for the 22nd Biennial Sesc_Videobrasil will be paid the gross amount of three thousand reais (R$ 3,000.00) for their participation, before taxes and fees, in accordance with the current Brazilian legislation.

6.2. If the selected artist or collective is not the owner of copyrights of the selected work, they must present a loan authorization, signed by the owner, for exhibition at the Biennial, until March 2023.

6.3. The Biennial is responsible for the transport and insurance of the works, in the “nail-to-nail” category, in addition to caring for their integrity during the period in which they remain on view.

6.3.1. The artist or collective must provide a single address for collection of the work, respecting the following deadlines: for international pick-up, after July 2, 2023; for domestic pick-up, after August 1, 2023. Inaccuracies or failure to meet deadlines will result in disqualification.

6.4. The Biennial assumes all production costs related to the installation of the selected works.

6.5. Selected artists and collectives may be invited to take part in the opening week of the Biennial and in Public Programs, with airfare and accommodation paid for by the organization. In the case of collectives, the Biennial can provide tickets and accommodation to one representative, previously selected by the group.

6.5.1. Expenses regarding issuance of passports and visas to enter Brazil will be covered by the artist or collective.

6.6. The artists and collectives must meet the demands of content production and dissemination of the Biennial—providing images, giving testimonies, interviews, etc.—within the timeline established in the announcement of the selected applicants.

7. PRIZES

The 22nd Biennial Sesc_Videobrasil will offer prizes in cash and/or in residency programs to artists or collectives selected by an international jury, comprised of professionals from different fields of contemporary art. The results will be announced during the Biennial’s opening week.

7.1. The following cash prizes will be awarded, with amounts to be announced closer to the event:

• State of the Art Award: given to the work considered by the jury to be the most thought-provoking, powerful and significant in the Biennial. The prize can be given to a work in any language, produced by an artist or collective of any origin.

• Sesc Contemporary Art Award: given to outstanding works in the 22nd Biennial, produced by Brazilian artists and/or collectives that will be included in the
Sesc Art Collection.

• O.F.F. Award: offered by the Ostrovsky Family Fund, it is given to a participating artist, of any nationality, who presents an original investigation of the moving image.

7.2. Artistic residency prizes will also be given, which will provide residency periods at partner institutions of the Videobrasil Residency Program, to be announced closer to the event. Prizes include airfare, accommodation and per diem during residencies, which have an eight-week duration and must be carried out between 2024 and 2025.

7.2.1. In the case of Artistic Residency Prizes given to collectives, one representative must be appointed to take part in the residency.

7.2.2. After the prize is awarded, the artist must sign a separate contract with the institution that will offer the artistic residency.

7.2.3. Winners must obtain their passport and all necessary visas, and cover all expenses from these processes.

7.3. The Biennial, together with other partners, may grant special prizes, to be announced at a later date.

7.4. Artists or collectives awarded at the 22nd Biennial will receive the Southern Panoramas Trophy, created by a nationally renowned artist.

7.4.1. Winning collectives will receive only one trophy.

8. VIDEOBRASIL HISTORICAL COLLECTION

Since the first edition of the Biennial (initially called a festival) in 1983, Associação Cultural Videobrasil has maintained a collection with more than 1,800 works in video and records of performances that were featured in its editions. The not-for-profit Videobrasil Historical Collection results from the institution’s desire to preserve the memory of the Biennial and contribute to the research and diffusion of the artistic production of the Global South.

8.1. The works in video selected for the Biennial will be added to the Videobrasil Historical Collection, with due consent from the artists or collectives. The institution may make them available for consultation, study and research in its video library; and for the dissemination of excerpts, frames, fragments and still images, in Brazil and abroad, on a not-for-profit basis, in contexts consistent with its principles and purposes, and always associated to the Biennial Sesc_Videobrasil.

8.2. All records (whether photo or video) of a work participating in the 22nd Biennial will be added to the Videobrasil Historical Collection, and the institution may use them for the same purposes provided for in item 8.1.

9. RESTRICTIONS

The following cannot participate in the selection process for the 22nd Biennial:

- Artists who have taken part in one of the last two editions of the Biennial Sesc_Videobrasil (namely, 2017 and 2019).

• Artists born or collectives based in the following countries: Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Italy, Japan, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, Netherlands, Norway, Republic of Ireland, San Marino, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom, United States and Vatican, except applicants from indigenous peoples.

• Members of the Curatorial Committee and spouses, partners, dependents, relatives up to the third degree, and the like.

• Individuals or legal entities hired to carry out any type of work for the Biennial.

• Employees and interns of Sesc São Paulo and the Associação Cultural Videobrasil and their and spouses, partners, dependents, relatives up to the third degree, and the like.

Please note: registrations from applicants not considered eligible due to the above criteria will be invalidated at any stage of the selection process.

To apply, create a new registration or use an existing one in the field above.