Associação Cultural Videobrasil

An international landmark in fostering, publicizing and mapping contemporary art, Videobrasil – which has recently celebrated the 30^th anniversary of the Contemporary Art Festival Sesc_Videobrasil, held in partnership with Sesc São Paulo – is also a force to be reckoned with in culture and contemporary art publications. In partnership with publishing house Edições Sesc SP, Videobrasil has released a book on Joseph Beuys – We Are the Revolution –, winner of the second Jabuti prize in the Arts category, in 2011; it has also produced the only Portuguese language books on the works of Isaac Julien and Olafur Eliasson; it was the first to publish essays and texts on contemporary Middle Eastern art by artists such as Akram Zaatari and Walid Raad; and on occasion of its inviting William Kentridge to his first visit to Brazil, it birthed the first edition of the Videobrasil Authors Collection - VCA series: the film Certain Doubts of William Kentdrige. A pioneer in promoting and discussing performance in the country, Videobrasil has also produced VCA editions featuring Chelpa Ferro, Coco Fusco and a special performance catalogue, featuring essays and interviews with prominent artists such as Marina Abramovic.

Many major Brazilian artists – some renowned and others up-and-coming, were featured in publications released in partnership by Edições Sesc SP and Videobrasil – among them Maurício Dias & Walter Riedweg, Erika Verzutti, Rafael França, Angela Detanico and Rafael Lain. But this is but a small sample of the vast constellation of art world figures from Brazil and the world over whose works, poetics, concepts, and processes are discussed in statements, essays, texts and reflections, either by the artists themselves or by leading curators and art researchers, such as Lisette Lagnado, Moacir dos Anjos, José Augusto Ribeiro, Fernando Oliva and Marcelo Rezende.

Now, from April 03 to 06, 2014, Videobrasil will present these contemporary art publications to the public at the leading art publication fair, SP-Arte, sharing space with releases from two major art institutions from the State: the São Paulo State Art Gallery (Pinacoteca) and the Museum of Contemporary Art of the University of São Paulo – MAC/USP, at the only counter of its kind in the entire fair.

More on the publications

Visitors at the fair will be able to purchase copies of the nine editions of Caderno Sesc_Videobrasil (an annual collection of experimental curating proposals in print); the BOOKS that build on the contents of shows coproduced by Videobrasil  and Sesc São Paulo (like Joseph Beuys – We Are the Revolution; Your Body of Work: Olafur Eliasson; and Isaac Julien: Geopoetics), the CATALOGUES of the Contemporary Art Festival Sesc_Videobrasil; the artist-made films in the VCA - Videobrasil AUTHORS COLLECTION series; and the first edition of the VB ESSAYS collection, “Expanded literature – archive and quotation in the work of Dominique Gonzalez-Foerster,” by Ana Pato. All of these are also available from Sesc São Paulo’s e-shop (http://www.sescsp.org.br/loja).

These publications constitute an important contribution to critical reflection, expanding on contents from Videobrasil’s programming and promoting multidisciplinary debates that explore aspects of art and culture in our days, through myriad perspectives and approaches. For additional information on the publications, go to: (http://site.videobrasil.org.br/en/publicacoes/sobre)

More on Videobrasil

Associação Cultural Videobrasil dedicates to fostering, publicizing and mapping contemporary art, forming audiences, and promoting interchange between artists, curators and researchers. Independent and committed to the questioning role of art, it has increasingly focused on public actions and on activating its Collection - a comprehensive set of videos and performances from the geopolitical South of the world. To this end, it imparts special attention to productions from Latin America, the Caribbean, Africa, the Middle East, Eastern Europe, South and Southeast Asia, and Oceania, promoting and articulating an international cooperation network.

Videobrasil also hosts international exhibits and travelling shows, and offers publications on contemporary art and culture, public programs, audiovisual products and artist-in-residency programs, as well as an international festival held biennially in partnership with Sesc São Paulo, which has co-sponsored the event since 1992.

While promoting and providing visibility to productions from countries and artists from outside the hegemonic axis of Europe and North America, Videobrasil was also responsible for bringing leading international artists to Brazil, coproduced by Sesc São Paulo, increasing the access of local audiences to the work of key contemporary artists. It has hosted shows by Akram Zaatari, Bill Viola, Gary Hill, Marina Abramovic, Walid Raad, Joseph Beyus, Sophie Calle, Isaac Julien and Olafur Eliasson, among others.

In 2013, the Contemporary Art Festival Sesc_Videobrasil celebrated its 30^th anniversary of bridging gaps in the art world and encouraging artistic experimentation: while video art was emerging onto the Brazilian scene, Videobrasil created the first festival for the category and facilitated its consolidation. Later on, the event embraced electronic art, and then performance and hybrid practices. Since 2011, the Festival has come to encompass all contemporary art languages.

SERVICE:

VIDEOBRASIL / EDIÇÕES SESC COUNTER AT SP-ARTE 2014
Opening: April 02, Wednesday, 11am. Hours: April 03 to 06 (Thursdays to Saturdays: 1am to 9pm; Sundays:  11am to 7pm
SP-ARTE (Ciccillo Matarazzo Pavilion – Biennial Pavilion, Ibirapuera Park, Gate 03 – São Paulo (SP)
Tickets R$40 e R$20 (half price)