INVOCATIONS: LISTENING AS A CURATORIAL PRACTICE IN THE 36th BIENAL DE SÃO PAULO

Scheduled to take place from September 6, 2025, to January 11, 2026, the 36th Bienal de São Paulo titled Nem todo viandante anda estradas / Da humanidade como prática [Not All Travelers Walk Roads / Of Humanity as Practice] is already unfolding beyond Brazil through Invocations, a series of four public activations held between 2024 and 2025 in different global contexts. Rather than a prelude, Invocations is an integral part of the curatorial project, bringing it to life through situated, relational practices.

In Marrakech, Morocco, the cycle began with the invocation titled Souffles: On Deep Listening and Active Reception. This first edition explored breathing, sound, and language as collective care practices, combining poetry, Sufi music, food, and intimate conversation to create spaces for affective exchange.

The second installment, Bigidi mè pa tonbé! [Totter, but never fall!], took place in Les Abymes, Guadeloupe, from December 5–7, 2024. Drawing on bigidi, a principle of balance in the traditional Guadeloupean gwoka dance, the program focused on the body, healing, and movement. It featured ritual performances, dance workshops led by Léna Blou, and interdisciplinary sessions bridging dance, music, poetry, and science to celebrate cultural resilience.

The third, Mawali–Taqsim: Improvisation as a Space and Technology of Humanity, was held in Zanzibar, Tanzania, from February 11–13, 2025. Organized in collaboration with the Dhow Countries Music Academy at Maru Maru Hotel and Golden Tulip Stonetown Boutique, the invocation highlighted taarab music and improvisation as social and cultural technologies. The program included lectures, performances, DJ sets, and workshops led by local artists and researchers.

The fourth and final activation, Bukimi no Tani (不気味の谷): The Uncanny Valley – The Affectivity of the Humanoid, unfolded in Tokyo from April 12–14, 2025. Inspired by the Japanese concept of the “uncanny valley,” the event delved into human–technology relations through sensitive experiences: performances, sound art, poetry readings, and discussions around artificial intelligence, robotic aesthetics, contemporary Noh, and interspecies affect.

These experiences were not conceived as isolated events, but rather as spaces for mutual learning, transformation, and careful listening—adapted to each hosting community. With Invocations, the Bienal rethinks its role as an international exhibition platform, one built through multiple voices, languages, and cultural practices. Listening, in this context, becomes an active method for imagining possible futures and practicing modes of coexistence that are less centered on domination and more open to relational, situated presence.