Associação Cultural Videobrasil and Sesc São Paulo are calling upon artists interested in taking part in the 19^th edition of the Contemporary Art Festival Sesc_Videobrasil, due from October 6 to December 6, 2015 at Sesc Pompeia, in São Paulo, Brazil. Entries will be accepted from September 15 to November 16, 2014.

19th Contemporary Art Festival Sesc_Videobrasil OPEN CALL

 The Contemporary Art Festival Sesc_Videobrasil has become established over the years as a diverse, multiple framework designed to spread, foster and reflect on art production from the “global South”, understood as Latin America, the Caribbean, Africa, the Middle East, Oceania, parts of Europe and Asia.Significant geopolitical changes are underway, radically resizing the notions of North and South. Nonetheless, the need persists to work for art and culture in areas that are yet to invent new forms of circulation and visibility.

In its 19^th edition, the Festival aligns its curated sections with the South, rather than its competitive show only, as it did in the past. The entire program is therefore oriented towards the South and its myriad issues. These issues – which provide inspiration and parameters for the selection of artworks and projects for the Festival – concern the diasporas, hybrid identities, travel and migration flows, personal narratives, isolation, the social fabric and insularity

For the first time ever, the call for submissions comprises two separate open calls: one for artworks and another for projects, to be developed under the oversight of curators and with backing from the Festival; both the artworks and the projects are to be featured in the upcoming edition of the Festival. Artworks and projects will be accepted in all supports, artistic expressions and techniques, by artists either born or resident in the Festival’s target areas for over five years. Each artist may submit up to three (03) artworks and/or one (01) project, in keeping with the terms set forth in the open calls available on the website as of the opening date for entry.

The Curatorial Committee will select 4 (four) projects for production of artworks. Each project will receive financial support of up to R$ 30,000 (thirty thousand reais) and will be overseen by one of the curators until its presentation at the Festival.

In this edition, the Curatorial Committee is formed by Solange Farkas and by invited curators Bernardo de Souza, Bitu Cassunde, João Laia and Júlia Rebouças.

Based on the Award Jury’s selection (to be announced in 2015), the Festival will grant 1 (one) cash prize of R$ 75,000 (seventy-five thousand reais) and 9 (nine) two-month artist residency prizes  to be undertaken in Videobrasil Residency Network’s partner organizations around the world. Prizes do not apply to the projects produced by the Festival.

As a strategy of publicizing the selected artworks and spreading knowledge about the artists’ creative processes, the Festival will showcase the works via Associação’s online research tool PLATFORM:VB; publications; and documentary films and interviews produced for VB Channel.

Aiming to consolidate an active network of exchange that contributes to the insertion of the selected artists on the contemporary artistic and cultural circuit, the 19^th edition of the Festival will also promote Public Programs activities, with meetings between artists, curators, critics, researchers, delegates from different organizations and residency sponsors.

Carefully read both calls for entries prior to your application on Videobrasil’s website

More on the Festival

In addition to exhibiting artworks and projects by shortlisted and guest artists, the Contemporary Art Festival Sesc_Videobrasil offers artist residencies, public programs, educational actions and publication launches.

In a bid to publicize the productions of shortlisted artists, the Festival also conducts actions to make their work available in its digital research platforms, books, websites, social media, as well as documentaries and TV programs produced by the organization. The artists also participate in meetings and debates that bring together curators, critics, researchers and delegates from art institutions and artist residencies to reflect on and discuss pressing issues in contemporary art and culture.

The Festival also awards a cash prize and nine artist residency prizes to be undertaken at Videobrasil Residency Network partner organizations around the world. All of the winners are given trophies designed for each edition by artists such as Tunga, Rosângela Rennó, Erika Verzutti, Carmela Gross, Luiz Zerbini, Raquel Garbelotti, among others.