Rise and fall of pedagogical curatorship

Abstract

The article discusses the trajectory of pedagogical curatorship in two of the main art exhibitions in Brazil, thus seeking to contribute to the history of these shows in the country. Furthermore, it calls attention to some of the emergency conditions of this activity, as well as what it has produced. It also speculates about the consequences of the dilution or even the extinction of pedagogical curatorship in art shows and institutions. Based on comments by Gabriel Pérez-Barreiro, curator of the 6th Mercosur Biennial in 2007 and the 33rd São Paulo Biennial in 2018, from which the text draws both an index of questions and some categories of analysis, the analysis adopts an essayistic form in which the stories of these two exhibitions intersect in perhaps unexpected ways. The result is a reflection on the questions open to mediation (or education) in art exhibitions in that decade (from 2007 to 2017), considering its “promotion” to curatorship. As conclusion, it points out that if the pedagogical curatorship has been extinguished, it may not be the case to revive it.