Coimbra Session

The last two years have changed us: as people and as communities. They have taught us to redefine habits and review priorities in personal and institutional terms. How should we reassess the spaces, structures, and modus operandi of cultural institutions to find new ways of working and bring together a plurality of voices? 
 

Together we must rethink the notions of hospitality and conviviality in cultural institutions through curation, mediation, and communication. How can institutions prioritize inclusion, representativity, and collaboration in contemporary art?

Vincenzo de Bellis is Curator and Associate Director of Programs, Visual Arts, at the Walker Art Center, Minneapolis. He is currently working on the major Jannis Kounellis' retrospective titled Jannis Kounellis in Six Acts (2022) organized by the Walker Art Center and Museo Jumex, Mexico City. During his tenure at the Walker he has organized several exhibitions such as the group show The Paradox of Stillness: Art, Object, and Performance (2021); the first US museum survey of the Mexican artist Mario García Torres, Illusion Brought Me Here (2018); the first museum survey of Nairy Baghramian, Déformation Professionnelle (2017); and the group show I Am You, You Are Too (2017). He also oversaw the Walker’s presentation of Jimmie Durham: At the Center of the World (2017). In 2015 he curated Ennesima: An Exhibition of Seven Exhibitions on Italian Art at the Triennale di Milano and Betty Woodman’s survey at Museo Marino Marini, Florence, and Institute of Contemporary Arts, London. From 2009 to 2016 de Bellis was Founding Director and Curator at Peep-Hole Art Center in Milan and from 2012 to 2016 he was also Artistic Director of Miart, Milan International Fair of Modern and Contemporary Art.

Kasia Redzisz is Artistic Director at Kanal - Centre Pompidou in Brussels. Prior to joining Kanal she served as Senior Curator at Tate Liverpool, where she was responsible for the programme and international collaborations. Between 2008 and 2015 she worked as curator at Tate Modern. At the same time, between 2008 and 2015 she was Director of Open Art Projects, an organisation dedicated to innovative art commissions. Her independent work includes many interdisciplinary projects, most recently the inaugural exhibition of Muzeum Susch (2019) and the fourth edition of the Art Encounters Biennial (2021). She is an author of books, editor of exhibition catalogues and contributor to magazines such as Frieze, Mousse and Tate Etc. Redzisz’s curatorial practice reflects her commitment to equality, experimentation and to establishing transnational dialogues between artistic practices stemming from diverse geographies.

Filipa Oliveira is, since 2018, the Visual Arts Programmer and Curator of the City of Almada, running the Casa da Cerca Art Center and the Municipal Art Gallery. From 2015 to 2017 she was the artistic director of the Fórum Eugénio de Almeida in Évora, Portugal. Prior she worked as an independent curator for 12 years working with institutions such as Centro Cultural de Belém (Lisbon), Kettle’s Yard (UK), John Hansards Gallery (UK), Tate Modern (UK), Fundação Calouste Gulbenkian Centro de Arte Moderna (Lisbon), Fundação Carmona e Costa (Lisbon), Fondation Calouste Gulbenkian (France), Berardo Museum (Lisbon), Crac Alsace (France), Kunstverein Springhornhof (Germany), Ffotogallery (UK), Mead Gallery (UK), Frieze Projects (UK), Stills Gallery (UK), among others. She was curatorial assistant of the 28th São Paulo Biennial and in 2012 was guest curator of the Satellite at Jeu de Paume where she curated solo exhibitions of Jimmy Robert, Tamar Guimarães, Rosa Barba and Filipa César. In 2022, she co-curated with Elfi Turpin “Mid-night”, Anozero’21-22 Coimbra Biennial of Contemporary Art. She has written an extensive list of essays in catalogues and in publications. Has written essays and exhibition reviews for Arte Contexto, Contemporary and Flash Art  L+Arte and Artforum.

Luís Silva is director of the Kunsthalle Lissabon, an institution he founded with João Mourão in 2009. He is co-curator of the Portuguese Official Representation at the 59th Venice Biennale with the project “Vampires in Space” by Pedro Neves Marques. A selection of recent exhibitions he has presented at the Kunsthalle Lissabon includes solo shows by Gabriel Chaile, Manuel Solano, Sheroanawe Hakihiiwe, Ad Minoliti, Zheng Bo, Laure Prouvost, Caroline Mesquita, and Engel Leonardo. Silva has curated numerous projects independently, highlighting exhibitions in institutions such as Pivô, in São Paulo, Extra City, in Antwerp, David Roberts Art Foundation, in London, Fundação Arpad Szenes - Vieira da Silva and MAAT, in Lisbon, or MACE, in Elvas. In addition to his curatorial practice Luís Silva was also contributing editor of the CURA. magazine and co-editor of the Performing the Institution(al) publication series, as well as of several monographic volumes. He was co-curator of ZONA MACO SUR (2015 - 2017), the solo projects section of the contemporary art fair in Mexico City and of the Disegni section (2017 -2019) of Artissima in Turin.