Dissident Images: Reflections in the context of the 35th Bienal de São Paulo

Reflexões no contexto da 35ª Bienal de São Paulo

Abstract

This essay is organised into the sections “Introduction”, “Methodological Procedures”, “Argument”, and “Final Considerations”. In the Introduction, we present the theoretical framework that underpins the proposed reflections and interpretations, drawing on the theory of the Imaginary as developed by Gaston Bachelard (1884–1962) and Gilbert Durand (1921–2012). Complementarily, we incorporate a contribution from philosophy through the work of Vilém Flusser (1920–1991). We then describe the methodological procedures employed in the development of the essay, which comprise a theoretical–conceptual approach followed by an analytical, comparative, and interpretative procedure. Throughout the Argument section, we begin with a contextualisation of the Bienal de São Paulo, discuss issues surrounding the term hegemony, and proceed to interpretations of three works presented at the 35th Bienal de São Paulo, held in 2023. At last, in the Final Considerations, we employ the theory of the Imaginary to identify, based on the three interpreted artworks, the potential of the exhibition’s space of the Bienal and of the artistic field to activate the imagination and promote the diversification of the Imaginary. We seek to understand how the production of dissident images in these three works contributes to a reaction to the tendency toward the production and circulation of hegemonic and homogeneous images. Drawing on hermeneutic tools derived from the theory of the Imaginary, we also discuss the significance of this reaction for fostering new possible Imaginaries. The principal contribution of the essay lies in the mobilisation of the theory of the Imaginary as an interpretative resource for artistic production oriented towards digital images, opening pathways for a deeper engagement with the issues addressed herein.