Nova 4th Edition
An all-new Nova returns to São Paulo with moving image work by a cast of global artists
While queuing at the Nova contemporary art event Nova in São Paulo recently, a handful of half-masked ninjas went to work scribbling on nearby glass walls. The live-art act by the collective Ros Dolan and the Gang kicked off a lineup of free art events running every Saturday over the next five weeks. Featuring international artists such as David O’Reilly, Mulheres Barbadas and Mark Jenkins, the fourth-annual festival took on more than a few bold new dimensions this year.
Last year’s edition took on painting as the central theme, but this time the focus is decidedly on cinema, with sessions split into three parts. Each evening spotlights the filmic work of a selected artist or director, such as Semiconductor, in the Cinemateca Brasileira theater before moving into the foyer where the audience will watch a film specially created for the event. Installations from artists in other disciplines provide the room’s backdrop. For example, at this past Saturday’s show, the threaded work of Sebastien Preschoux set up the ambiance for “Stethoscope,” a movie by duo Lolo and Sosaku Miyazaki.
This last part becomes interactive when artists seek out and record audience participation after the film, which Rojo will film and edit. Between screenings, people can witness live art-making in Absolut Vodka’s Espaco Absolut Blank part of the venue.
To end the event, Rojo has invited artists to bring their own projectors and show their pieces in an all-at-once screenings fest. Currently on view, the event ends on 29 October 2011 at the Cinemateca Brasileira.
