SP-Arte at twenty: objects, materials and a wider conversation

An art fair becomes more useful when its categories can be seen in relation to one another. At SP-Arte’s twentieth edition, paintings, contemporary work and design shared the Bienal pavilion, giving visitors several routes through Brazilian production.

WAYFARER’s April 2024 account described the fair held from 3 to 7 April. More than 190 exhibitors were recorded across galleries, design studios, publishers, institutions and independent spaces.

Older work beside contemporary practice

Di Cavalcanti and Ismael Nery supplied part of the modern-art field. Adriana Varejão and Artur Barrio appeared within the contemporary selection, alongside international work associated with Lucio Fontana and Gabriel Orozco.

The exhibition Tátil: materiais no design contemporâneo introduced a more explicitly material subject. Furniture and other objects could be examined through what they were made from, not only their outline or maker’s name.

The source also discussed attendance and sales. Those accounts are not independently audited here, and broad claims of regional supremacy are omitted.

The historical fair’s more legible contribution is the proximity it created. Design did not need to be isolated from art, and modern Brazilian work did not have to occupy a completely separate narrative from current practice. A visitor could make connections by moving through the same building.

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Adapted from the WAYFARER Brazil archive, first published 2024-04-16. English adaptation: 6 October 2026. This is an archival account, not a report of a new visit. Exhibitions, collections and menu details are described in their original context, not as current availability.