The AICA Podcast, hosted and initiated by Mihaela Ion, has a new episode on December 26th with Lisbeth Rebollo Gonçalves the Honorary President of AICA International and former President of AICA International.
The podcast is available on:
• AICA’s YouTube account
• AICA’s website
The first part of the discussion is focused on the 2 mandates that Lisbeth have has as an International President of AICA. During her two mandates as International President of AICA, Lisbeth focused on enhancing global collaboration among member organizations and promoting the importance of art as a critical component of cultural identity and dialogue. She prioritized initiatives that encouraged cross-border partnerships and the sharing of best practices, while also advocating for the recognition of artists and cultural practitioners as essential contributors to societal development.
In the podcast, Lisbeth delves into the intricate role of art mediators in shaping our understanding of art criticism, emphasizing how their insights can enhance the audience’s experience in curated events. By sharing her specific curatorial experiences, she illustrates how effective art mediation not only bridges the gap between artists and viewers, but also enriches the dialogue surrounding artworks, fostering a deeper appreciation and engagement with the art on display.
The final part of the podcast is focused on São Paulo Biennial, which took the example of Venice as its inspiring model and wanted to place Brazil in the international art scene. By emphasizing contemporary art and featuring both local and international artists, the Biennial has become a vital platform for innovation and exchange within the art world, reflecting Brazil’s unique socio-political landscape and cultural identity. And Lisbeth is sharing specific historical moments from the São Paulo Biennial.
About the moderator: Mihaela Ion – Ph.D in History. Mihaela Ion is a curator, cultural manager and art researcher based in Bucharest. Since 2021, she is an AICA member. Since 2022, she has been an International Board Member in AICA and part of the Digital Strategies Committee in the same association. In the last 17 years, she presented papers about Communist Art, Cultural Wars, contemporary artworks at the most important conferences organized in Europe. She collaborates with several art galleries and museums in Europe. Her PhD thesis focused on the heritage of communist artworks. She has had the good fortune of being a grant keeper as a cultural manager in London at body>data>space, and in Paris, Sélestat, Strasbourg and Nancy during her Courants du Monde grant from the French Ministry of Culture. In 2010, she cofounded the project Atelierul Magazine (https://www.revista-atelierul.ro/ ) – an international active online and offline platform that creates an intercultural dialogue between the design creators and the public.
About the speaker: Lisbeth Rebollo Goncalves is the Honorary President of AICA International. She holds a master’s and PhD at the Faculty of Philosophy, Letters and Human Sciences of the University of São Paulo, Brazil. With a scholarship from the USP-COFECUB program, she conducted research about Art Exhibition’s Scenography in France and Brazil. She is a professor at the Faculty of Communications and Arts at the University of São Paulo, Brazil, teaching undergraduate and graduate courses, supervising master’s, doctoral and postdoctoral students. In the graduate field, professor at PROLAM – Latin American Studies Program and at the Aesthetics and Art History Program. She has been an art researcher since 1980 and curator of exhibitions since 1994. Between 1994 to 1998 and from 2006 to 2010, she was the Director of the Museum of Contemporary Art at the University of São Paulo. She has published several books, essays published in exhibition catalogues and articles in newspapers and specialized magazines. She has received awards for her books and for curating exhibitions. She was coordinator of the Art Criticism Collection, published by the Brazilian Association of Art Critics. Editorial advisor and corresponding editor of ArtNexus magazine. ISSN 0122-1744.
About AICA: The International Association of Art Critics (AICA), established in 1949 under the patronage of UNESCO, aims to advocate for and promote art criticism globally, adapting to the evolving landscape of the art world while fostering the exchange of ideas and best practices among critics from diverse disciplines. AICA, comprising around 5,000 art professionals from 95 countries and organized into 63 National Sections and an Open Section, has a strong presence globally, notably in Europe, Australia, the Americas, and increasingly in the Middle East, Asia, and Africa. The organization has hosted Annual Congresses across diverse locations such as the Caribbean, Hong-Kong, and various European cities, with recent conferences held in Dakar, Istanbul, Addis Ababa, Cape Town, and Skopje over the past two decades.
