Hello!
My name is Solomon Szekir-Papasavva and I'm currently writing a blog on the 9th Bienal do Mercosul in Porto Alegre, Brazil. The blog focuses on issues surrounding the interpretation and curation of contemporary art, and the extent to which the Bienal's general audience is being engaged.
I graduated from the Art Gallery and Museum Studies MA at Leeds University in 2010, having focused my research on exhibition design and curation. I started working soon after as an education session leader at the Thackray Museum (Leeds), where I also developed a new formal education session on the workhouse.
Since coming to Brazil last year I have learnt much about the museum sector and cultural interpretation and engagement in Porto Alegre. Here there is not the same tradition of large-scale, state-funded cultural projects and institutions as in the UK, but there is a lot of potential for growth. That is why I have been working free-lance: curating a collective exhibition of local artists, developing education sessions, and writing a blog on the 9th Bienal do Mercosul. I hope you find it interesting, and if you do, please share it with anyone else you think might like it!