Bienal de São Paulo Workers Denounce ‘Terrible Working Conditions’ in Open Letter

In an open letter published earlier this month, workers on the current edition of the Bienal de São Paulo, Latin America’s foremost biennial, denounced what they described as “terrible working conditions.”

The letter, published anonymously on the website of seLecT_ceLesTe on October 18, accused the biennial of creating a public face of diversity while privately hiding a culture of what it described as “discrimination.”

“The fixed-term contract made by Fundação Bienal subjects us to working conditions that range from below-market VR [a form of insurance common in Brazil] and insufficient for adequate food to strenuous workload, an environment with excessive heat, causing fainting, waiting for up to three hours for a shift that allows people to go to the bathroom, in addition to intimidating attitudes, which characterize moral harassment, among others,” the letter claims.

The workers go on to accuse the biennial of enacting “the same structures of violence that are denounced by the artists who make up the Bienal” and allege that the biennial has broken the law.

In a statement, the foundation that manages the biennial said that its leaders and various departments “were not contacted” by the workers prior to the letter’s publication.

“It is essential that it is clear that, objectively, the salaries paid by Fundação Bienal are in absolute line with the best values practiced in the market, as can be seen from quick comparative research,” the biennial wrote. “Likewise, the environment and working hours fully comply with labor legislation, collective agreements and best management practices.”

The biennial’s statement went on to pledge an investigation into the letter’s allegations and to “adopt, if applicable, the appropriate measures.”

The workers’ letter received national attention in Brazil, where some pointed out that it seemed to contradict the decolonial spirit of the 2023 edition. “There is nothing more decolonial than an uprising like this,” wrote critic João Victor Guimarães in a follow-up seLecT_ceLesTe essay.

This year’s Bienal de São Paulo runs through December 10. In addition to running the biennial itself, the Fundação Bienal de São Paulo also manages the Brazilian Pavilion at the Venice Biennale. Today, the foundation announced that Glicéria Tupinambá will do the 2024 pavilion, which will be renamed the Hãhãwpuá Pavilion.