Ever since it was founded, the CAYC (Centro de Arte y Comunicación), helmed by the cultural promoter, artist, and businessman Jorge Glusberg, was intended as an interdisciplinary space where an experimental art movement could flourish. The establishment of collaborative networks connecting local and international artists and critics played an important role in this process. In addition to the exhibitions, a program of different activities provided viewers with a greater chance of seeing the latest innovations in art and scientific thought. According to Glusberg, the coordination between theoretical thinking and artistic practice was a key factor in the achievement of social change.
The São Paulo Biennial was a premier venue for the exposure and acclaim of art in Latin America ever since it was founded in 1951. The CAYC had planned to send the exhibition Arte de sistemas (GT-34; doc. no. 1476284, GT-35; doc. no. 1476285) to the XI Biennial (1971). But in light of the increasing censorship and repression being imposed by the Brazilian dictatorship (1964–85), a group of Latin American artists and intellectuals living in New York organized a boycott. The magazine Contrabienal provided them with a vehicle through which to express their refusal to take part in the event and condemn any violation of human rights. Following this announcement, Glusberg decided to cancel preparation of the exhibit and related activities. A few days after the opening of the São Paulo Biennial, the CAYC opened Dos grabadores japoneses en Buenos Aires, an exhibition featuring works by Tsuyoshi Yayanagi (b. 1933) (GT-77; doc. no. 1476306) and Kosuke Kimura (b. 1936) (GT-78; doc. no. 1476275). Both of these artists were part of the Japanese delegation to the XI Biennial.
This newsletter article acknowledged the CAYC’s internationalist strategy as expressed in its decision to host a roundtable discussion about biennials and the role of art and artists at times when dictatorships were on the rise in South America. This was an increasingly urgent matter given the period’s political radicalization and widespread violence.
