Walter Zanini introduces the exhibition Acontecimentos, held by the Museu de Arte Contemporânea (MAC) at the Universidade de São Paulo (USP). He notes that the silent atmosphere was disturbed by the reading of a communiqué from the artist Lydia Okumura, and that there were three visible cubes that presented the proposals of Amélia Toledo, Nelson Leirner, and Donato Ferrari. The first two envisioned the participation of the public, while the third called for intervention. Zanini describes each of the different positions: the optical play by Leirner, the accessibility around the fragile construction by Ferrari, and the invitation from Toledo to pass through and mediate. Zanini also comments on the other events of physical intervention and interference that would take place the following morning, turning the exhibition into vestiges of an archaeological nature.

In addition to being one of the curators of the First São Paulo Biennial (1951), the art critic, historian, and curator, Walter Zanini (1925−2013), was the first director of the Museu de Arte Contemporânea (linked to the Universidade de São Paulo [USP]). As director there from 1963 to 1978, Zanini made outstanding efforts to provide incentives for the work of new artists as well as for marginalized artwork of all kinds. This included technological approaches to Conceptual art, from multimedia projects to visual poetics. He also taught at the Escola de Comunicações e Artes da Universidade de São Paulo (ECA-USP).

The exhibition Acontecimentos was held on April 7, 1972, to commemorate the ninth anniversary of the Museu de Arte Contemporânea da Universidade de São Paulo, bringing together both participatory works and performance pieces. That year was significant in the recent history of the museum directed by Zanini, who was holding a series of exhibitions and events that would feature either Conceptual art or experimental art. Important exhibitions at the time were Ambiente de confrontação, which took place in September, and the VI Jovem Arte Contemporânea (JAC) in November.

The eighth round of the JAC exhibition took place December 5?22, 1974, at the MAC-USP. The show was organized around proposals sent by the artists (without jury or prizes). The participating artists included Genilson Soares, Francisco Iñarra, and Gastão de Magalhâes. Zanini’s text, “Em 1973 pensávamos numa JAC futura de etapas constantes ao longo dos meses,” clarifies many aspects about this matter [see doc. no. 1110584].