Correspondence #14

05 Jan 2021
© Anna-Bella Papp, Eun Jae Pil, 2020

Throughout the process of constructing the 34th Bienal de São Paulo, its curatorial team, participating artists and guest authors will send out letters with open dialogues that directly and indirectly reflect the development of the exhibition. The text below was written by the invited artist, Anna-Bella Papp.



The Artist has her cv in her pocket. She wants to earn more with painting than on youtube.


Her teacher said she used to say musea like in Dutch
but it is museums

Could we call musea the persona of museums


Her teacher said there are male feminists too
like ‘Bifo’ quotes feminists

Why does everyone quote ‘Bifo’




The journal of the academy said staying home is making your rent worth


The Artist writes that he woke up to the sound of a ticking clock. The sound was coming from the heater. The noise of trapped air bubbles. He imagined the time the imaginary clock could be indicating. Its rhythm changed and fluctuated. Seconds were speeding up and slowing down. They multiplied and they were missing sometimes. Different times were being suggested. Or time was indicated in different ways.
His teacher said that the books of many young poets, including her own first book, started with something like I woke up and …


Are there vitamins in indirect sunlight
Sky tonsillitis red from the window of another apartment

3.5 cm space needed under bed
Space in cupboard:

We can no longer talk about the shade
only about stripes of light

Days go on schedule

Is a measurement a program




The Artist thinks of the brightness of new sneakers like exhibition spaces, white sneakers on sale 25% off in January with an extra 10% student discount on top.


The sticker at the crossing says working for the removal company is being paid for doing fitness




The Artist knows that a good artwork is intentional or at least it has the look of being intentional. He agrees with his friend that one does not have to develop skills but the ability to make something that looks intentional which is a different kind of skill. His towels are hardening with washing. It is forbidden to add detergent and softener to the machines, so he doesn’t know what exactly goes into the process. He must credit them for the outcome. His towels wouldn’t have acquired sculptural qualities without their system. Certainly, it is teamwork since the machines are for lessees like him, but the owners aren’t collaborators, they are more like facilitators and in that sense, the laundry room is a workshop.


His other friend talks about a decline of the art scene
like towards the end of civilisations

Wasn’t de-skilled cool in antiquity too


His other friend said that she hates the feeling of weekends during the week
because it makes her anxious

‘People are always like why don’t you make works about your problems but I’m like I’m dealing with the legal aspect’




The packaging of the tea says it contains joyful jasmine petals


The Artist imagines climate change as an art form. Climate change could be a form of art in which coldness is suggested. Plants could be making art with their blossoms. Snow by wild garlic for instance.
If the equivalent of painting is changing, then changing climate is made through climate change by the climate changer just as a painting is painted by a painter. Plants could make climate change art by changing the climate.
They could also be the medium of climate change art. Instead of painting for instance, the climate changer artist could change the growth pattern of plants and make suggestions with the help of the metaphors that are in blossoms.
Or climate change could be the art that makes plants blossom only metaphorically.




The Artist always reads the press release and never looks at works of art.


Double-legged bicycle kickstand google translates into double standard from Dutch

The bicycle is empowering or empowered or both

Laces caught on the pedal is entanglement

A lost glove is deterritorialized

Manifestoes written with “oe” is becoming the name of a nail salon

A poppy seed stuck between teeth is on the periphery

Is it relevant to have a room with a view onto Ikea

The Artist flips through the pages of the magazine and she gets it all. The picture of her favourite artist appears in the magazine 40 or so years later because the checks of his jacket are fashionable again

because he passed away recently

because he will have a retrospective

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