10 exhibitions you can't miss in São Paulo

São Paulo's cultural calendar is packed with great programs for 2024, and the exhibitions —some currently on display and others set to open soon—are a highlight. The narratives are varied and promise to please all tastes in such a diverse and plural city. They range from photography , contemporary art, African art, and even the world of play. Below, we have selected 10 incredible exhibitions that are worth visiting. Check out the list and plan ahead!

1. Nihoncha: Introduction to Japanese Tea | Japan House

Fans of Japanese culture and tea shouldn’t miss this exhibition, which is on display at Japan House until April 7. Visitors can learn about the production process of Japanese tea — also known as nihoncha —, see a sample of the country’s tea varieties, and see traditional and contemporary utensils designed by Japanese designers . The exhibition also features the world’s first3D-printed wooden building: the Tsuginote tea house, designed by Japanese architect Kei Atsumi and French architect Nicholas Préaud. More than 900 pieces are made from discarded wood, which are assembled using joints inspired by traditional Japanese architecture, without the use of glue, nails or screws. When: until April 7, 2024 Address: Paulista Avenue, 52

2. Crossroads of Afro-Brazilian Art | CCBB São Paulo

The exhibition, installed at the Centro Cultural Banco do Brasil São Paulo, presents works by 61 black artists, produced over the last two centuries in Brazil. In total, there are around 150 paintings, photographs, sculptures, installations, videos and documents, ranging from the pre-modern period to the present day. Designed around five key artists , the exhibition reveals different eras and discussions related to the context of their generations and regions. The exhibition is an offshoot of the Afro Project, a platform for mapping and disseminating black artists and Afro-Brazilian culture. When: until March 18, 2024 Address: Alvares Penteado Street, 112

3. George Love: Beyond Time | MAM

African-American photographer George Love (1937-1995) will be the subject of a retrospective starting on February 29th in the Milú Villela room of the Museum of Modern Art in São Paulo . The exhibition will feature a selection of the photographer's archives and relevant objects from his history, presented in a timeline. The works that will be shown to the public include advertising, editorial, and authorial productions, as well as records of incursions into the Amazon. A charismatic artist, George Love was surrounded by an aura of mystery, as if he were a legend. The actions he produced in the cultural, editorial and corporate worlds expanded the horizons of photography and paved the way for future generations of Brazilian photographers. When: February 29 to May 12, 2024 Address: Ibirapuera Park - Pedro Álvares Cabral Avenue, no number

4. Lygia Clark: project for a planet | Pinacoteca

Considered one of the most important names in contemporary Brazilian art, Lygia Clark (1920-1988) will be the title of the new exhibition at the Pinacoteca de São Paulo , which will open on March 2. This is because the artist is part of a generation responsible for expanding languages and establishing links with sociocultural issues. The exhibition will present to the public works and proposals from the early 1950s to the 1980s and the title comes from an example of the famous Bichos series, created in the 1960s, responsible for expanding the possibilities of modern sculpture, making it flexible and participatory. When: March 2 to August 4, 2024 Address: Pinacoteca Luz (first floor) - Praça da Luz, 2

5. Cao Fei: The Future Is Not a Dream | Pina Contemporânea

The Pina Contemporânea building, an extension of the Pinacoteca de São Paulo, is hosting an exhibition of the work of Chinese artist Cao Fei until April 14 — the first in Latin America. In the exhibition, visitors will visit four sets of works with themes that analyze how the rapid social changes of the 21st century, marked by the intensive use of technology , have been affecting human subjectivity and experiences. The goal is to introduce the artist's production to the Brazilian public through works that explore various types of media, such as videos, photographs and installations. One of Cao Fei's best-known works is the film RMB City (2007), created from experiments in the game Second Life — a virtual platform that simulates real life through the interaction of avatars —, where she built a huge city with several references to the real China, seen as a great experiment testing the relationships between the real and the virtual. When: until April 14, 2024 Where: Pina Contemporânea (Grand Gallery) - Avenida Tiradentes, 273

Starting March 23, Francis Bacon will be the subject of a comprehensive exhibition at the São Paulo Museum of Art , which has a 2024 program dedicated to the stories of LGBTQIA+ diversity around the world. The artist's biography and work were permeated by the presence of his lovers, especially Peter Lacy and George Dyer, with whom he had intense and turbulent relationships. The exhibition will feature several portraits of these men, as well as other important figures in his life, such as his close companion John Edwards. The title The Beauty of Flesh is inspired by a statement the artist made during an interview conducted by art critic David Sylvester: “[...] as a painter, we must remember that there is this great beauty in the color of flesh. [...] ". When: March 23 to July 28, 2024 Address: Paulista Avenue, 1578

7. What country is this? Jorge Bodanzky’s camera during the Brazilian dictatorship, 1964-1985 | IMS

Filmmaker and photographer Jorge Bodanzky will be honored in an exhibition at the Instituto Moreira Salles in São Paulo starting on March 23, which will focus on his work during the Brazilian military dictatorship (1964-1985). The exhibition will present his early photographic production, experiments in super-8, reports for German TV and some of his major feature films, such as Iracema (1974), Gitirana (1975), Os Mucker (1978), Jari (1979), Terceiro Milênio (1980) and Igreja dos Oprimidos (1985). Bodanzky became known for renewing Brazilian cinema by mixing documentary and fiction to address the social and political conflicts of this dark period in Brazil. When: March 23 to July 28, 2024 Where: Paulista Avenue, 2424

8. Monica 60 years old - I've always been strong | Casa das Rosas

One of the most beloved and memorable Brazilian characters from many people's childhoods, Monica from the comics is celebrating her 60th birthday and has gained an exhibition that is proving to be a huge success. Mauricio de Sousa Produções, in partnership with Casa das Rosas, has prepared a complete immersion into the story of this strong and beloved girl worldwide. Comprising 12 rooms, the exhibition presents Monica's complete trajectory — from her debut in 1963 until she became a cultural icon. When: until February 20, 2024 Where: Paulista Avenue, 37

9. New Photography 2024 | Colors of São Paulo | MIS

The New Photography project at the Museum of Image and Sound selects six new photographers for a solo exhibition every year. Coordinated by the Programming Department, with supervision and coordination by the MIS general curatorship, the project selects previously unpublished series of photographs by professionals who stand out for their technical and aesthetic originality and who, after their period on display, become part of the museum's collection. The first season of 2024 will open with the series Colors of São Paulo, produced by photographer Rafa Rojas , which explores a new vision of the gray city, seeking an escape in the nuances of the city's architecture. When: February 7 to March 17, 2024 Where: Avenida Europa, 158

10. Masks and Flowers: the papers of Tomie Ohtake | Tomie Ohtake Institute

For the first time, an exhibition about Tomie Ohtake (1913-2015) will be held, focusing not on her works, but on the papers, documents and magazines that are part of the artist's personal collection, kept in her home-studio — designed by her son and architect Ruy Ohtake (1938-2021), where she lived from 1970 until her death. This is a rare opportunity to learn a little more about Tomie's life and work, in a dimension that is still rarely seen, since the home-studio is rarely open to the public. When: until May 5, 2024 Address: Coropé Street, 88