Brazil 2026

Title: Comigo ninguém pode
Commissioner: Andrea Pinheiro, President Fundação Bienal de São Paulo
Curator: Diane Lima
Exhibitor: Rosana Paulino and Adriana Varejão

“Comigo ninguém pode” refers to the Dieffenbachia plant and a popular Portuguese saying translates as “nobody can handle me” or “nobody can beat me”, serving as a metaphor for protection, toxicity, and resilience.

The curatorial proposal explores the dialogues between both artists’ careers, focusing on reflections regarding colonial wounds and the rewriting of history. The exhibition frames these themes as processes of metamorphosis that articulate new possibilities for imagination and poetic liberation. The artists represent a revolutionary presence of women in Brazilian art, with poetics that echo social movements and democratic struggles while maintaining high technical quality.

The project aligns with the official Biennale theme, “In Minor Keys”, and represents an unprecedented dialogue between Paulino’s and Varejão’s respective investigations into collective memory and the questioning of the artistic canon. The presentation coincides with a major architectural recovery of the Brazilian Pavilion building, aimed at upgrading infrastructure and accessibility.