The Generalitat Valenciana, through its Department of Culture, Education and Sports, has deemed it important to organize a prestigious cultural showcase that would occupy a noteworthy place in the world of major international art events.

With this in mind it has opted to make a clean break with past biennales in Valencia and present a different, novel product that distances itself from the cultural market of art biennales in Europe, which often have similar characteristics.

With this in mind, on February 8, 2006 at the '06 ARCO fair, a collaboration agreement was signed by the Bienal de São Paulo and the Bienal de Valencia, represented by Alejandro Font de Mora, minister of Culture, Education and Sports for the Valencian region and Manoel Pires Da Costa, president of the Bienal São Paulo Foundation, respectively.

This is how Encounter Between Two Seas. Bienal of São Paulo - Valencia came about, the first of which will be held in Valencia from March 28 to June 17. This Encounter is committed to exploring the intense relationships between contemporary art from Latin America and the Iberian Peninsula, making Valencia the point of reference in Europe and a cultural platform for contemporary Latin American art.

After over 10 years in which Valencian art and artists have been regularly represented in the best museums in the Americas, this accord with the Bienal de São Paulo — the first in America and second in the world — aims to continue with the efforts made by the Generalitat Valenciana.
In this globalized world of rapid communications, it has opted to construct a unique, bilingual space which stands out from all other European cultural events.

The generic theme that will serve as the backbone for all the exhibitions in Encounter Between Two Seas. Bienal de São Paulo -Valencia is Tolerance and Solidarity.

In the world we live in, it has become necessary to talk about tolerance and solidarity. Major events have created a new world order. Globalization has brought major advances, but it has also pitted very different cultures against each other; cultures that live together in the same space and do not always understand each other. This is the main problem facing the world today: the Other is seen as different and many times is perceived as a threat.

Art should not be detached from all that is happening around it; it should play an active role in society and make an effort to seek understanding and improve coexistence, helping one cultural expression enrich the other and different peoples to share their different ways of seeing the world.

With this perspective, this year's Encounter Between Two Seas. Bienal de São Paulo - Valencia has been organized into five art exhibitions that will be set up in different spaces in Valencia (Convento del Carmen, La Nave de Sagunto, La Gallera and the University) as well as a series of exhibitions featuring emerging artists at 13 Valencian galleries.

The Encounter Between Two Seas thus offers a broad overview of Latin American art, from the most important works of the Bienal de Sao Paulo to Amerindian and popular Afro-Amerindian art and of course, emerging Spanish art.

This year the Hachemite Kingdom of Jordan has also been invited to take part in the Encounter, with the goal of further reinforcing the theme of tolerance and coexistence. The choice of Jordan fits this mission, as it is a country being pulled from all directions: by the Palestinians, Israel, Syria, Iraq and Saudi Arabia. Jordan has made a firm commitment to maintain smooth, cordial ties with the West, without renouncing its Arab and Muslim culture.

The Encounter also benefits from the participation of Valencian gallery owners, with whom the Generalitat Valenciana has signed an agreement so they can select an artist who will show, in each gallery, a selection of works related to the theme of the event. The 13 participating galleries will thus be a part of the Encounter, which has exhibition spaces spread all over the city of Valencia, reaching as far as Alicante and Castellón.
The involvement of the Valencian social and artistic fabric through this initiative is fundamental to the future of the Encounter, which has wanted to give Valencian art and the artistic fabric of the region the space it deserves.

With this same objective, the Encounter is joined by the Universidad de Valencia, which will present an exhibition. Besides, the University will organize a seminar specialized on the generic theme and the artistic critique that the philosopher Adela Cortina will inaugurate. In the Universidad Politécnica of Valencia there will be organized a series of workshops of art that there will give some of the artists who take part in the different exhibitions of the Meeting

ARTIST

Adenor Gondim
Adrianna Eu
Adriano
Agnaldo Manoel Dos Santos
Alex Hornest
Arthur Bispo do Rosário
Aurelino
Caetano Dias
Caíto
Carybé
Chico Tabibuia
Deoscóredes Maximiliano dos Santos – Mestre Didi
Edival Ramosa
Eudes Mota
Eustáquio Neves
Francisco da Silva
Isabel Muñoz
Izidório Cavalcanti
Jerônimo Miranda
Jorge dos Anjos
José Adário dos Santos
José Tarcísio Ramos (Zé Tarcísio)
Kboco
Manuel Messias
Mário Cravo Neto
Maurino Araújo
Melim
Melvin Edwards
Mendive
Nhô Caboclo
Nino
Nunca
Octávio Araújo
Pablo Di Giulio
Pierre Verger
Rodrigo Petrella
Ronaldo Rego
Rosana Paulino
Rubem Valentim
Sidney Amaral
Tarsila do Amaral
Tiago Gualberto
Walter Firmo
Washington Silvera
Xirumba
Zé do Chalé

Alberto Baraya
Ana Mendieta
Armando Andrade
Cao Guimarães
Carlos Garaicoa
Carmela Gross
Chelpa Ferro
Daniel Senise
Detânico e Lain
Eugenio Dittborn
Francis Alÿs
Guillermo Kuitca
Iran do Espírito Santo
Jarbas Lopes
Jorge Macchi
Los Carpinteros
Luis Camnitzer
Marilá Dardot
Nelson Leirner
Nuno Ramos
Rosângela Rennó
Taller Popular de Serigrafía
Waltercio Caldas

Abraao Batista
Alejandro Paz
Bernardo Oyarzun
Beto Gutiérrez
Betsabé Romero
Bosco Lisboa
Che Lovelace
Colectivo DADA
Cristina Alarcón Ismodes
Cristina Piffer
Douglas Pérez
Edgar Endress
Eduardo Coutinho
Ernesto Salmerón
Fabio Kacero
Fernando Bryce
Francisco de Almeida
Fredi Casco
Gabriela Golder
GAC y Colectivo H.I.J.O.S.
Gastón Ugalde
Gertrudis Rivalta
Gonzalo Díaz
Grupo Mondongo
Henry Eric
Hew Locke
Itzel Martínez del Cañizo
Jaime Davidovich
Jennifer Allora y Guillermo Calzadilla
Joaquín Sánchez
Jorge de León
José Alejandro Restepo
José Celestino
José Paulo
Juan Carlos Rodríguez
Juan Enrique Bedoya
Juan Manuel Echevarría
Justo Pastor
León Ferrari
Leticia Parente
Lotty Rosenfelf
Marcelo Brodsky
Márcio Almeida
Marcos Ramírez ERRE
María Cândiso Monteiro Rafael
María de Lourdes Cândiso Monteiro
María do Socorro Cândido Monteiro
Marta Minujín
Mauricio Dias & Walter Riedweg
Mike Cerro Azul
Mónica Carballas
Nicolás Camargo
Nury González
Osvaldo Salerno
Patricia Moran
Paula Delgado y Julia Castagno
Pedro Álvarez
Regina José Galindo
Ricardo Lanzarini
Rolando Vargas y Catherine Cely
Saidel Brito
Sara Maneiro
Sergio Muniz
Teresa Margolles
Thelma da Rocha
Walter Iraheta
Wilger Sotelo
Wueves
Yishai Jusidman
Yucef Merhi

Avelino Sala
Begoña Carrasco
Carlos Irijalba
Cristina Lucas
David Ferrando
Democracia
Eugenio Ampudia
Francis Naranjo
Jana Leo
Javier Pividal
Jesús Segura
José Ronco
Linarejos Moreno
Lorena Amorós
Mateo Mate
Moisés Mañas
Montserrat Soto
Oliver Jonson
Raúl Belinchón
Regina de Miguel
Sükrü Karakus
Toni Abad
Txuspo Poyo
Unai San Martín
Valeriano López
Xavier Arenós

Ahmed Khalidi
Ammar Khammash
Ghada Dahdaleh
Hakim Jamain
Hani Alqam
Jan Kassay
Khalid Khreis
Mohammad Kaitouqa
Nawal Abdullah
Oraib Toukan
Rajwa Bint Ali
Samer Tabbaa
Sima Zureikat
Suha Shoman
Suheil Baqain
Wijdan Al Hashemi

Ángel Mateo Charris
Anna Talens
Antonio Gadea
Bae Bien-U
Fernando Sinaga
Juan Olivares
Kazu Yanagi
María Aranguren
Mary Sales
Natuka Honrubia
Nico Munuera
Pablo Bellot
Pérez Esteban
Rubén Fuentes Fuertes
Ximo Amigó
Ximo Lizama