Chad Rossouw's São Paulo Diary: Pre-flight Jitters

São Paulo is the seventh largest city in the world. You could fit half the population of South Africa into the city. Or 4 and a bit Jo'burgs.

It still hasn't really sunk in that I'll be flying out there on Saturday. But the ticket is booked, the money is changed, so I guess it is happening. I'm going as part of my Master's programme at Michaelis to see the Biennale. Its one of the major perks of this degree, and an exceptionally generous gesture from the school.

The São Paulo Biennale is one of the longest running and biggest biennales outside of the US or Europe. This seems really significant as an artist working outside of those spaces. After the 2008 Biennale was a strange beast (self-critical biennale with no budget) and not particularly well received, I'm curious to see what the curatorial team pulls together this year. The line up is massive, with more than 160 artists from around the world. The theme too is broad, dealing with the political in art. The title is "Há sempre um copo de mar para um homem navegar" (There's always a cup of sea to sail in), a line from the poet Jorge de Lima. I'm going to try with this diary to share some of the experiences of the art and the city. I'll try and keep it fresh everyday with loads of pictures and interesting commentary.

Unless, of course, the caipirinha's get me.