Bridging Worlds: The Curatorial Dialogue Between Imran Mir and Bertina Lopes at the 2025 São Paulo Biennial

When curator Bonaventure Soh Bejeng Ndikung placed the works of Pakistani artist Imran Mir (1950-2014) alongside those of Mozambican-Italian painter Bertina Lopes (1924-2012) in the 36th São Paulo Biennial, the decision reflected a profound understanding of how postcolonial modernism manifested across different continents and cultures. Both artists, though separated by geography and generation, share remarkable parallels in their artistic journeys that illuminate the complex negotiations between tradition and modernity, local identity and international artistic languages, that defined art in the era of decolonization.

Geometric Abstractions and Cultural Synthesis

At the heart of both artists’ practices lies a sophisticated engagement with geometric abstraction as a means of cultural expression. Imran Mir, known for his bold minimalist and modernist approach, structured his artistic practice around what he called “Papers” on modern art—twelve distinct bodies of work that challenged conventional artistic boundaries through experimental use of color and planar fractures. His geometric abstractions were not mere formal exercises but represented what critics described as “conflations of expansive spatial color fields containing cosmic objects executed with the repetition and meticulousness often found in Islamic geometrical patterns, paradoxically coupled with the freedoms of American expressionism.”

Bertina Lopes, meanwhile, developed a distinctive visual language that combined Cubist influences with African iconography. Her works are characterized by intricate compositions of different perspectives and volumes arranged on the same plane, where she combines masks with totems, forming shapes that evoke dance movements created with bold brushstrokes. Like Mir, Lopes transformed geometric abstraction into a vehicle for cultural expression, incorporating straw, feathers, and colored fabrics into her works while drawing inspiration from Nyau ceremonies and Tufo dances—local traditions in Mozambique that were scorned during the colonial period.

The Politics of Modernist Expression

Both artists navigated the complex terrain of postcolonial modernism, where the adoption of Western artistic techniques served not as cultural surrender but as strategic appropriation for anti-colonial expression. Mir’s return to Pakistan in 1978 after studying at the Ontario College of Art and Design marked a crucial moment when he exhibited “cutting edge art which confused art critics because they had never seen such a bold example of minimalism and modernism close up.” His work represented a form of modernist practice that was distinctly Pakistani while engaging with international artistic currents.

Lopes’s trajectory mirrors this dynamic in striking ways. After studying in Lisbon and encountering Portuguese modernism, she returned to Mozambique in 1953, where cultural nationalism became central to her practice. Her paintings from this period are characterized by what scholars describe as “a violent chromatic impact” and “a search for new materials that she used to express an explicit and political break, denunciation and protest.” When political repression forced her into exile in Rome in 1963, her artistic practice evolved into what she called “La mia radice antica” (My ancient root), a body of work that expressed her connection to Mozambican heritage through a distinctly modernist visual vocabulary.

Exile, Distance, and Artistic Identity

The theme of displacement runs through both artists’ biographies and creative output. Mir spent crucial formative years in Canada, where he completed his Master’s in Communication Design and Experimental Art. This period abroad allowed him to develop what would become his signature style—a synthesis of geometric traditions with contemporary international practices. His work upon returning to Pakistan reflected this transcultural experience, embodying what critic Salwat Ali described as “his ability to humanise the abstract forces of technology, to endow poise and grace to rigid stolid configurations.”

Lopes’s forced exile to Rome created a different but parallel dynamic. Living in the Italian capital for nearly fifty years, she transformed her rooftop studio into a cultural salon where African and European diplomats, journalists, and intellectuals gathered. Her artistic practice during this period reflected the complexity of her position as a cultural ambassador for Mozambique while being physically removed from her homeland. Her Totems, made from ropes, papers, and fragments of wood, became “cultural and visual emblems of her motherland,” expressing both connection to and distance from Mozambican traditions.

Bridging Local Traditions and Global Modernisms

Perhaps most significantly, both artists demonstrate how postcolonial modernism functioned not as imitation of Western models but as creative synthesis. Mir’s work shows clear influences from Islamic geometric patterns while engaging with minimalist and color field painting traditions. His “Papers” on modern art represented a methodical investigation into visual possibilities that were simultaneously local and international in their references.

Lopes achieved a similar synthesis through her integration of African artistic traditions with Cubist and Constructivist elements from European art circles. Her work transformed the canvas into what critics describe as “a means of expressing freedom, both personally and in response to the repressive situation in her home country.” Like Mir, she demonstrated how modernist techniques could be employed to assert cultural identity rather than abandon it.

The Curatorial Vision

Ndikung’s decision to place these artists in dialogue at the São Paulo Biennial reflects the exhibition’s broader theme, “Not All Travellers Walk Roads – Of Humanity as Practice.” Both Mir and Lopes exemplify artists whose practices transcended geographical and cultural boundaries while maintaining deep connections to their origins. Their work embodies the exhibition’s conceptual framework, inspired by bird migration patterns, of artists whose practices flow across continents while carrying the essence of their cultural landscapes.

The parallel presentation of Mir’s “Seventh Paper on Modern Art” alongside Lopes’s paintings from the 1960s, 70s, and 80s creates a compelling dialogue about how different postcolonial contexts produced remarkably similar artistic strategies. Both artists used geometric abstraction as a language of resistance and cultural assertion, transforming international modernist vocabulary into distinctly local expressions.

Legacy and Contemporary Relevance

The conversation between Mir and Lopes at the São Paulo Biennial illuminates broader questions about artistic identity in an interconnected world. Both artists anticipated contemporary discussions about global art by demonstrating how local and international influences could be synthesized without cultural compromise. Their work provides models for understanding how postcolonial artists navigated the complex terrain between tradition and modernity, locality and internationalism.

Mir’s influence on Pakistani contemporary art continues through institutions like the Indus Valley School of Art and Architecture, which he helped found. Lopes’s legacy is preserved through the Archivio Bertina Lopes, established after her death to maintain her studio as a site of cultural memory. Both legacies demonstrate how individual artistic practices can become foundational to broader cultural movements.

The curatorial conversation between these two artists at the São Paulo Biennial ultimately reveals how postcolonial modernism functioned as a global phenomenon with distinctly local expressions. Through their parallel journeys—from traditional societies through Western art education to mature practices that synthesized multiple influences—Mir and Lopes exemplify the complex negotiations that defined artistic practice in the era of decolonization. Their work continues to provide valuable insights into how contemporary artists might navigate similar questions of cultural identity and artistic expression in an increasingly interconnected world.

-----

*The 36th São Paulo Biennial, “Not All Travellers Walk Roads – Of Humanity as Practice,” runs from September 6, 2025, to January 11, 2026, at the Ciccillo Matarazzo Pavilion in São Paulo’s Ibirapuera Park.*