At a time when cultural institutions face growing pressure to adapt to commercial, political and social dynamics, the presence of solid, stable teams is vital in maintaining focus on artistic integrity and guaranteeing programming as a space of innovation and resistance.

In this talk, Cristina Planas Leitão and Natalia Álvarez Simó, founders of the SUPERNOVÆ platform that share a curatorship between the two countries, Portugal and Spain, reflect on how the performing arts can expand beyond theatres and museums, occupying unexpected places and becoming tools of social and political empowerment.

They will debate some fundamental questions – Where are the performing arts being programmed today? And who is currently programming in institutions? – and question the mechanisms of decision-making, places of power and the very definition of an institutional space. They will also discuss how institutions can reinvent themselves, opening up to hybrid practices and boundary-breaking formats.

In the context of this presentation, and in the second part of the conversation, artist Piny was invited to discuss these topics. There will be a focus on a particularly relevant debate: curating the performing arts at a time of increasing pressure on cultural institutions, which are required to adapt to increasingly complex commercial, political and social dynamics. The existence of solid artistic teams, from curators to artistic directors, is essential to maintaining a focus on the artistic and ensuring that programming continues to be a space for innovation, critical thinking and resistance.

SUPERNOVÆ is devoted to supporting institutions, museums, foundations and artists in the construction of curatorial strategies and performing arts programmes. The platform experience will allow for the exploration of leadership practices and feminist and collaborative curatorship, highlighting the importance of international networks that connect geographies, and strengthening institutions’ capacity to become truly transformational spaces.