professional profile

MARCIO JUNJI SONO

CULTURAL PROGRAMMES • PARTNERSHIPS • PROJECT MANAGEMENT

I develop cultural programmes and institutional partnerships across museums, galleries, artists' studios, universities and government. My work combines strategic planning with practical delivery, encompassing exhibition production, curating, communications, publishing and cultural diplomacy.

Isaac Julien, 'A Marvellous Entanglement' at Miami Basel curated section Meridians, 2021

Over more than two decades I have worked in Brazil, the United Kingdom and internationally with organisations ranging from independent initiatives to major museums and public institutions. My experience spans the conception, management and delivery of exhibitions, publications, public programmes, institutional partnerships and communications strategies, connecting artistic ambition with organisational objectives.

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Still from Pipilotti Rist's, 'Ever is Over All' (1997), featured at the Museum of Image and Sound, São Paulo, 2010

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

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EMBASSY OF BRAZIL IN LONDON

PROGRAMME CURATOR / PROJECT MANAGER 2017–2019; 2022–present ROLE OVERVIEW: Develop and deliver the Embassy's visual arts programme, creating long-term partnerships between Brazil and the UK through exhibitions, publications, research initiatives and professional exchanges. HIGHLIGHT ACHIEVEMENTS: • Conceived and developed Breeze, the Embassy's flagship programme for Brazilian contemporary visual arts. • Built partnerships with organisations including the British Council, King's College London, the British Museum, ArtReview, ABACT/Latitude and Frieze. • Curated exhibitions and public programmes featuring Brazilian artists in the UK. • Managed multidisciplinary projects involving museums, universities, galleries, artists, government bodies and private-sector partners. • Coordinated visual arts initiatives within the UK–Brazil Season of Culture and wider cultural diplomacy programme. AREAS OF EXPERTISE: Programme Development; Institutional Partnerships; Project Management; Curating; Communications; Cultural Diplomacy

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ISAAC JULIEN STUDIO

HEAD OF EXHIBITIONS 2019–2022 ROLE OVERVIEW: Managed the Studio's international exhibition programme, leading exhibition production, institutional partnerships and strategic development across museums, biennials and galleries on five continents. HIGHLIGHT ACHIEVEMENTS: • Delivered eight solo exhibitions and twenty-nine installations within group exhibitions internationally. • Coordinated exhibition production with institutions including the Barnes Foundation, Academy Museum of Motion Pictures, Tate Britain, National Galleries of Scotland, Yale School of Architecture and the Smithsonian American Art Museum. • Developed strategic collaborations with organisations including Harvard University, the University of California Santa Cruz, Arts Council England, Art Fund and Outset Contemporary Art Fund. • Supported museum acquisition initiatives and institutional relationships during a period of significant international growth. • Advised Sir Isaac Julien in institutional, funding and governance-related activities. AREAS OF EXPERTISE: International exhibitions • Project management • Partnerships • Logistics • Budgets • Strategic development

VARIOUS

CURATORIAL RESEARCHER / ART CONSULTANT 2015-2017 SUMMARY: Worked independently across curatorial research, writing, communications and project development, collaborating with museums, galleries, artists and cultural organisations while consolidating a multidisciplinary practice that combined editorial, institutional and exhibition-based work, in São Paulo, London, New York and Miami. HIGHLIGHT PROJECTS: Authored essays and critical texts on contemporary art and culture. Developed curatorial research and exhibition proposals. Provided communications and editorial consultancy for cultural organisations and visual arts projects. Collaborated with museums, galleries and independent practitioners on publications, exhibitions and institutional initiatives. Undertook project-based work in preparation for relocation to the United Kingdom in 2017. AREAS OF EXPERTISE: Curatorial research • Writing • Editorial projects • Communications • Project development • Cultural consultancy

LUCIANA BRITO GALLERY

HEAD OF COMMUNICATIONS AND INSTITUTIONAL PROJECTS 2013–2014 ROLE OVERVIEW: Directed communications, publishing and institutional development while contributing to curatorial research and exhibition development. HIGHLIGHT ACHIEVEMENTS: • Curated the first exhibition of previously unpublished works by Thomaz Farkas since the 1990s. • Coordinated editorial production of Thomaz Farkas: Memórias e Descobertas. • Led communications campaigns for exhibitions and publications. • Participated in institutional negotiations surrounding Marina Abramović's Terra Comunal.

VIDEOBRASIL

HEAD OF COMMUNICATIONS 2011–2013 ROLE OVERVIEW: Directed communications for one of Latin America's leading contemporary art organisations. HIGHLIGHT ACHIEVEMENTS: • Achieved the organisation's broadest international press coverage to date. • Expanded institutional partnerships supporting the Festival de Arte Contemporânea Sesc_Videobrasil. • Managed communications strategy, publications and institutional positioning.

MUSEUM OF IMAGE AND SOUND

HEAD OF COMMUNICATIONS / TRUSTEE 2009–2011 ROLE OVERVIEW: Led communications during a period of institutional transformation while serving on the museum's governing board. HIGHLIGHT ACHIEVEMENTS: • Created the museum's communications department. • Helped reposition MIS as a national reference in media art. • Conceived and coordinated an editorial programme comprising more than a dozen publications. • Led a strategic restructuring task force whose recommendations contributed to MIS becoming São Paulo's most visited museum in 2014. • Participated in the creation of the museum's Media Centre.

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SAO PAULO DANCE COMPANY

COMMUNICATIONS MANAGER / ACTING HEAD OF EDUCATION 2008–2009 ROLE OVERVIEW: Established the communications strategy for the newly founded state dance company while contributing to audience development and educational programming.

PINACOTECA DO ESTADO DE SÃO PAULO

PRESS COORDINATOR / ASSISTANT CURATOR / TRUSTEE 2003–2008 ROLE OVERVIEW: Worked across communications, curatorial practice and institutional governance during a period of profound organisational transformation. HIGHLIGHT ACHIEVEMENTS: • Managed communications for nearly fourty exhibitions. • Assisted in curating over twenty photography exhibitions. • Contributed to implementing Brazil's pioneering Social Organisations governance model for public museums. • Developed national and international communications campaigns. • Served as staff representative on the museum's governing board.

DEXCO (FMR. DURATEX)

PRODUCT DEVELOPER / ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICER 1995-2003 Held progressively responsible administrative positions across product management, marketing and executive offices, supporting production planning, logistics, market research, trade fair coordination, commercial reporting and bilingual corporate communications. This early experience provided a strong operational foundation in project coordination, stakeholder management and organisational processes.

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Isaac Julien, 'Lessons of the Hour', at the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art, 2021

PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE

EXHIBITION PRODUCTION

Planning, coordination and delivery of exhibitions from concept development to installation and deinstallation, working alongside artists, curators, registrars, conservators, designers and technical teams.

PROJECTS

Western Union: Small Boats
Ruby City, San Antonio (2020)
Lessons of the Hour: Frederick Douglass
McEvoy Foundation for the Arts, San Francisco (2020)
When Home Won't Let You Stay: Migration through Contemporary Art
Cantor Arts Center, Stanford University (2021)
Lina Bo Bardi – A Marvellous Entanglement
Madrid City Hall (2021)
Vision & Justice Tribute
Victoria Miro Gallery / Frieze New York OVR (2021)
Piccadilly Commission
Piccadilly Circus Screen / Royal Academy of Arts (2021)
Isaac Julien: Lessons of the Hour: Frederick Douglass
National Galleries of Scotland (2021)
Lessons of the Hour: Frederick Douglass
Galerie Ron Mandos, Amsterdam (2021)
Lina Bo Bardi – A Marvellous Entanglement
Bechtler Museum of Modern Art (2021)
Diversity / United: Contemporary European Art
New Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow (2021)
Art Basel Miami Beach (2021)
Isaac Julien: Lessons of the Hour: Frederick Douglass
Smith College Museum of Art (2021)
Lina Bo Bardi – A Marvellous Entanglement
Roslyn Oxley9 Gallery, Sydney (2022)
Isaac Julien: Lessons of the Hour: Frederick Douglass
John Curtin Gallery / Perth Festival (2022)
Lina Bo Bardi – A Marvellous Entanglement
Samstag Museum of Art (2022)
Statues Never Die
Barnes Foundation (2022)
Lina Bo Bardi – A Marvellous Entanglement
Yale School of Architecture (2022)
Regeneration: Black Cinema, 1898–1971
Academy Museum of Motion Pictures (2022)
Isaac Julien: Lessons of the Hour: Frederick Douglass
Virginia Museum of Fine Arts (2022)
Isaac Julien: Lessons of the Hour: Frederick Douglass
Tang Teaching Museum & Art Gallery (2024)

INSTALLATIONS

True North
Museum of Contemporary Art Montréal (2021)
After the Deluge (Radioactive Avatar #15)
Victoria Miro Gallery (2021)
True North (photographic series)
Guangdong Museum of Art (2021)
Three
Nara Roesler / Art Basel OVR (2021)
Vagabondia
Institute of Contemporary Art Miami (2021)
When the Tree Blooms (Ten Thousand Waves)
Jessica Silverman Gallery (2021)
Paradise Omeros
Flughafen Tempelhof, Berlin (2021)
Territories
Haus der Kunst, Munich (2021)
Looking for Langston / After Mazatlán
LUMA Foundation (2021)
True North
Akademie der Künste, Berlin (2021)
Lina Bo Bardi photocollage / Stones Against Diamonds
Royal Academy of Arts (2021)
Lessons of the Hour and new photographic work
Gagosian (2021)
Looking for Langston / After Mazatlán
FOMU (2021)
Commissioned light boxes
Rosenlundsparken Project (2021)
ADAA Art Show (2021)
Western Union: Small Boats
Art Gallery of New South Wales (2021)
Territories / Paradise Omeros
Tate Britain (2021)
After George Platt Lynes, Nude (1942)
Victoria and Albert Museum (2022)
Lessons of the Hour
Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art (2023)
Thinking Historically in the Present
Sharjah Biennial 15 (2023)
Lessons of the Hour (photographs)
National Portrait Gallery, Washington DC (2023)
Lessons of the Hour
Smithsonian American Art Museum (2023)

CURATORIAL PROJECTS

Batismo — Gleeson Paulo
Sala Brasil, Embassy of Brazil in London (2023)
Feast on Your Soul — group exhibition
Sala Brasil, Embassy of Brazil in London (forthcoming, 2027)
Karin Lambrecht — solo exhibition (co-curator)
Sala Brasil, Embassy of Brazil in London (forthcoming, 2027)
Rock My Soul — assistant curator to Sir Isaac Julien
Victoria Miro Gallery (2019)
Summer Exhibition — Galleries I & II, assistant curator to Sir Isaac Julien
Royal Academy of Arts (2022)
Thomaz Farkas: Memórias e Descobertas — associate curator and editorial coordinator
Luciana Brito Gallery (2014)

INSTITUTIONAL STRATEGY AND PARTNERSHIPS

Pinacoteca do Estado de São Paulo (2003–2008)

As a trustee of the museum's governing board (Associação Pinacoteca Arte e Cultura – APAC), contributed to the implementation of an innovative governance model that became a landmark in Brazil's cultural sector. The pioneering public–private partnership strengthened institutional autonomy, accountability and long-term sustainability, supporting the transformation of the Pinacoteca into one of Brazil's leading museums.

Museum of Image and Sound & Paço das Artes (2009–2011)

As a trustee of the museums' governing board (Associação dos Amigos do Paço das Artes Francisco Matarazzo Sobrinho), contributed to the strategic repositioning of MIS-SP through the development of a distinctive programme centred on media art while preserving and expanding its audiovisual heritage.

Participated in the creation of the museum's Media Centre and led a task force responsible for proposing a comprehensive institutional restructuring. The resulting strategic direction contributed to MIS becoming, in 2014, the most visited museum in the city of São Paulo.

Embassy of Brazil in London (2017–2019; 2022–present)

Develop and consolidate institutional partnerships supporting Brazil's cultural diplomacy programme in the United Kingdom, bringing together government bodies, museums, universities, cultural organisations and independent practitioners.

Established long-term collaborations with organisations including the British Council, King's College London, the British Museum, Frieze, ArtReview and ABACT/Latitude.

Conceived and direct Breeze, the Embassy's flagship programme dedicated to Brazilian contemporary visual arts, fostering sustained dialogue and professional exchange between the Brazilian and British visual arts sectors through exhibitions, research visits, public programmes and strategic partnerships.

Isaac Julien Studio (2019–2022)

Developed strategic partnerships supporting exhibitions, publications, public programmes, commissions and grant applications.

Established collaborations with organisations including the University of California Santa Cruz, Harvard University, the Barnes Foundation, Arts Council England, Art Fund and Outset Contemporary Art Fund.

Advised Sir Isaac Julien in his capacities as trustee, evaluator and institutional adviser while advocating collaborative initiatives involving MoMA, the Smithsonian Institution, Tate and the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art.

PUBLICATIONS

Author (essays)

Zonas de Contato (2010, Imprensa Oficial. ISBN 9788560919123))
Em Cena (2012, Martins Fontes, ISBN 9788578276560)
Centro Magazine (2015)
BmoreArt (2025, link)

Editor & Editorial Coordinator

The Art of Diplomacy (2018, Embassy of Brazil in London, ISBN 978527218581)
Thomaz Farkas: Memórias e Descobertas (2014, Brito Editions, ISBN 9788599470060)
Pippilotti Rist (2010, MIS/Imprensa Oficial, ISBN 9788560919109)
Gary Hill: Circumstances (2010, ISBN 9788563611024)

Gary Hill, 'Viewer' (1996), exhibited in 2010 at the Museum of Image and Sound, São Paulo

COMMUNICATIONS AND AUDIENCE ENGAGEMENT

Pinacoteca do Estado de São Paulo (2003–2008)

Managed communications strategy during a period of significant institutional expansion, overseeing press relations, editorial publishing, audience development, institutional communications and public engagement.

Led communications for exhibitions, educational programmes, fundraising initiatives and institutional campaigns, contributing to the consolidation of the museum's national and international profile.

São Paulo Companhia de Dança (2008–2009)

Developed and implemented the communications strategy for the newly established state dance company, overseeing institutional communications, press relations, publications and audience development during its inaugural season.

Museu da Imagem e do Som – MIS-SP (2009–2011)

Directed communications during a period of institutional transformation, overseeing press relations, editorial publishing, institutional communications and audience engagement.

Conceived and coordinated an ambitious editorial programme resulting in the publication of more than a dozen exhibition catalogues and books, helping establish MIS as a national reference in museum publishing.

Associação Cultural Videobrasil (2011–2013)

Led communications for one of Latin America's foremost contemporary art organisations, overseeing institutional communications, press strategy, editorial projects and audience engagement across exhibitions, public programmes and the Festival de Arte Contemporânea Sesc_Videobrasil.

Luciana Brito Gallery (2013–2014)

Directed communications and editorial strategy for one of Brazil's leading contemporary art galleries, overseeing publications, press relations, institutional communications and promotional campaigns while supporting the gallery's exhibition programme, publishing activities and participation in international art fairs.

RESEARCH

What Freedom is to Me
Curatorial research for Tate Britain (2023)

EDUCATION

2023-2025

MA Philosophy (Distinction)
Birkbeck, University of London

Dissertation explored Arthur Danto's philosophy of art, focusing on the ontology of immaterial artworks and the relationship between artistic meaning, interpretation and the artworld. Recipient of the British Council Venice Biennale Fellowship (2024), conducting research on John Akomfrah's exhibition at the 60th Venice Biennale.

1999-2002

BA Philosophy
University of São Paulo (USP)

Undergraduate studies in philosophy, developing a strong foundation in aesthetics, ethics, political philosophy and critical theory. Graduated with distinction (summa cum laude).

London based,

internationally mobile

Email

mjsono@gmail.com