Thinking about the work of art as something permeable to the relationships it establishes with its surroundings, rather than as something crystallized, the 34th Bienal was conceived to expand in space – extending through partnerships with 25 cultural institutions in the city – and in time – through solo shows and performances held in the Bienal Pavilion during the lead up to the event’s main group show. Due to the recent occurrences, the shows by Clara Ianni and Deana Lawson needed to be suspended and the performances of works by León Ferrari and Hélio Oiticica are being reconsidered. The ideas of the rehearsal and of the open rehearsal, central to the methodology used for the conception and construction of this Bienal, were put to the test throughout these months of work. The adjustments and changes, which are now being multiplied due to the Covid-19 pandemic, are an integral and relevant part of the process of insistence, transformation and fine tuning that has gone into the design of the 34th Bienal.