“If we return to normality, it is because the death of thousands of people was not worth anything”, writes Ailton Krenak

On display at Sesc Ribeirão Preto, 31st Youth Arts Exhibition – MAJ presents works by 46 new talents in the visual arts of Brazil, selected from more than 700 entries by curators Camila Fontenele and Tiago Gualberto, on the occasion of the celebration of the 35th anniversary of the exhibition conceived by Janete Polo Melo, former sociocultural technician at the Unit who, in 1989, launched the first edition of MAJ in partnership with the Center for Communication and Arts at the University of Ribeirão Preto (UNAERP).

Showcase and agent of visibility and incentive for the production of artists aged between 15 and 30, over more than three decades, BIGGER has allowed young talents from all regions of the country to express their creativity through diverse artistic expressions, such as paintings, engravings, sculptures, interventions and performances, stirring up the artistic scene in the interior of São Paulo and broadening the discussion of socioeconomic and cultural diversity. As in previous editions, at the opening of the 31st edition, the curators will also announce the three artists who have been awarded the Incentive Prize.

Driven by the purpose of facilitating access to the world of arts and disseminating and projecting new artists to Brazil and the international scene, the collective exhibition at Sesc Ribeirão Preto contributed to the revelation of important names in the visual arts, such as Jaime Lauriano, Marcelo Moschetta, Cordeiro de Sá, Beta Ricci, Felipe Góes, Fabricio Sicardi, Renata Lucas, Nilton Campos, Sofia Borges and Renato Rebouças, as well as artists nominated for the PIPA Prize, such as Carla Chaim (2016), Talles Lopes (2022 and 2024) and Vulcanica Pokaropa (2024), among others.

With over 600 talents presented to the public over the course of 35 years, the 31st edition of MAJ features a panel of ethnic diversity that includes white, mixed-race, black, Asian and indigenous people. In this edition, the artists selected by the curators come from nine states in Brazil – São Paulo, Santa Catarina, Rio Grande do Sul, Rio de Janeiro, Paraná, Pernambuco, Pará, Minas Gerais and Amazonas – and the Federal District.

Check out the complete list of artists present at the 31st MAJ below:

Abner Sigemi – Amauri – Anna Livia Taborda – Barbara Savannah – Bruno Benedicto – Cho – Cicero Costa – Diego Rocha – Diez – Donatinnho – Estela Camillo – Felipe Rezende – Giovanna Camargo – Gu da Cei – Gustavo Ferreira – Hanatsuki – Isabela Picheth – Isabella Motta – Isabelle Baiocco – Italo Carajás – Janaina Vieira – Juniara Albuquerque – Kaori – Kelly Pires – Kuenan Tikuna – Leid Ane – Lorre Motta – Lucas BRACO – Lucas Gusmão – Lucas Soares – Luiza Poeiras – Mar Yamanoi – Mariana Simões – MAVINUS – Murillo Marques – Nat Rocha – Nike Krepischi – O Tal do Ale – Okarib – Pedro Mishima – Rayane Gomes – Samuel Cunha – Sophia Zorzi – Vitor Alves – Yan Nicholas – Yanaki Herrera

Curatorial process

In the exhibition's curatorial text, prepared based on reflections recorded in a long dialogue between Camila Fontenele and Tiago Gualberto, one concern guided the process developed by them from September 2023 onwards: the complexity of selecting a selection from a significant number of artists aspiring to exhibit their work at the 31st MAJ.

“When observing the 722 entries – which went through three selection phases, initially 114, then 72, until we reached the 46 selected people – I notice the fluid and coherent way in which these works mutually strengthen each other, while also generating tensions and contrasts”, says Camila.

“As important as recognizing the merit of the outstanding research by this group of 722 artists to whom we dedicate ourselves is understanding the formative and educational role built over the dozens of editions of the MAJ. In other words, the gesture of awarding a representative group of this young art should not be separated from the gesture of listening and offering conditions for improvement to the other artists not selected. In curatorial terms, the hundreds of non-selected research projects served as a great chorus of voices to guide us in identifying topics, agendas, social, political and aesthetic demands,” concludes Gualberto.

Opening to the public at 19:30 p.m. on December 5th, at Sesc Ribeirão Preto, the 31st Youth Arts Exhibition – MAJ can then be visited during the unit's normal opening hours: Tuesday to Friday, from 13:30 p.m. to 21:31 p.m.; Saturdays, Sundays and holidays, from 9:30 a.m. to 18 p.m. With free admission, the exhibition will be on display until June 8th, 2025.

Service

After passing through Brasília and Salvador, the exhibition Nhe´ ẽ If disembarks at Cultural BOX of Sao Paulo, reinforcing the presence of indigenous cultures in one of the largest cities in Latin America. Visiting is free, from Tuesday to Sunday, from 9 am to 18 pm.

The exhibition brings together works by thirteen contemporary indigenous artists from different regions, evoking a journey of memory, resistance and renewal through the voices, visions and flows of Guaranis, Pankararus, Mura, Tukanos, Molina, among other peoples. The exhibition mixes already renowned artists with new names: Aislan Pankararu, André Hulk, Auá Mendes, Daiara Tukano, Day Molina, Déba Tacana, Edgar Kanaykõ Xakriabá, Glicéria Tupinambá, Paulo Desana, Rodrigo Duarte, Tamikuã Txihi, Xadalu Tupã Jekupé, and Yacunã Tuxá.

The curators are Sandra Benites and Vera Nunes. Sandra, from the Guarani Nhandeva ethnic group (MS), is a researcher and PhD candidate in Social Anthropology at the National Museum of UFRJ, having become the first indigenous curator in Brazil to join the team of a museum. In turn, Vera Nunes is one of the main women leading large-scale artistic projects in the country and a researcher in public art, gender, race and intersectionalities.

The exhibition was born from academic research by Benites and reveals the desire of indigenous peoples to speak out. It is sponsored by CAIXA and the Federal Government and is conceived and carried out by Via Press – Comunicação & Cultura, which has been operating in the market for 26 years, focusing on the development of cultural projects and strategic communication actions.

Sao Paulo: between rivers

Amidst the buildings and urban landscape of São Paulo, the exhibition delves into the ways in which indigenous peoples view life, community and nature. Since the origin of the world, rivers have been seen as the veins of the earth and channels that connect the physical world to the spiritual, providing sustenance and balance.

Crisscrossed by more than 300 rivers and streams, such as Tietê, Pinheiros and Tamanduateí, São Paulo is a city surrounded by water. However, during its construction, the rivers were buried under asphalt. According to curators Sandra Benites and Vera Nunes, the exhibition incorporates, with a sensitive and feminine perspective, this dichotomy between the spiritual relationship of indigenous peoples with water, and the way in which, in São Paulo, these buried rivers sometimes emerge during intense summer rains, causing a reminder of a still pulsating life.

“Our idea is to reflect on the rivers and the fact that this city is an indigenous land, where its people, like the waters, were also buried and silenced. But it is time for Nhe´ ẽ Se: the desire to speak.”, he explains.

New Tupinambá cloak

The exhibition features the exclusive launch of a cloak developed by artist Glicéria Tupinambá, a native of the Serra do Padeiro village, located in the Tupinambá de Olivença Indigenous Land, in southern Bahia.

The “Assojaba Tupinambá” is a sacred garment used in rituals and made from feathers of native birds. According to the artist, for the Tupinambá people, the garment represents a confluence between the spiritual dimension, the environment, the economy, agroecology and the transmission of knowledge. The cloak also symbolizes the relationship between the invisibility of women and the erasure of indigenous culture over the years.

Tupinambá cloaks are sacred garments made from bird feathers and used by indigenous leaders of the Tupinambá people before European colonization. They symbolized power, spirituality, and belonging and were used in important rituals. During the colonial period, the Portuguese collected several indigenous artifacts, including the cloaks, which were taken to European museums and collections.

The first cloak that Glicéria had the opportunity to see in person was in France. Since then, in addition to demanding the return of these artifacts, the artist has been fundamental in the process of recovering and valuing the culture, recreating the cloaks and rescuing ancestral knowledge.

The constructions

With a mix of artists, the exhibition presents a variety of styles. It is possible to see works more aligned with urban art, such as those by artist Daiara Tukano, a native of São Paulo, from the Yepá Mahsã people, better known as Tukano. In addition, there are artists from Manaus, Auá Mendes and André Hulk, who have already created several graffiti works in São Paulo; and Xadalu Tupã Jekupé, a native of Alegrete, in Rio Grande do Sul.

Also present are the colors of Yacunã Tuxá, from Rodelas, in the backlands of Bahia, and Tamikuã Txihi, an artist who works as a leader of the Pataxó Indigenous Land, in Bahia. Txihi currently lives in São Paulo to help in the recovery of the Jaraguá Indigenous Land, in the west zone.

Aislan Pankararu, from Petrolândia, in the interior of Pernambuco, presents works with clay; and Paulo Desana, from the Desana people, uses neon light to illuminate the faces of indigenous bodies. In the audiovisual field, the photographic records of Edgar Kanaykõ Xakriabá, from Minas Gerais, who dedicates himself to narrating the daily life of his village; in addition to the video art of Rodrigo Duarte.

Also noteworthy are the ceramic sculptures by Déba Tacana, belonging to the Tacana people, in the state of Rondônia, on the border with Bolivia; and fashion designer Day Molina, who presents the work “Encantaria”, a garment made with straw, feathers and other indigenous elements.

Service
Exhibition | Nhe´ ẽ If
From February 18th to May 11th
Tuesday to Sunday, from 9pm to 18pm