After 20 years without working in Brazilian cinema, the actress returns to the poster with a sublime performance in "Aquarius", the second feature film by Kleber Mendonça Filho. From the “top of the mountain” of her victorious trajectory, Sonia says she clearly sees her own life and the expedients that led Brazil to what she considers an affront to democracy
Sonia Braga lives a happy moment. At 66, two decades after participating in the filming of Tieta do Agreste, by Cacá Diegues, the actress returned to work in the country in 2015. Aquarius, a new feature film by Kleber Mendonça Filho, which premiered in theaters across the country last Thursday (1), she says that, upon realizing the heroic and haughty dimension of the character Clara, she was enraptured by the original script by the director from Pernambuco. A widow, retired journalist and writer, Clara lives in the building that gives the film its name, a charming three-story building built in the 1940s on the edge of Boa Viagem beach, one of the most expensive square meters in Recife.
Cultured and serene, Clara lives alone in the apartment, where she enjoys her enormous passion for music. From your living room door out, however, the Aquarius Building is a battleground. Strong, she remains isolated in the building, after all the neighbors have sold their properties to the construction company Bonfim, which intends to build a skyscraper there and earn millions. The fight against real estate speculation is, for Clara, a struggle to preserve the physical space and her own affective memory.
From New York, in a long interview with CULTURE! Brazilians initiated by Skype and, later, by telephone, Sonia reveals that she recently faced a legal imbroglio, similar to Clara's, with Rede Globo. The process was motivated by the rerun of the feuilleton Dancing days. After a year fighting to be paid for the rights to the daily use of her image as Julia, the protagonist in the 1978 soap opera, the actress was defeated in court. Ironically, she chaired the commission of professionals in the medium that, in 1979, fought for a law to protect the rights of audiovisual artists to be passed.
Although happy, Sonia is also experiencing a moment of apprehension. Amplifying the protest made at the Cannes Film Festival with the Aquarius, she also shows indignation at the interim government of Michel Temer (made effective days later, with the impeachment of Dilma Rousseff), for Sonia, “an administrative coup” that affronts the 1988 Constitution.
In the following conversation, a clipping of almost three hours of pleasant and humorous chat, the actress also talks about the reasons that, since the worldwide success of The Kiss of the Spider Woman (1985), by Hector Babenco, made her work less and less in Brazil. Sonia is also amused to discover two coincidences between her and two contributors to this newsroom. In 1983, when she was filming the Bruno Barreto film version for Gabriela clove and cinnamon, in Paraty (RJ, she was photographed, in several situations, by Hélio Campos Mello, editor-in-chief of Brazilian (“tell him that I want copies of these photos, otherwise I won’t authorize the publication of the interview”, he jokes). In 2011, this reporter was in Niterói and spent four days at the actress's house. The reason? On the following pages…
CULTURE!Brazilians –Why Aquarius convinced you to go back to filming in Brazil, 20 years after having made Tieta do Agreste?
Sonia Braga – When I read the script Aquarius, there was such strength in him that there were no questions left about the character and the film. Kleber's invitation was irrefutable. I had a reaction I've never had with any other script I've read. I understood Clara's words and the situations she faced, as if that woman were me.
What characteristics led to the realization that you and Clara are similar?
I had to create an image to be able to explain this similarity. First, because she and I had very different paths, but our age, emotionally and as citizens, has led us to the same place. It was then that I came to the following image: we are women who climbed two different points of the same mountain, but who reached the same conclusion. We are at the top of the mountain, we now have a broader view of our lives and we see much further. This image gives the dimension of Clara's meaning to me. I stopped making films in Brazil, even though I loved my country, because I wasn't happy with my professional life there. There is a very serious issue, and even distant I know it, which is the situation of our artists.
At this point, communication via Skype is untenable. After many failures in the video and audio transmissions, Sonia decides to call the newsroom of Brazilian.
Hello Sonia, can you hear me?
Now yes. Lucky for us we're not astronauts...
Yes. We would be orbiting dispersed from each other… Do you remember what we were talking about?
Of course I remember. The person who lies is the one who has trouble remembering what he says. Whoever speaks the truth never gets into trouble with memory.
You spoke of the reasons that justify the 20-year hiatus without working in cinema in the country…
The truth is that I never wanted to leave Brazil, but it's not easy to go through two generations of filmmakers who simply ignore who I am. Meanwhile, the invitations to work abroad only increased, at the same time that Brazilian television began to be an increasingly difficult medium for me, something ironic, because it was very important to my career.
Soap operas require months of recording. Did that influence your decision to stop making them here?
I never had a problem with that. I started having problems with Brazilian TV from the moment I realized that, although we, artists, have a law that, for better or worse, protects us, there is a great difficulty in the country for people to understand that being an actor is also a profession. A few days ago, I wrote on my personal Facebook page the absurdity of someone like Joana Fomm having to expose herself on the internet to vent that she is looking for a job. People should be embarrassed to know that an actress like her has to go through this – luckily, she's already received invitations. So, the idea of working in Brazil became very complicated, because I have always respected the profession of an actor, a profession that, like all others, has to be treated with dignity. But see, for example, what happened when Rede Globo decided to reprise Dancing days: even with audience peaks and advertising returns, no one came to discuss the right to use my image – and I was the protagonist of the soap opera! It was then that I decided to file a lawsuit against Globo and Canal Viva, and I went looking for a judge's word to find out if that's the case, if I haven't conquered rights. When I went to the Federal Supreme Court, what I heard was: “Sonia, your rights are valid. There is a law that guarantees them.” But when I went to the Ministry of Labor, I heard, amazed, something like: “Yes, the law exists, but unfortunately, it is not enforced”. This makes me very embarrassed. I started to think about my own life and, very shaken, I realized again that my problem with Brazil is professional and not personal. Only I know how much I love my country.
How long did this court case last?
Just over a year…
In other words, an exhausting struggle, similar to the battle faced by Clara in Aquarius...
Exactly. From there came my clarity about the dimension of the character and this image: she and I are on top of the mountain. I dedicated years and years of my life to Brazil. As an artist representing the country, I was welcomed into the White House. In 2011, when President Bill Clinton was about to go to Brazil, he made a point of talking to me. My role at that dinner was, as an actress, to represent Brazil. The fact that the country itself does not recognize me in this way is a very strange thing. Look what happened. Everything seemed exhausted, but the script for Aquarius fell into my hands and it was exciting to discover every scene of the movie and read every word of Clara. For me, Aquarius it's like a platform of resistance. So much so that, thanks to him, we did what we did on the steps of the Cannes Film Festival.
In fact, some of the press here said that you were co-opted to participate in the protest…
For those who know me, this argument makes no sense. In my life, I have always done and do only the things I want. From dating someone I know will ruin some of my days, to participating in political acts. Nobody ever convinced me to do anything. Anyone who knows me doesn't even try.
When the protest started, you were going up the stairs. And that image was used to claim that you were convinced to participate in the act…
It's good to talk about this, because I'm going to explain exactly what happened. While they were printing the posters in the office, I was putting on my makeup, getting ready for the ceremony. They came to ask if I would participate in the protest. I said yes, but that I didn't need a poster, because I would go without a bag and would have nowhere to take it. Just before we set foot on the stairs, I asked Kleber when everything was going to start. He said it was necessary to wait for the best moment. I didn't see when they opened the posters, because I was with my back, posing for the photographers, and that man, from the festival's organization, seeing that I was wearing high heels, decided to help me up the stairs. I realized that the protest had started and I asked him to immediately take me back.
And look at the narrative that was made of it…
An absurdity! You know what I think about people who believe in manipulations like this? Number one, they don't know me; number two, I pity them; number three, they have to understand that, not only in Brazil, but throughout the world, we are living in a dangerous historical moment. My position on what is happening is to say that, even though it is not a coup like the one in 1964, we are facing an administrative coup d'état. We cannot accept such a precedent. Who doesn't see that, let him try to see. From the top of my mountain, I can see very well.
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Did your experience in the country, in the 1970s and 80s, influence the way you interpret this situation?
I have no doubt. Everything we went through to get where we are makes me understand perfectly what happens now. I'm 66 years old, I'm not an activist, I'm not a militant, but I know the importance of my convictions and my actions. In Niterói, I went day after day to the Secretary of the Environment until I managed to remove a dump installed in the wrong place. I've never been in the spotlight of militancy, I'm not a militant, but a citizen. Nobody remembers that I chaired the commission that went to the Federal Supreme Court to fight for the law that defends the rights of actors and actresses. Recently, with a lot of effort, I managed, through the digital archive of an edition of the Veja, from 1979, to find a photo of my fight against Jece Valadão, who was opposed to the creation of the law, because he was a producer and, of course, defended his side. I regret not having found photos of the visit that I, Betty Faria, Nelson Pereira dos Santos and Reginaldo Farias made to President Figueiredo. We went to make it very clear to him the importance of that article being sanctioned. Things like that no one knows, you know? And I'm not here saying, "Oh, I did this, I did that."
Have you always acted like this?
Since always. I know my rights and I will always defend them. Something that scares me and that is part of the history of Brazil is that we don't have a judicial system that works. Without him, the country cannot move forward. Whoever coordinates and executes justice in Brazil does not assure citizens that the laws are complied with. This is a complicated picture to explain, but one that seems obvious to me: in any country that has a judiciary that does not guarantee the rights of its citizens, as in Brazil, it is predictable that everything will get out of control.
Returning to the Cannes Film Festival protest, how was the reaction of people to your participation?
Horrible! I came back from Cannes and spent five consecutive days sitting in front of the computer for ten, 11 hours, until I managed to clean up all the attacks I received on my Facebook page. Of course, it took me so long because I insisted on going, from page to page, to find out who these people were.
And who were they, Sonia?
Unhappy people, who make me realize how much the country is experiencing a horrible setback. I don't remember now who said that, but this week, I followed almost every speech at the Democratic Party conventions, and I remember that, when saying that this setback is a worldwide phenomenon, someone asked: “How long do they want to go? Even overthrow civil rights? Even before women can vote?” The same goes for Brazil. How far will we go back? Until the return of slavery?! Are we really going to consider a coup that offends and hurts the Brazilian Constitution normal?
Living abroad for more than 20 years, was the evolution of this process noticeable to you?
I have always tried to find out about what is happening in Brazil. I want to make it clear that Rede Globo is not the only one responsible for everything that is happening, but, in a country with more than 200 million inhabitants, the fact that a TV station has more than 70% of audience is very dangerous. This should never happen in a nation where working conditions are so unfair that they do not even allow people to create a dialogue with their colleagues so that they can defend their interests.
What do you think of the new management of the Ministry of Culture?
Simply that she has no credibility. By the way, did you see what I said to the interim minister? Days after he took over the MinC – with the portfolio resurrected, thanks to pressure from the artists –, the press asked what he thought about the protest we made. He was foolish enough to call the act “childhood”. See the level of debate. I knew that when I was on the street. I immediately returned to my house and wrote an open text on my Facebook that began: “Minister Marcelo, you are 33 years old. Just as a profession and contribution to the culture of the country, I am over 50 years old. Sorry to say this, but I just don't think you know who I am." If he was truly prepared to be a Minister of Culture, he would have defended and not attacked all of us so cynically.
Would you say the same to those who called for a boycott of the film?
What I said to the minister applies to them in the same way. I can't understand where people so misinformed and angry come from. I don't understand where so much hate comes from. How can someone who acts like that say he's Brazilian? The Brazilian flag has become a symbol for these people, but I don't understand how they can say they love our country while asking for the boycott of a film that represented Brazil, with great success, at the Cannes Film Festival, one of the most respected of the world. What schizophrenic attitude is this?!
Kleber told that Aquarius has been sold to over 60 countries. Do you think that, in Brazil, there is an environment of alienation that transforms the boycott request to a film of such worldwide interest into something coherent?
I think so. These people have no idea how many amazing reviews have been published about the film around the world. This is Brazil being seen out here with grandeur. This is the world discovering that Brazil also makes beautiful cinema, that our films move the world. This is knowing that Brazil has such a talented director that, about him, the world press says: “We look forward to Aquarius, the new film by Kleber Mendonça Filho”. A person like him not being recognized in his own country, due to people's total ignorance, is absurd. When Kleber and the team returned from the Cannes Film Festival – especially after he had also had a brilliant career with The sound around –, they had to be received by the local press, upon arrival at the airport, as if they were a football team that is welcomed with a party. I defend Kleber unconditionally. I love what he does, just as I love my country.
With the international success of Aquarius, don't you think it's a waste that you stopped making movies around here? Didn't Brazilian cinema lose with this?
I agree, and I hope this changes, because I am a woman of cinema, an actress who belongs to the audiovisual, my essence is this. When I was doing soap operas, I liked to think that TV was the best way to bring my work to people who couldn't afford to go to the movies. I was very happy to know that millions of families were gathered watching Gabriela ou Dancing days. And it was that awareness that gave me the joy of being who I am. I don't know if you know, but I left school when I was 14 years old. I have no academic training, not even in acting, in the same way that I have never participated in politically organized groups. That's why I insist: the ideas I have are true, they come from me. In 1988, I made a film with Robert Redford (Rebellion in Milagro, directed by the actor) and we came from Hollywood to launch the feature in Brazil. Journalists would call my sister's house and ask: “Maria, where can we find Sonia? What parties are she and Robert going to?!” Maria said: “Guys, Sonia is at my house. Now she herself is sleeping in my daughter Daniela's room”. The journalists replied: “Oh, Maria, stop joking and tell the truth right away…”. She said, "Believe it or not, this is the truth."
Sonia, you mentioned Maria, and I must say that, in 2011, I did, to Brazilian, a report with Jards Macalé, which lasted five days, because I followed the footage that would be shown in a show of his at Teatro Oficina, in São Paulo. As Maria is a producer at Jards, I met her on this occasion. At her invitation, I stayed four days at her house in Niterói…
But what a beautiful coincidence! Didn't I tell you that those who lie cannot remember as those who speak the truth? For this is me, this is my family. Maria and Carlos (Sonia's brother-in-law) are people like me. As you can see, my house is right next to theirs. I love going to Niterói (the actress was born in Maringá, Paraná). When I'm there, there are days when I wake up, grab a cup of coffee, go out on the street, meet people and chat: “Hi, Fátima, how are you?! How is your mother?". Fátima is a manicurist, our neighbor. I like people like that.
Meanwhile, was the press after you and Robert Redford at Copacabana Palace?
Exactly. At the Copa and at the door of other hotels. Look what happened: Carlinhos is a landscaper. He took me to see a palm tree that only blooms every 60 years. Afterwards, we went to a beautiful park, in front of Santos Dumont airport, created by Burle Marx. The place was a horrible thing, falling apart…
And you decided to take care of the park?
I always say that my department is the sanitary (laughs). And seeing the deplorable state of the park, I asked: “Carlinhos, do you know if the act of sweeping a street or a square can cause someone to be arrested?”. He replied, “I don't think so. That doesn't make any sense, Sonia.” So I proposed: “Let's clean this park?!”. He agreed on time, we scheduled everything for the next day. We went out to buy brooms, gloves, called friends to help and invited a group of musicians to play chorinho while we worked. I also had the idea of saying: “Maria, doesn't the press want to know where I am? Let them know we'll be there tomorrow, sweeping the park.” She thought it was a good idea, called some newsrooms, but people dropped the call, they didn't believe the story.
Nobody had the ability to check if it was really a prank?
Nobody gave her the slightest bit. I had to call them and say something like: “Hello, this is Sonia Braga. Please believe and don't hang up the phone. Tomorrow, Sunday, my friends and I will be in the park in front of Santos Dumont sweeping the place”. They finally believed and that's when the Loucos Varridos movement was born. An idea so well accepted that the mayor put up posters in the city to encourage people to do the same.
Who was the mayor of Rio at that time?
It was Cesar Maia. Days later, he came looking for me. “Sonia, what is this story about you and the people sweeping the streets?!” I teased: “Mayor, sorry, but if the streets are dirty, we'll clean it up”. A friend, a publicist, created incredible posters with the following sentence: “Rio de Janeiro is by far the most beautiful city in the world. From far, far away…” When the mayor came to me, a little embarrassed, he said: “Sonia, is there anything I can do for you?”. I replied, “Of course it is! How many billboards does the city have in the city?!” I don't remember how many there were, but we made him put the movement's slogan on one by one and also on watches. We got a lot of volunteers, but after a while the movement was empty.
Speaking of social articulations, some political scientists argue that, in recent years, the Brazilian right has united in a more objective way than the left. Do you agree?
I fully agree. And I think people need to realize that the future of Brazil is not a question of the right or the left, but of thinking that, as citizens, we have to defend the Constitution of our country. And doing that doesn't make anyone a communist. Anyone who believes in this and is proud to say that they are on the right will soon have to explain what they want from the country after all. I'm not right or left, but I know what I want. I want order, democracy and the Constitution to be respected. I want Temer to leave immediately, for Dilma to go back to the place where the people put her and for a year and a half from now, everyone will decide, at the polls, what they want for the country. If this right wing wants to put an end to everything we've conquered, it must recognize that they are the agitators determined to take Brazil down the drain. This right is made up of those who don't want everyone's happiness, who don't want the joy of an entire country. A ridiculous, selfish minority.
Next Sunday there will be demonstrations in defense of Michel Temer's permanence or departure from power. If he were here, would he go to the streets too?
Probably yes, but as a public figure I think this works differently. I know very well that something similar to what they did to Chico could happen to me.
Are you referring to the episode in which Chico Buarque was harassed by a group of young people in Leblon?
Yes, and I ask: does it make any sense for a person with Chico's history to be treated that way?! I don't know the guys who did that, but I know Chico very well. If a person says they love Brazil and treats someone like Chico with such hostility, in the middle of the street, that person is delirious. Chico is one of the artists who most defended and promoted Brazil. Like me, he's worried about the bricklayer, the baker, the carpenter, the people in the neighborhood, the most unprotected.
Returning to the movie, since I saw it Aquarius, I often remember a scene, especially because of the strength of his performance. In countries where the film has already been shown, has this reaction of empathy with Clara been common?
Yes, and I hope the same happens in Brazil. And what you said is wonderful, because I'm always remembering the movie too. In fact, this has happened to me since Aquarius existed only on paper. Everything we are going through now should serve as a lesson for the need for meetings like the one Kleber and I had. Together, we will be stronger.
The daily lives of the Brazilian people are permeated by African presences in the way we express ourselves – whether in intonation, vocabulary, pronunciation or the way we speak.
Details
The daily lives of the Brazilian people are permeated by African influences in the way we express ourselves – whether in intonation, vocabulary, pronunciation or the way we construct our thoughts. The temporary exhibition is about these influences. African languages that make Brazil, curated by the musician and philosopher Tiganá Santana and realizationdo Museum of Portuguese Language, an institution of the Secretariat of Culture, Economy and Creative Industry of the State of São Paulo. The exhibition opens to the public on May 24 and will be on display until January 2025.
The exhibition has master sponsorship from Petrobras, sponsorship from CCR, Instituto Cultural Vale, and John Deere Brasil; and support from Itaú Unibanco, Grupo Ultra and CAIXA.
Languages of the inhabitants of sub-Saharan African lands, such as Yoruba, Eve-fom and those of the Bantu group, play a decisive role in the configuration of the Portuguese spoken in Brazil, whether em their vocabulary or in the way they pronounce words and intonate sentences, even if this structure is not known to the speakers. It is a history and a reality left by around 4,8 million African people who were violently brought to the country between the 16th and 19th centuries, during the period of slavery. In addition to the language, this presence can be felt in other cultural manifestations, such as music, architecture, popular festivals and religious rituals.
“At the same time that we want to show the public that we speak a series of expressions and structures that go back to black-African languages, we also want to reveal how this happens. Why do we speak youngest and not Benjamin? Why do we say doze and not doze“These words are part of our vocabulary, our life, our way of thinking,” says Santana.
The exposure African languages that make Brazil welcomes the public with 15 words from African languages printed on oval wooden structures hanging around the room. Words such as bunda, to curse, marimbondo, Palm oil, hominy, worm e youngest. The public will also be able to hear them in the voices of people who live in the territory of Estação da Luz, where the Museum is located.
Another highlight in the space is the work of the Bahian artist J. Cunha – a fabric printed with the words “Bantu Civilizations” who dressed the traditional Ilê Aiyê, the first Afro block in Brazil, in the 1996 Carnival. In addition, around 20 thousand cowries will also be suspended and distributed throughout the area. In the Afro-Brazilian tradition, shells are used in divinatory practices and function as a language that connects the physical and spiritual worlds.
“The cowrie shells are present in Afro-religious spaces in Brazil, which were not exclusive, but the main centers of preservation and reinvention of African languages in Brazil. From there, black presences radiated to other dimensions of Brazilian popular culture,” says Santana.
Still at the entrance to the exhibition, the public will see several adinkras spread across the walls. These are symbols used as a writing system by the Ashanti people, who live in countries such as Ivory Coast, Ghana and Togo, in Africa. They can represent everything from different elements of culture to entire proverbial sentences in a single ideogram. Evidencing the presence of this people as part of the African diaspora, it is possible to find, in various regions of Brazil, railings of residences and other architectural constructions adorned with some of the more than 80 adinkra symbols.
The exhibition includes two video installations by the renowned visual artist from Rio de Janeiro Aline Motta. In the work Celestial Body III, loaned by the Pinacoteca de São Paulo and projected on the floor on a large scale, the artist highlights ancient forms of Central African writing, specifically those of the Bakongo people, present in territories such as Angola. This work was developed with historian Rafael Galante. Already in Celestial Body V, created exclusively for the Museum of the Portuguese Language, four proverbs in Kikongo, Umbundu, Yoruba and Kimbundu, translated into Portuguese, will be displayed in movement on the walls and in dialogue with Celestial Body III.
One of the main names of the new generation of sculpture in the country, the Bahian Rebecca Carapiá signs works of art created in dialogue with Afrocentric frequencies and spellings, based on his work with metals.
The exhibition also shows how popular songs in Brazil were created from the integration of African languages and Portuguese, such as Slaves of Job and Open the Wheel, tindolelê. The “Jó”, from the track Job's Slaves, comes from the Kimbundu and Umbundu languages and means “house”, “house slaves”.“Enslaved ladinos, creoles and black women, who performed domestic work and spoke both the Portuguese of their masters and the language of those who performed external work, were the bridge for the Africanization of Portuguese and for the Portugueseization of Africans in the linguistic and cultural sense”, says Tiganá Santana based on research by professor Yeda Pessoa de Castro.
In addition to the cowries, the exhibition explores other non-verbal languages originating from African or Afro-diasporic cultures. Among them, braided hair, which, during the period of slavery in Brazil, served as maps of escape routes. And turbans, whose different ties indicate hierarchical position within Candomblé. There are also two works by the designer Goya Lopes, whose main references are the capulanas, the colorful cloths worn by women in Mozambique. Such works emphasize a significant articulation with the Yoruba language.
Another example of non-verbal language are the drums, which make up a scenography consisting of a projection created by Aline Motta, with images of the sea and excerpts from the text Racism and Sexism in Brazilian Culture, by Lélia Gonzalez, one of Brazil's leading intellectuals, a reference in studies and debates on gender, race and class. In these excerpts, the use of the expression Portuguese coined by the intellectual. Finally, still in this scene, it is important to highlight the presence of sculptures by Rebeca Carapiá, conversing with the frequencies of the drums.
In an interactive cinema room, visitors will be surprised by a projection of images when pronouncing words of African origin such as axis, afoxé, zombie e Shrimp bean ball.
The public will have access to a series of recordings of Afro-Brazilian cultural manifestations and content about African languages and their presence in Brazilian Portuguese. There will be a performance by singer Clementina de Jesus, images of the Folklore Research Mission conceived by Mário de Andrade, interviews with researchers such as Félix Ayoh'Omidire, Margarida Petter and Laura Álvarez López, as well as recordings of performances by the Ilú Obá De Min group and the Orkestra Rumpilezz, and the video Soul Orderer, by Eustáquio Neves, which portrays Mr. Crispim, from the quilombola community of Ausente or Córrego do Ausente, in the Jequitinhonha Valley region.
All this amidst the sounds of ritual songs and narratives in Yoruba, Fom, Kimbundu and Kikongo, recorded by the American linguist Lorenzo Dow Turner in the 1940s in Bahia and provided by Indiana University in the United States. It will also be possible to watch films about Quilombo Cafundó: one that had existed for over 40 years and another that was conceived for the exhibition, dealing with the Cupópia language in a more emphatic way.
Service
Exhibition | African languages that make Brazil From May 24th to January 18th, 2025
Tuesday to Sunday, from 9am to 16:30pm (staying allowed until 18pm)
Period
May 24, 2024 09:00 - January 18, 2025 16:30(GMT-03:00)
The cultural circuit on Av. Paulista, in São Paulo, once again has an important exhibition space. Closed for a period of 18 months for structural and
Details
The cultural circuit of Av. paulista, in São Paulo, once again has an important exhibition space. Closed for a period of 18 months for structural reforms and technical improvements, the Art Gallery do Fiesp Cultural Center will reopen at the end of July 2024.
The 850m exhibition space2 – which integrates the complex of performing and visual arts, audiovisual, music, literature and technology of the SESI-SP - it presents "other ships: an Afro-Atlantic collection”, with an exhibition period that runs from July 24, 2024 to February 16, 2025. The unprecedented exhibition will allow the large public visiting the site to discover the rich and diverse collection of African and Afro-Brazilian arts at the Museum of Archeology and Ethnology at the University of São Paulo (MAE/USP).
The collection began to be created at the end of the 1960s (a time when movements for independence of former colonies in Africa were consolidated), through donations or purchases ordered by the university. Marianno Carneiro da Cunha (1926-1980), then professor at MAE/USP, was one of the main names leading the institutional and scientific project for the construction of the collection.
An archaeologist specializing in the Middle East, he taught between 1974 and 1976 in Ife, in Nigeria, a sacred place for Yoruba, being responsible for purchasing parts for the MAE. With look anthropological e educational, Marianno was concerned with also bringing molds to Brazil, showing interest not only in the artistic object, but also in the technique of different cultures from central and western Africa.
The trio of exhibition curators, Carla Gibertoni Carneiro, Renato Araújo da Silva and Rosa CR Vieira, point out that these two African regions are connected to Brazil for centuries transatlantic circuits. They brought countless ships of violence to our coast, but they also brought other ships, which allow us to dive through alternative stories and create new meanings for the hundreds of objects selected for the exhibition.
OTHER SHIPS: THEMATIC CORE
Open to free visitors until February 16, 2025, the exhibition that reopens the Art Gallery will present more than 300 pieces African and Afro-Brazilian,many never before shown to the public, which will be divided into seven thematic groups.
The visit begins with “Inside the waters”, where objects related to the cult of Iemanjá and Oxum, orixás of the seas and fresh waters, can be seen, such as a crown, bracelet, fan (abebê) and mirror.
Em “Afro-Atlantic baggage” there are also several pieces linked to African-based religions: bow and arrow from Oxóssi, figurines from Exu, staff (opaxoro) from Oxalá, ax (oxê) from Xangô, as well as altar elements and musical instruments.
at the core “From São Paulo to Ifé”, visitors will find varied works by the Yoruba, coming especially from Nigeria and Benin. There are everyday items, such as a chest, pestle, hoe and spoon, as well as a set of carved wooden and painted masks and pairs of Ibeji figurines, which are linked to twinning among the Yoruba people.
The term “Bantu” generically designates a whole range of cultures from Central Africa, from countries such as the Democratic Republic of Congo and Angola. They will be represented in the nucleus “Bantu, from the midlands”, which features pieces such as raffia (straw) mats in different shapes, ceremonial cups and a milk container with a lid decorated with shells (cowries).
In "Winds in West Africa” objects from countries such as Ghana, Mali and Ivory Coast are brought together, including one of the largest items in the exhibition, a Dogon barn door. There are sets of clothing, fork-type combs, bronze figures and a scale for weighing gold dust, along with a scorpion-shaped weight used for weighing.
"Techniques” highlights the materials used in the different stages of the lost wax technique, an ancient technique that sculpts pieces of metal alloy by molding, in addition to presenting a set of adzes and allowing visitors to learn about the process of creating a Gueledé mask.
The last core, “Jewelry and everything that glitters”, is also the most notable in the exhibition, as the MAE/USP collection of African jewelry is one of the most expressive in the world. There are several examples of bracelets, anklets, necklaces, rings and earrings, in materials such as glass, bronze and ivory.
There is also a special section that brings together works by contemporary black Brazilian artists. There are eleven works, in different techniques and supports, by Denis Moreira, Denise Camargo, Guto Oca, Larissa de Souza and Renan Teles, which show that a collection is not fixed and can be recomposed to point out other ships in view.
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Exhibition | other ships: an Afro-Atlantic collection
From July 24, 2024 to February 16
Tuesday to Sunday, from 10pm to 20pm
Period
July 24, 2024 10:00 - February 16, 2025 20:00 pm(GMT-03:00)
The Tijuana International Pictorial Triennial 2024 is in its second edition and promises to be a cultural landmark on the border with Mexico. Held at the Tijuana Cultural Center (CECUT), the exhibition
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A Tijuana International Pictorial Triennial 2024 is in its second edition and promises to be a cultural landmark on the border of Mexico. Held at the Centro Cultural Tijuana (CECUT), the exhibition brings together more than 80 works by 86 artists from 15 countries, including Mexico, Brazil, Germany, the United States and Spain. The theme of this edition explores issues such as corporeality, identity and territory, challenging the traditional limits of painting with contemporary and experimental proposals.
Visitors can actively participate by voting for the works that most impact them. The winner will receive a prize of 1 million pesos, with additional prizes for the second and third place winners. The curatorship is led by Leonor Amarante, a prominent Brazilian professor, ensuring a high level of artistic quality. The exhibition will be held in the El Cubo, Sala Marta Palau and Sala Planta Baja spaces of the CECUT.
The Triennale is not only a showcase for emerging and established talents, but also an invitation to reflection and cultural engagement.
General curation The general curator is Leonor Amarante, Brazilian critic, editor and journalist. Co-Curator of the 2nd and 3rd editions of the Mercosul Biennial, in Porto Alegre (1999/2001), with Fábio Magalhães. General curator with Tício Escobar of the 5th Curitiba International Biennial, (2009). General curator of the 1st End of the World Biennial, Ushuaia, Argentina (2007). Responsible for the Brazilian part in the 3rd and 4th editions of the Clay Biennial, Venezuela (1997/1999). Juror for the selection of works at the Cuenca Biennial, Ecuador (2009). Curator of the Galeria Cilindro exhibition, at the 10th Havana Biennial (2009). Selection judge for the Bienal de las Fronteras, Taumalipas, Mexico (2014). Selection judge for the Arteamericas Miami Fair, editions (2010) – (2011). Today he is a member of the magazine's Editorial Committee arte!brasileiros.
Service
Exhibition | Tijuana Triennial: 2. International Pictorial
From August 2nd to February 28th
Tuesday to Sunday, from 10pm to 19pm
Period
August 2, 2024 10:00 - February 28, 2025 19:00(GMT-03:00)
Location
Tijuana Cultural Center
P.º de los Héroes 9350, Zona Urbana Rio Tijuana, 22010 Tijuana, BC, Mexico
The exhibition Land of Giants invites the public at Sesc Casa Verde to immerse themselves in a new possible world and inspires visitors to think about contemporaneity and
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The exhibition Land of Giants invites the Sesc Casa Verde audience to immerse themselves in a new possible world and inspire visitors to think about contemporary Afro-Amerindian times and futures. Conceived and curated by artist, editor and researcher Daniel Lima, the exhibition unfolds into a video installation composed of eleven scenes, including a poetic intervention and an educational workshop, which exalt the poetic, symbolic and mythological forces that intersect between black and indigenous cultures in Brazil.
Packed with audiovisual resources developed especially to promote an interactive, sensorial and unique experience, the exhibition is inspired by theme park attractions such as ghost trains and mirror mazes. Throughout the tour, the viewer is challenged by a series of projections generated by optical sensors activated by presence: sometimes giant, sometimes tiny, in a path of lights and fantastic glimpses evoked by characters, performances, interviews and visual creations.
The scenes are starring 12 artists, collectives and leaders: Katú Mirim, an indigenous rapper from São Paulo; Davi Kopenawa Yanomami, an important Yanomami leader and author of the book “Queda do Céu” (Quendy of the Sky); Legítima Defesa, a collective of black actors and actresses; Naruna Costa, an actress, singer and theater director who performs the text “Da Paz” (From Peace), by Marcelino Freire; Jota Mombaça, a performance artist; Jonathan Neguebites, a passinho dancer from Rio de Janeiro; Daiara Tukano and Denilson Baniwa, artists from the Brazilian contemporary indigenous art scene; the central musical presence of Naná Vasconcelos; songs recorded by Juçara Marçal and Daiara Tukano, in addition to the poetic intervention of Miró da Muribeca, a poet and performer from Pernambuco.
“Land of Giants aims to bring together these generations of black and indigenous artists to question contemporary Brazilian ideology, claiming another image of Brazil, not the one created by Modernism from a white perspective,” argues Daniel Lima.
According to the curator, the exhibition was born from a process of research, self-education and investigation into quilombismo that began years ago, in previous projects led by him, such as Quilombo Brasil, and the video installation Palavras Cruzadas (2018/19), which provided the technical and poetic bases for the current project.
“Land of Giants is an expression of questions about the historical moment we are living in. A living document of the forces that constitute us as a contemporary society in Brazil. The video installation also invests in the representation of the oppressive forces that surround us like fire around us. In contrast, we position the lines of resistance articulated in this political-poetic imaginary”, concludes the curator.
Interaction and accessibility: learn more about some of the works in the exhibition
One of the highlights of the exhibition, whose gigantic scale symbolizes its title, the intervention by Davi Kopenawa Yanomami appears projected on a scale increased by 800%. Based on excerpts from his book The Fall of the Sky, Kopenawa speaks about the strength of resistance that exists not only in his figure, but in the culture of the Yanomami people who, symbolically, through the dance of their shamans, ensure that the sky remains above their heads and does not fall.
The “Kahpi Hori” series by indigenous artist Daiara Tukano is animated in three-dimensional format in a room of visual and sound immersion. Immersed in a cube with projections mapped onto the walls and floor and accompanied by songs sung by the artist herself, the audience experiences a dive into the symbolic universe of one of the expressions of contemporary indigenous Brazilian art.
In the body performance Get Up, Stand Up by Legítima Defesa, the members of the collective, divided into three groups and without speaking, challenge the audience with gestures of affirmation through projection that responds to interactivity, creating a game of actions and movements with the spectator.
Land of Giants has accessibility resources such as tactile maps, Braille subtitles, enlarged ink, audio description, video guide, audio guide and technological resources such as the vibroblaster, which transforms audio into sensitive vibrations. The exhibition also has an educational workshop open to the public with guided activities and a reading space.
Service
Exhibition | Giants land From September 21th to December 22th
Tuesday to Friday, from 10:30 am to 18:30 pm, Saturdays, Sundays and holidays, from 10:30 am to 17:30 pm
Period
September 21, 2024 10:30 AM - December 22, 2024 18:30 PM(GMT-03:00)
Sesc Registro is holding a traveling exhibition called Roça é Vida, which is the result of actions in partnership between the Museu Association
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Sesc Registro is hosting the traveling exhibition Roça is Life, resulting from a result of actions in partnership between Afro Brazil Museum Association and Association of the Remnants of the Quilombo of São Pedro. The exhibition not only contributes to strengthening the self-esteem of the local population, but also to learning about the cancestral knowledge belonging to quilombola communities.
The exhibition was created with the aim of implementing a project that contributes to the safeguarding and extroversion of assets and memories of the quilombos of the State of São Paulo. After being enjoyed by 130.755 visitors at the Afro Museum, the exhibition will travel to Sesc Registro. The opening will take place on September 21 and will run until February 02, 2025.
The exhibition “Roça é Vida” (Road is Life for Registration) provides visitors with the opportunity to have closer contact and learn about the history of an important traditional community in our region – the Quilombo de São Pedro, located in the municipality of Eldorado. The exhibition not only helps to strengthen the self-esteem of the local population, but also helps them learn about the ancestral knowledge of quilombola communities.
The actions of the exhibition Roça é Vida culminated in the shared curation that brought together the originals and reproductions of the illustrations and text clippings from the books Roça é Vida by Viviane Marinho and In the company of the production of Dona Fartura: a story about quilombola food culture by Laudessandro Marinho. Photographs, work objects, everyday objects and objects from the quilombo collection, native seeds and the documentary video Quilombo São Pedro: Way of being and living, make up the collection.
The Traditional Quilombola Agricultural System stands out, characterized by the Roça de Coivara cycle, which is based on a set of knowledge and techniques of interaction with all elements of nature, flora and fauna, and are passed down from generation to generation to feed the families of the community. In 2018, the Traditional Agricultural System of the Quilombos of the Ribeira Valley was recognized as Brazilian intangible heritage by the National Institute of Historical and Artistic Heritage – IPHAN.
Service
Exhibition | Roça is Life From September 21st to February 02nd
Tuesday to Friday, from 13pm to 22pm, Saturday and Sunday, from 10am to 19pm
Period
September 21, 2024 13:00 PM - February 2, 2025 22:00 PM(GMT-03:00)
Location
Sesc Registration
Mayor Jonas Banks Leite Avenue 57 KKKK Building - Center, Registro - SP
With a unique and influential trajectory, Rosana Paulino brings to light discussions about memory, nature, identity and Afro-Brazilian history in the exhibition “New Roots”. The works on display are the result of a
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With a unique and influential trajectory, rosana paulino brings up discussions about memory, nature, identity and Afro-Brazilian history in the exhibition “New Roots”. The works on display are the result of extensive research into the architecture and collection of the Eva Klabin House Museum, in Lagoa, proposing a conceptual separation between the two floors. With the aim of celebrating the 30-year career of the renowned artist from São Paulo, “Novas Raízes” opens on September 26 (Thursday) and can be visited free of charge from Wednesday to Sunday until January 12, 2025.
The artist's solo exhibition is her first in Rio de Janeiro after her exhibition at the Museum of Latin American Art in Buenos Aires, MALBA. With the show, Rosana became the first black woman to have a solo exhibition at the Argentine museum, which presented a retrospective look at the artist's career.
“This is a unique opportunity to see Rosana Paulino’s work in direct dialogue with a classic collection, thus proposing a historical and epistemological review for the visitor,” says curator Lucas Albuquerque, regarding the combination of the house’s permanent collection with the artist’s works. “Rosana intends for this exhibition to have a very strong educational character, questioning how we can rethink contemporary production in dialogue with new readings of the world, this one very different from the one left by Eva Klabin over thirty years ago,” he adds.
The rooms on the ground floor will be dedicated to works that expose the relationship between architecture and botany, with drawings, collages and installations. The works from the “Espada de Iansã” series, part of the 59th Venice Biennale, join other works that aim to break down the separation between inside and outside, with plants taking over the different rooms. Rosana draws attention to the incisive separation between the domestic environment and the garden, the result of a school of European thought that points to the need to tame nature.
The rooms on the second floor touch on a discussion about the private lives of black women throughout history. Works such as “Tropical Paradise,” “Wet Nurse,” and “Das Avós” bring back photographs and symbols from Afro-Brazilian history, reflecting on the subjugation of bodies to the erasure policies resulting from the slavery model experienced by Colonial Brazil. Using voile fabrics, ribbons, lenses, cutouts, and other objects, Paulino proposes preparing a resting place for all black women who were victims of Brazilian history, especially Mônica, the wet nurse photographed by Augusto Gomes Leal in 1860, one of the few whose name has been preserved throughout history.
'Novas Raízes' is an initiative of the Eva Klabin House Museum, produced by AREA27, sponsored by Klabin SA and produced by the Ministry of Culture. It has the support of Atlantis Brazil, Everaldo Molduras and Galeria Mendes Wood, and a media partnership with Revista Piauí and Canal Curta!.
Service
Exhibition | New Roots From September 26st to January 12th
Wednesday to Sunday, from 14pm to 18pm
Period
September 26, 2024 14:00 - January 12, 2025 18:00(GMT-03:00)
Vermelho hosts the JAMAC Occupation. The collective, which is celebrating 20 years of activity, will occupy the Vermelho stand, where it will exhibit and sell pieces from two projects: Inventories and Learning Something New.
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A Red receives the JAMAC Occupation. The collective, which is celebrating 20 years of activity, will now occupy the Vermelho stand, where it will exhibit and sell pieces from two projects: inventories e Learn something new.
JAMAC will be in residence at the bank, where it will be able to receive the public and talk about its long-term processes.
The Jardim Miriam Arte Clube – JAMAC, founded by Mônica Nador in 2004, starts by holding stencil mural painting workshops, also promoting collective creative and reflective practices. Over the course of two decades, JAMAC has dedicated itself to integrating art into the daily lives of the community, equipping the public to use stencils as a means of visual expression and, in many cases, as a source of income.
This set of experiences is now organized into inventories, a set of transversal regroupings of these experiences, organized by themes.
inventories is an open investigation of the collection of prints produced over 20 years of JAMAC stencil workshops. The work organizes the collection into thematic collections. In the JAMAC Occupation the Inventory presented will be Inventory: property, which will be displayed in a set of boxes with stencils where architecture is the main theme.
Learn Something New is a project that was born from the collaboration between JAMAC, Projeto Descartes and the Colo de Vó/Instituto Nova União da Arte group, which resulted in a porcelain collection and a publication that brings together prints and stories shared during weekly meetings by a group of artisans from different parts of Brazil.
Throughout the Occupation, new practices will be presented.
Service
Exhibition | JAMAC Occupation
From October 4th to December 22rd
Monday to Friday from 10:19 to 11:17, Saturday from XNUMX:XNUMX to XNUMX:XNUMX
Period
October 4, 2024 10:00 PM - December 22, 2024 19:00 PM(GMT-03:00)
The unprecedented exhibition “Ancestral: Afro-Americas – United States and Brazil” addresses relations between the two countries from the perspective of the African diaspora and how it is present in the arts
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The unprecedented exhibition “Ancestry: Afro-Americas – United States and Brazil” addresses relations between the two countries from the perspective of the African diaspora and how it is present in the visual arts. Based in FAAP Museum of Brazilian Art, the free exhibition brings together 132 works by great artists from both countries.
With an organic exhibition design, the exhibition, which will be on display from October 29 to January 26, 2025, offers reflections on the affirmation of the body, the oneiric dimension of dreams and the claim to space. Through these three axes – body, dream and space – “Ancestral” promotes an encounter that values the concept of African-American identity in Brazil and the United States and decolonial art. The exhibition not only pays homage to artists who challenged the brutalities and erasure of colonialism, but also seeks to foster an open dialogue on the impact and relevance of ancestral African roots in their formation and in their social contexts.
Based on these provocations, the project proposes a renewed perspective on the world and a new way of existing, imagined by the group of participating artists. This creative process allows for a simultaneous movement between past and future, intertwining the ancestral lines that sustain the contemporary art scene and highlighting current productions that, in the future, may emerge as precursors of expressions of life as yet unexperienced.
“We were guided by the groups and communities of the African diaspora who reimagined the concept of servitude in the colonial nations to which they were brought, contributing significantly to the construction of the national identity of these places. Based on the idea of human beings reinventing their existence in a hostile environment, we selected artists who evoke this invention, this transformation, and this process of 'becoming' as a powerful poetic and aesthetic tool,” comments Brazilian curator Ana Beatriz Almeida.
For American curator Lauren Haynes, the opportunity to work with Ana Beatriz “to present the work of African-American artists alongside the work of Afro-Brazilian artists was a great chance to explore connections and distinct practices of black artists working in two very different places. I hope visitors leave the exhibition having learned about new artists and new ways of making art.”
The exhibition takes place in the year that marks the bicentennial of diplomatic relations between Brazil and the United States. “The decision to place Afro-descendant art at the center of this celebration is very important and highlights the complex legacy that both the United States and Brazil share as a result of our histories with slavery. In 1824, the United States and Brazil had the largest populations of enslaved Africans. Two hundred years later, our current governments are working together to relaunch the U.S.-Brazil Joint Plan of Action to Eliminate Racial and Ethnic Discrimination and Promote Equality (JAPER). I am confident that this exhibition will inspire us to intensify our efforts in the fight to end racism,” said the United States Ambassador to Brazil, Elizabeth Frawley Bagley.
Against this historical backdrop, the exhibition brings together 73 artists of great international relevance from both nations. Among them are new works by Brazilians Gabriella Marinho and Gê Viana, and American Simone Leigh, who brings a new work from her personal collection. Born in Chicago, the internationally recognized artist is the first African-American woman to represent the United States at the Venice Biennale. Another American artist, Nari Ward, who has already had the opportunity to perform in Brazil, is another name who brings to the exhibition a work created on Brazilian soil exclusively for the occasion. The artist incorporates everyday objects into his works, thus enriching the artistic exchange between the nations.
The curators of “Ancestral” also include Abdias do Nascimento, an icon of cultural activism in Brazil, widely recognized for his contributions to the promotion of Afro-Brazilian culture and for having been awarded the Zumbi dos Palmares Prize. Among the North American artists, Kara Walker stands out for her provocative art, which examines historical and social issues and earned her the prestigious MacArthur Prize. Julie Mehretu is another significant presence, recognized for her complex paintings that establish a dialogue with current geopolitics, accumulating a series of awards throughout her career. Complementing this panorama, the Brazilian Rosana Paulino, awarded the PIPA Prize, brings a critical look at race and identity, highlighting the diversity and depth of the voices represented in the exhibition.
They are joined by names such as the young artist Mayara Ferrão, who uses artificial intelligence to rethink scenes of affection between black and indigenous people not told in “traditional history”; and the Sergipe native Bispo do Rosário, with his embroidered cloaks and objects that transcended time and subverted the concept of beauty and madness. Reinforcing the powerful dialogue about identity, culture and history, and reflecting the complexity of the human experience, we see the inclusion of works by Kerry James Marshall, Carrie Mae Weems and Betye Saar.
“Ancestral” investigates the intertwined narratives between Brazil and the United States through the lens of art, which transcends geographic and cultural boundaries, evoking the constant sensation of being in an unknown space and remembering another place, such as a trip to Salvador, where people and places could be mistaken for New Orleans. “The word ‘ancestral’ is common in both English and Portuguese. It is this shared origin that we seek to highlight in contemporary art, something that transcends geographic, linguistic and cultural barriers. The exhibition ‘Ancestral’ demonstrates that, even in the face of so much pain, suffering and with all the distance of centuries of African diaspora, its art persists in the ability to keep a flame burning over time”, highlights the artistic director of the exhibition, Marcello Dantas.
With support from the Armando Álvares Penteado Foundation – FAAP and the United States Embassy and Consulates in Brazil, “Ancestral: Afro-Americas – United States and Brazil” is sponsored by Bradesco, Caterpillar, Instituto CCR, Citi, Itaú Unibanco, Whirlpool and Bank of America – which provided 52 works from its collection for the exhibition. In addition, the Museu Afro Brasil also provided works from its collection for the occasion.
“With the exhibition 'Ancestral: Afro-Americas', FAAP's long-standing partnership with the United States Embassy is entering a new chapter. This is even more relevant this year, when we celebrate the bicentennial of diplomatic relations with Brazil. We are happy to bring new reflections and perspectives on the ancestry shared by both countries to the public,” says MAB FAAP Advisor Pilar Guillon Liotti.
Service
Exhibition | Ancestry: Afro-Americas – United States and Brazil From October 29th to January 26th
Tuesday to Sunday, from 10pm to 18pm
Period
November 8, 2024 10:00 AM - January 26, 2025 18:00 PM(GMT-03:00)
Location
Museum of Brazilian Art of the Armando Alvares Penteado Foundation (FAAP)
With a critical text by curator and researcher Luciara Ribeiro, the exhibition presents an unprecedented set of paintings, sculptures and installations that demonstrate the material and conceptual expansion in the practice of
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With critical text by the curator and researcher Luciara Ribeiro, the exhibition presents an unprecedented set of paintings, sculptures and installations that demonstrate the material and conceptual expansion in the artist's practice, while delving deeper into the themes debated throughout his career.
The first individual at Martins in Brazil in five years, Fronteiras inóspitas investigates the relationships between the subject and the dominant social structures, permeated by classic existential debates. An example of these reflections is the set of paintings produced for the exhibition, in which the artist lends his image in the form of self-portraits. Thinking about dimensions that are not limited to himself, Martins places himself in environments marked by symbols related to the brevity and impasses of life, as well as signs that relate to Brazilian society. One of these paintings reveals a birthday scene with balloons, banners and a table with bottles of soda. The character blows out the candles on a cake, next to which lies a skull. The symbol is a classic memento mori — images that in the history of art serve as a reminder that existence is fleeting.
Another work shows the character feeding a vulture and wearing a t-shirt with a reference to Hélio Oiticica's flag — the image of Cara de Cavalo's body stretched out and a change in the famous phrase: “Be marginal, don't be a hero”. More than a quote, Martins provokes the art system and questions the social values that distinguish some between prestige and marginality.
The existential investigation marked by political criticism is also present in the large installation that welcomes the public to the gallery. Seca is composed of a boat resting on a mirrored surface. Upon approaching, the viewer notices that there is also another mirror in the vessel. “An illusion, a mirage, an impossibility in possibility,” writes curator Luciara Ribeiro in the exhibition text. “The image captured by the mirror makes the body present inside the boat, an entire dimension of the confrontation between reality and its projections, time and space. Time is different, with dilations and accelerations, being felt and projected, computed or risked,” she adds.
The violence present in Brazilian daily life, especially that perpetrated by the State, is addressed head-on in other works on display. Bulletproof vests are molds for sculptures, in addition to being, in themselves, material for works. In Dress Code 2, they are positioned and arranged on the wall, alluding to formalist compositions of Brazilian concrete art. The work raises discussions about the monetization of violence, highlighting the control, security and surveillance of bodies. “Surveillance and control as a strategy for managing public, political, social, educational and police violence,” points out the curator.
Service
Exhibition | Inhospitable borders From November 09th to December 14th
Monday to Friday, 10am to 19pm, Saturday, 11am to 15pm
Period
November 9, 2024 10:00 - December 14, 2024 19:00(GMT-03:00)
In books, in classrooms, in art exhibitions and museums, the history and culture of Brazil have been perpetuated through the eyes of white people. As of 16
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In books, classrooms, art exhibitions and museums, Brazilian history and culture have been perpetuated through the eyes of white people. Starting November 16, a different perspective will be presented in Crossroads of Afro-Brazilian Art. Comprising more than 140 works, the exhibition held at Cultural Center Bank of Brazil Rio de Janeiro (CCBB RJ) is curated by Deri Andrade and reverences the contribution of black artists to the country.
A success during its visits to the Banco do Brasil Cultural Centers in São Paulo and Belo Horizonte – where it was seen by more than 300 people – the exhibition arrives in Rio during the G20 Social meetings and presents itself as yet another opportunity for the national and international public to come into contact with Brazilian art. On display until February 17, the exhibition is sponsored by Banco do Brasil and BB Asset, through the Federal Law of Incentive to Culture (Rouanet Law), and produced by Tatu Cultural.
For the opening, on November 16 (Saturday), CCBB RJ is preparing a special moment: at 16 pm, Terreiro de Crioulo will perform, free of charge, on the ground floor of the Cultural Center. A gathering with lots of traditional samba and lots of positive energy, joy and full of axé. Admission is free, but tickets will be issued, available at the digital box office and on the CCBB website. The exhibition will be open to the public from 9 am and the galleries will remain open all day.
Also on the opening day, at 14 pm, the public will be able to watch the performance “What are walls made of?” by Davi Cavalcante. The artist will build a wall with bricks that bear various words. The work proposes a poetic reflection on the weight of human action in building relationships with space and peers.
THE EXHIBITION
The collective exhibition features the work of 62 artists, including 12 from Rio de Janeiro who were born or adopted by the city. Two of those honored by the exhibition are Lita Cerqueira and Arthur Timótheo da Costa. The others are: Andrea Hygino, André Vargas, Panmela Castro, Guilhermina Augusti, Matheus Ribs, Mulambö, Kika Carvalho, Elian Almeida, Rafa Bqueer and Yhuri Cruz.
“The purpose is to create a transversal and comprehensive dialogue on the production of black artists throughout the country, but there are local highlights, of course,” says Deri Andrade, curator of the exhibition. “We always invite artists who are recognized in the states where the exhibition is held,” he explains.
On the second floor and in the space next to the ticket office, there will be paintings, photographs, sculptures, installations, videos and documents that reveal different eras and discussions, contexts, generations and regions. The exhibition is wide-ranging, covering the period from pre-modern to contemporary times.
The works are divided into five axes: Becoming, about the importance of the artist's studio and self-portrait; Languages, which addresses artistic movements; Worldview, regarding political engagement and rights; Orum, about the spiritual relations between heaven and earth, based on the flow between Brazil and Africa; finally, Daily Life, which addresses discussions about representation.
Each axis is represented by emblematic black artists: Arthur Timótheo da Costa (Rio de Janeiro, RJ, 1882-1922), Lita Cerqueira (Salvador, BA, 1952), Maria Auxiliadora (Campo Belo, MG, 1935 – São Paulo, SP, 1974), Mestre Didi (Salvador, BA, 1917- 2013) and Rubem Valentim (Salvador, BA, 1922- São Paulo, SP, 1991).
CENTRAL FIGURES
In the first section, the public will see the art of Rio de Janeiro native Arthur Timótheo da Costa, whose work spans the 19th and 20th centuries and exposes the artist's relationship with his studio, painting, photography and self-portraits. His work reveals a certain drama and evolves into a pre-modernist work.
Rubem Valentim, honored in section 2, is considered a master of Brazilian concretism. It proposes a discussion about religious form and elements. He began his career producing everything from still lifes to flowers and urban landscapes and moved on to using geometric symbols and emblems from African-based religions.
Axis 3 is dedicated to Maria Auxiliadora from Minas Gerais, who enchants with the use of colors in her portraits, self-portraits and religious festivals. But that's not all. Her work carries a more political discussion, engaged in the debate on housing, territories, food security and the rights of the black population.
Master Didi, in section 4, was an artist and priest, revealing a lot of spirituality and the Brazil/Africa relationship in his works. His work is also marked by the use of natural materials such as cowrie shells, seeds, leather and palm leaves and deals a lot with Afro-religiosities based on the relations between Brazil and Africa.
In the last section, the central artist is Lita Cerqueira, the only one still alive among the five key names in the exhibition. At 72 years old, she has established herself as one of the most important representatives of Brazilian photography, with international recognition. She began her career capturing images of popular festivals in Bahia, capoeira and details of the architecture of the historic center of Salvador. Soon after, she turned to stage photography, taking important photographs of musicians of her time, such as Gilberto Gil, Caetano Veloso, Maria Bethânia and Gal Costa. She currently lives and works in Rio de Janeiro.
CURATOR
The exhibition is an offshoot of the Afro Project (projetoafro.com), in development since 2016 and launched in 2020, which currently brings together around 330 artists catalogued on the platform. These names span a vast period of artistic production in Brazil, from the 19th century to contemporary artists born in the 2000s. “The exhibition brings another reference and a new perspective on Brazilian art to visitors,” says the curator. “The history of Brazilian art erases the black presence and black artists from its references, the exhibition emphasizes this production as central to rethinking our own history,” he adds.
The research behind the project and the exhibition was born from Andrade's desire and, subsequently, his frustration at not finding many references to Afro-Brazilian art in Brazil. By poring over publications, materials from other exhibitions (such as several curated by Emanoel Araujo in the 90s, who would later become director of the Pinacoteca do Estado de São Paulo and founder of the Museu Afro Brasil) and countless studies to map black artists and their works in Brazil, Deri Andrade began a meticulous project to catalog an art form that has sometimes been marginalized by society.
“Being an artist I think is already difficult, being a black artist in Brazil is even a little more complicated”, said artist Sidney Amaral (São Paulo, SP, 1973/2017), in 2016, when interviewed by the AfroTranscendence project. Since the conversation, this thought has accompanied Andrade, who dedicates part of his time to getting to know and investigating artistic production by black authors in Brazil.
Deri is also a researcher and curator, a journalist by training, assistant curator at the Inhotim Institute and creator of the Projeto Afro platform (projetoafro.com) for mapping and disseminating black artists.
Service
Exhibition | Crossroads of Afro-Brazilian Art From November 16th to February 17rd
Wednesday to Monday, 09am to 20pm (closed on Tuesdays)
Period
November 16, 2024 09:00 - February 17, 2025 20:00(GMT-03:00)
Location
CCBB RJ
R. Primeiro de Março, 66 - Downtown Rio de Janeiro - RJ
Galatea is pleased to announce the first traveling exhibition of its program: Afrofuturist Bahia: Bauer Sá and Gilberto Filho was first presented in Salvador and now
Details
A Galatea is pleased to announce the first traveling exhibition of its program: Afrofuturist Bahia: Bauer Sá and Gilberto Filho It was first presented in Salvador and now arrives in São Paulo, at the space on Rua Padre João Manuel.
The exhibition, curated by Alana Silveira e Thomas Toledo, marks the debut of Bahian artists in a solo exhibition in the capital of São Paulo and has two exhibition centers: in the first, photographs by Bauer Sá (1950, Salvador, BA), produced between the years 1990 and 2000, explore the power of Afro-Brazilian ancestry through figurations of the black body represented as the protagonist of the scene; in the second, wooden sculptures produced from 1992 to the present day portray the utopian and modern cities imagined by Gilberto Filho (1953, Cachoeira, BA).
The dialogue established between the works of the two artists creates a rich visual narrative, connecting ancestry and fabrication around possible futures. The exhibition also features a critical text written by Ayrson Heráclito, artist and curator, and Beto Heráclito, writer and historian.
Service
Exhibition | Afrofuturist Bahia: Bauer Sá and Gilberto Filho
From November 27th to January 25th
Monday to Thursday 10am to 19pm, Friday 10am to 18pm, Saturday 11am to 17pm
Period
November 27, 2024 11:00 AM - January 25, 2025 19:00 PM(GMT-03:00)
Fortes D'Aloia & Gabriel and Quadra present Ana Claudia Almeida & Tadáskia, an exhibition curated by Clarissa Diniz, which simultaneously occupies the two galleries in São Paulo with a selection of new works, including sculptures, paintings, drawings, wall reliefs, videos and photographs that explore material and conceptual connections between cosmology, memory and transformation. This is the first time that the artists have exhibited in Brazil since Almeida entered the Master of Fine Arts program at Yale, and Tadáskía's solo exhibition at MoMA, in New York. More than the similarities between the artists' practices, the exhibition emphasizes the frictions and distances that appear between their works. There is no approximation through identity, but rather the terrain of meanings produced by difference.
In Diniz's words: “The disparities in the works of Ana Claudia Almeida & Tadáskia are not complementary. Their differences are not equivalent. The singularities of their works precisely highlight the unknown that resists the presumption of familiarity that surrounds them today.”
Ana Cláudia Almeida’s material universe is established through the manipulation of paints, plastics, oil sticks, fabrics and images. The flowing features of her works on cloth, the cumulative and shifting nature of her sculptures and the kaleidoscopic fragmentation of her large-scale paintings transpose and translate intangible memory into matter. This dimension is felt both on the surface of the works, as Almeida allows traces of previous gestures to remain in the final form, and in a conceptual and symbolic manner. Made of intense superimpositions of full and empty spaces, the abstraction that defines the works on display resonates with the visual and conceptual depth of her work, which formally and thematically reflects layers of memory, practices and rituals.
Betting on transformation as an existential and artistic premise, Tadáskía presents large-scale mixed media drawings on paper with torn edges. The artist's nuanced palette unfolds in chromatic zones that are sometimes sunny and vibrant, sometimes more crepuscular, almost nocturnal. Graphic tangles combine with reliefs of folded sheets and sculptures, declaring a clear emphasis on volume and the distribution of full-bodied forms in space. These compositions reveal beings and structures that seem caught in the midst of mutation or that suggest changes to come. Between fable-like images and cosmic or sidereal states, Tadáskía insists on impermanence and transitivity, visual and symbolic aspects that bear witness to the saga of ladybug ladybug through the artist's enchanted and playful world.
“It is from this transformative vocation that in this exhibition we desecrate the mirror as an archetypal form of representation and relationality. With Ana Cláudia Almeida & Tadáskía, we want to unlearn the comparative grammar that converted similarities into similarities and naturalized translation as an exercise in adapting foreign meanings to the terms of our own metrics” – Clarissa Diniz
Service
Exhibition |Ana Claudia Almeida & Tadáskia
From November 30th to January 24th
Yrtça on Fridays from 10am to 19pm, Saturdays from 10am to 18pm
Period
November 30, 2024 10:00 AM - January 24, 2025 19:00 PM(GMT-03:00)
On display at Sesc Ribeirão Preto, the 31st Youth Arts Exhibition – MAJ presents works by 46 new talents in the visual arts of Brazil, selected from more than 700
Details
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
Exhibition | 31st Youth Arts Exhibition – MAJ
From December 6th to June 8th
Tuesday to Friday, 13pm to 21:30pm. Saturdays, Sundays and holidays, 9:30am to 18pm
Period
December 6, 2024 13:00 PM - June 8, 2025 21:30 PM(GMT-03:00)