Exhibition "Brasília, the art of the plateau"

Exhibition Brasilia, the art of the plateau, curated by Paulo Herkenhoff and co-curatorship of Sara Seilert, at National Museum of the Republic, in Brasília. Held by FGV Arte, an experimental and artistic research space of the Getulio Vargas Foundation, in partnership with the Brazilian Institute of Education, Development and Research (IDP), the exhibition will be open until November 24.

Following Brasília, the art of democracy, an exhibition held in Rio de Janeiro from April to August, the new show portrays the history of the artistic culture of the plateau, its diversity and complexity, and its contemporary developments. While the Rio exhibition dealt with the transition of the federal capital from Rio de Janeiro to Brasília, along with the consolidation of republican structures, the one that will be shown at the National Museum of the Republic addresses the aesthetic dimension of the emergence of Brasília, understood as a collective work of art. At the same time, it highlights a cast of cultural agents from the capital and satellite cities.

“The concept behind this exhibition encompasses a historical arc, from the city’s creation to the current movements in defense of democracy and freedom. If Brasília is a remarkable epic on the international stage, its cultural history unfolds over six decades among residents of Brasília and Brazilians from all corners of the world,” explains Paulo Herkenhoff.

It also expands the view to the present day and to the art that is made in the Center-West, more specifically in this region of the Brazilian central plateau where Brasília was established more than sixty years ago. In addition, this project is a tribute to the writer Vera Brant, one of the pioneering inhabitants of the capital. Her friendship with central figures in Brazilian history, such as the anthropologist and founder of UnB, Darcy Ribeiro, President Juscelino Kubitscheck and the poet Carlos Drummond de Andrade, reinforces the centrality and importance of Brant in the construction of social relations in the capital city.

The idea behind Brasília, a arte do planalto was to reproduce a grand feast of the eyes, showing that the federal capital, which is not limited to its political sphere, is intense, broad and surprising. “This exhibition also represents a meeting between two curatorial perspectives. Because now we have joined the perspectives of Sara Seilert, who directed the Museu Nacional da República, and myself. So we seek to produce a perspective on Brasília. Thus, it is no longer just an outside perspective,” says the curator.

Exhibition

With an impressive number of artists, from those already established in the art market to contemporary artists, the exhibition brings together more than 200 items.

The exhibition features historical documents, such as the candango diploma – awarded to the workers who built the new city by Juscelino Kubitschek, president of Brazil from 1955 to 1961, responsible for the construction of Brasília and the transfer of power from Rio de Janeiro to the central plateau; the sketch of the pilot plan signed by Lúcio Costa; and Oscar Niemeyer's manuscript on the JK monument.

According to the curators, this project represents “the diversity of contemporary art in the Federal District,” as well as its historical and spontaneous process. By visiting the exhibition, the public is invited to understand the geographic region in all its creative power.

Located on the Esplanada dos Ministérios, the National Museum of the Republic, intentionally chosen to host the exhibition Brasília, the art of the plateau, was designed by architect Oscar Niemeyer and opened in 2006. Its monumental building has a semi-spherical shape, with the dome measuring 25 meters in radius, the base having a radius of 35,55 meters, and 26,25 meters in height.

Service
Exhibition | Brasilia, the art of the plateau
From September 25th to November 24th
Tuesday to Sunday, from 9am to 18:30pm