Exhibition: "Crossroads of Afro-Brazilian Art"

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)