Exhibition "Radical ideas about love", by Panmela Castro

The exposure “Radical ideas about love”, from Rio Panmela Castro, happens in the Museum of Art of Rio (MAR). With more than 20 years of experience, the artist will present an exhibition with participatory works, using as its guiding thread the idea of ​​psychology that talks about the need to belong as a vital impulse of human beings. Curated by Daniela Labra and curatorial assistance by Maybel Sulamita, 17 works will be presented, 10 of which are new, including performances, photographs, paintings, sculptures and videos, which explore issues such as affectivity, loneliness, visibility, empowerment, self-care and memories.

“This solo show by Panmela Castro allows the public to discover many facets of her interdisciplinary language. Her work navigates different media and supports in a unique way, bringing together aesthetic, affective and activist issues in a work that is fundamentally performative and processual. The exhibition at MAR features new works and versions of existing ones, forming a playful, thought-provoking and transformative environment”, says curator Daniela Labra.

The exhibition will be built through performances, actions and public participation, which will take place throughout the exhibition period. “All works in some way need the other to exist or be completed, it is an exhibition that begins under construction”, highlights Panmela Castro. The exhibition will open with three blank canvases from the “Vigil at the Museum” series, which will be painted when the museum is closed to the public. In the form of vigils inside MAR at night, the artist will meet with people to portray them. A set of 50 photographs with records from the “Vigília” series will also be part of the exhibition.

The exhibition also features new works in which the public is invited to participate. In the work “Chá das Cinco”, for example, the public is invited to have tea and share advice with other visitors to the exhibition through notes left under the saucer. In “Siamese Dress”, two people will be able to wear, at the same time, a large pink dress made of filo. In addition, the public will be invited to bring lipsticks for the “Lipstick Collection” work and objects to leave in a cocoon, which will be transformed into sculptures by the artist. These objects, which can bring good or bad memories, will be given new meanings and immortalized by art.

Inspired by traditional arcade games, the work “Fight at the Museum” will be a game for the public, in which the fighters are the artists Allan Weber, Anarkia Boladona, Elian Almeida, Priscila Rooxo, Vivian Caccuri and Rafa Bqueer. The scenes portrayed are the Rio Art Museum, the Rio de Janeiro Museum of Modern Art and the Parque Lage School of Visual Arts. The artist proposes the game as a fighting game between artists, where the winner exhibits their work in the museum.

Completing the new works will be the video “Stories”, a collection of short videos published on the artist's Instagram (@panmelacastro), which invite the public to be part of different situations in her life and her artistic process.

In addition to the new works, iconic works by the artist will also be part of the exhibition, such as “Fortune Cookie” (2021), which features traditional Japanese cookies with feminist messages created by the artist; “Feminist Bible” (2021), in which the public will be able to write ideas that guide the emancipation and fight for rights of cis and trans women, and “Consagrada” (2021), a photoperformance in which the artist appears with her chest ripped open with this scarification, criticizing the way the art market chooses its characters.

“It is not surprising that Panmela is now respected internationally, both for the inventiveness of her art and her stance on issues such as gender-based violence of various types. This theme has for years encouraged her to create artistic actions, paintings, objects and also develop pedagogical and political work through her organization that uses the arts to promote rights, especially the fight against domestic violence, the NAMI Network”, says the curator Daniela Labra.

Completing the exhibition are four performances that the artist will perform throughout the exhibition period. On August 17th, “Cult Against Scams” ​​(2020) will be held, a ritual where self-esteem and vital energy are used to ward off malevolent individuals from each participant’s life. On September 28th, it will be the turn of “Honor to Merit” (2023), held at the I Bienal das Amazônias, which addresses the lack of recognition of women and proposes a ceremony where medals are awarded to the female public, as a way to value their talents and actions worthy of highlighting. “It’s a historical reparation”, says Panmela Castro. On October 5th, it will be the turn of the unprecedented performance “Revanche” (2019), in which the artist confronts the impositions of the compulsory feminine, inviting the public to enjoy the moment of a reckoning with the 4 meter tall bear that will be on display. On October 12th, “Ruptura” (2015) will be performed, in which the artist gets rid of a kind of “caricature of femininity”, opening space for broader discussions about gender and otherness. All performance works will be recorded and their videos will be shown at the exhibition.

Service
Exhibition | OPEN3 | TOMIE OHTAKE AND CHU MING SILVEIRA
From August 09th to November 24th
From Tuesday to Sunday, from 11am to 18pm (last entry at 17pm)