Exhibition "Expanded Northeast: Strategies of (Re)existence"

The project Expanded Northeast: Strategies for (Re)existence It focuses on the production of visual arts in the states that comprise the area of ​​operation of Banco do Nordeste, seeking to highlight the power of diversity and the multiple ways of affirming life. The general curation included the participation of Jacqueline Medeiros, assisted by Cecilia Galindo, in partnership with local curators, culminating in exhibitions held in all the northeastern capitals, in addition to Montes Claros (MG) e Vitória (ES).

Proposing a collection for the BNB (Banco do Nordeste do Brasil) means adopting as a principle the representativeness of its entire area of ​​operation, including special attention to the artistic production of the region's inland cities. In this sense, the project sought to reduce the quantitative differences of artists by state within the Collection. Based on an analysis of the existing collection, both historical artists and names from contemporary production were selected, recognizing the plurality of the region in contrast to the often rigid idea of ​​a homogeneous identity. The choice of works prioritized sets capable of establishing multiple and plural dialogues.

Thinking about "Northeast" means starting, first and foremost, from a moving, multifaceted, and diverse territory. As the works were incorporated, new layers of reality also became part of the Bank's collection.

The project has always been linked to the curatorial processes of each state, which gave each stage its unique character and reinforced the complexity of its overall context.

There was no preference for specific techniques or aesthetics. Even so, painting appears predominantly, as an open field of disputes over visualities, languages, life experiences, intimacies, and daily life, creating its own lexicons to understand the world from within and thus connect with it. Also noteworthy is the work of these artists in their affective and symbolic territories, while simultaneously appropriating classical art iconography and traditional techniques—such as oil paint and varnish—reinterpreting them in the present.

Popular and contemporary art coexist without hierarchies, rigid chronologies, or social, racial, and ethnic segmentations. The curatorial proposal seeks to subvert the persistent hierarchies of Art History, still present in different spheres of the art system, bringing the works together through poetic affinities, between harmonies and tensions.

The works are organized into four sections inspired by the poetics of songs by authors from the region, namely: This coconut is made with palm leaves., from Coco Raízes de Arcoverde, brings together works linked to beliefs, cultures, knowledge and traditions, evoking a lineage whose essence is collectivity. Touching forward the ground of the song"Belgium," by Gal Costa and Caetano Veloso, explores the political and social contours of bodies, their subjectivities, manifestations, and ruptures. Roosters, Nights and BackyardsThe song, by Belchior from Ceará, resonates with the memories of those who migrated from the countryside to the city, amidst challenges and hopes. With a hat and the sun shining brightly"The Song," by the Pernambuco composer Capiba, presents the artists' perspectives on the landscapes of an expanded Northeast, both geographically and subjectively.

The exhibition has already toured the cities of São Luís (MA), Teresina (PI), Fortaleza (CE), Natal (RN), João Pessoa (PB), and Aracaju (SE), and is now arriving in the Southeast region. It brings together 216 works by 107 artists, forming a circuit of meetings and conversations around the exhibited works and the main themes present in the productions. These meetings include the participation of local curators, artists, and guests, reinforcing the importance of spaces for dialogue, conversation circles, and exchange as driving forces of artistic thought.

The Banco do Nordeste collection was built throughout its institutional history. For an institution whose function is to contribute to the development of the Northeast, Espírito Santo, and Northern Minas Gerais, the creation of an art collection emerges as a natural progression. The paths that led to the formation of this collection involved different strategies, in which direct relationships with artists prevailed.

The public is thus introduced to the different dynamics of local production and the power of this diversity. Without pretending to be a complete mapping or exhaustive of the research, the project remains open to new developments, investigations, and encounters that will surely come.

Service
Exhibition | Expanded Northeast: Strategies for (Re)existence
From July 4th to September 6th
Tuesday to Sunday, from 12pm to 18pm