Page 106 - ARTE!Brasileiros #43

WHAT UNITES US? ENGLISH VERSION
appropriation of elements of mass culture, as demonstrated by two of his iconic works of the exhibition’s catalog, “armed clashes involving government and the Army
in the exhibition: Lindonéia, a Gioconda dos Suburbios and O Rei do Mal Gosto, both embroider our history with high frequency and virulence.” Some of the conflicts
of 1996. Even so, it is clear their adherence still to the plot, to the spatial organization represented are extremely well known, such as the War of Canudos, the Revolution
resulting from a rational, constructive way of thinking the space of representation. of 1930 and the suicide of Getúlio Vargas. Others pass by schoolbooks, like the
Among the characteristics that guarantee a certain approximation to creators with 1924 Revolution, for example. The same happens with the selected images. From
such strong personalities are the combination between a structural organization diverse authorship (signed by masters like Marc Ferrez or by photographers whose
of the form and a deformed, expressive figuration; the search for an art more identity was lost in time), these images can be read in different and enriching forms.
connected with the social and political context of its time, incorporating material Together, they talk about the brutality of a country marked by violence, in which
and symbolic elements of the moment and a tendency to seek a balance - even if “people that are insubordinate and an elite that does not civilize” have their
tenuous - between formal experience and a shrewd look at reality. Bandeira adds relationship always mediated by the conflict. They also draw up an interesting panel on
another unifying aspect to their work in this fertile and somewhat neglected decade the diversity and evolution of the photographic image in the country, from the oldest
of transition: “all three have this particularity; have something sinister, violent techniques, practiced in the nineteenth century, to the massive use of images in the
depressive and at the same time vibrant. “ press, through different moments such as the recurrent use of postcards and first
experiences with moving photography (forerunners of cinema). In all cases, to a greater
EXHIBITION SÃO PAULO | PAGES 40 AND 41 or lesser degree, the political use of the image is evident as a weapon of conviction
SHOUTING FOR RESISTANCE and testimony. As Heloisa Espada, curator of the exhibition and author of the catalog
together with Angela Alonso recalls, “every image held in a conflict is interested”.
In many cases, what these images record is not the action itself. We have before
WORKS OF VIDEOBRASIL ARCHIVE, CURATED MADE BY JÚLIA REBOUÇAS, AT us the scene of the conflicts, their actors and the marks of destruction after the
MITOMOTIM EXHIBITION, AT THE GALPÃO VB, HAVE NO FEAR OF BEING POLITICAL violence has occurred, which always places the constituted power on one side
BY JAMYLE RKAIN and the defeated ones on the other. From the first image, which records a group
that poses before the sticking of an enemy in the Federalist Revolution of 1894,
In times when art has suffered from slanderous reactions to politics, some to the final record, which recalls the brutal repression and torture to which the
institutions have chosen to exempt their shows from any kind of militancy. communist leader Gregory Bezerra was subjected in 1964, a very large number of
Others, brave, give curators and artists the necessary voice to propagate the many of them handled in detail by a variety of essays gathered in the book / catalog.
desired message. This is the case of curator Júlia Rebouças, who sought works From the point of view of the image registration, it is possible to notice how
that fit what she defines as “hacking strategy to think our political moment”. the improvement of the technical resources allows a more “realistic” capture
Invited to curate, Júlia had little time to prepare the MitoMotim show, which is on of the scene. The pose gives place to an image captured in the heat of the
display at the VB Store until July 28. This limitation of time allowed her to focus hour, as the records made by Evandro Teixeira in the first hours of the military
her research on the Historical Collection of the Videobrasil Association, which she coup (1964). This does not necessarily translate into greater drama. Difficult to
has known for some time, having worked several times with the institution. “I said overcome the tragic character of images like those that show the body of the
‘let’s make a riot with what we have here,’” says the curator. From there, the whole enemy annihilated, in a clear strategy of reaffirmation of the power. It is worth
process of the exhibition was built with the arms and resources of Videobrasil. mentioning, for example, the records of the beheaded heads of Lampião and other
He chose a specific moment in the country’s history to articulate his idea. I wanted, then, cangaceiros (photo anonymous, 1938) or the dead and exhumed body of Antônio
to look at the moment of Brazil’s redemocratization process, going through the 1980s Conselheiro (Flávio de Barros, 1897). Nor has the speed of photojournalism completely
and 1990s. For her, the construction of this period reflects in the current reality. The replaced the control of pose and composition by photographers, strategies of
insurgency of a cry of resistance to what she considers “difficult times” has led to the word internal organization of the image that have been repeated over the decades.
“riot”: “Riot is up against an institutionality. It is always a desire to challenge, “he says. Another aspect that stands out in this trajectory, at the same time historical
Already the word “myth” arose from the contestation of the myths and technical, is how they evolve in almost parallel way the way of recording the
created throughout the country’s history, such as the “cordial man” and the conflicts and the way in which they are carried out. In other words, technological
“harmony between three races”. In this way, the palindrome created in the advancement impacts not only on ways to record and distribute images, but also
union of the two words refer, according to it, to a riot of myth: “It is in the has its effects on forms of combat. Conflict to conflict, the show reveals how little
sense of thinking that it is necessary to deconstruct the clichés of identity.” by little the knife gives way to the increasingly destructive power of cannons and
Using much of the language of television, much more used by the masses at bombs thrown from the air.
the time than today, it also sought to discuss the role of television discourse
in political and social issues: “It is also a discussion of communication EXHIBITION SÃO PAULO | PAGES 46 TO 49
In addition to the works of the collection, Júlia invited other artists to participate MULTISCREENS FOR ART
and media. Let’s find out who is represented in the media, “he adds.
in the exhibition, with installations. “It’s a group of artists that I care about and TWO MAJOR EXHIBITIONS FOCUSING ON VIDEO ART HAVE CAPTURED ATTENTION
follow. They are our allies in that whole context, “he explains. For her, at the same
time that they create dialogues they also create contrasts, but they do not oppose, IN THE CAPITAL OF SÃO PAULO: ISMAÏL BAHRI AT ESPAÇO CULTURAL PORTO
and considers: “They are important artists for the Country and that they have a SEGURO AND BILL VIOLA AT SESC AVENIDA PAULISTA
disruptive and answering art”. The group of guests is formed by Artur Barrio, Marilá BY JAMYLE RKAIN
Dardot, Randolpho Lamonier, Rivane Neuenschwander, Sara Ramo and Traplev.
NEWLY INAUGURATED, the new Sesc Avenida Paulista decided to celebrate its
EXHIBITION SÃO PAULO | PAGES 42 TO 45 launch with several activities that understood the essence of space. The highlight
A COUNTRY MARKED in the visual arts sector was a valuable sample of videos produced in the last 20
years by the American artist and one of the pioneers of the Bill Viola format. Visions
BY VIOLENCE of Time featured the integrated curator of Kira Perov, executive director of Bill’s
studio, Juliana Braga de Mattos and Sandra Leibovici, respectively manager and
assistant manager of Visual Arts and Technology at Sesc São Paulo (GEAVT).
RECORDS OF A COUNTRY IN CONFLICT IMS EXHIBITION BRINGS TOGETHER The exhibition was formulated from research of which artists could fit the
HUNDREDS OF IMAGES OF THE VIOLENCE THAT CHARACTERIZES BRAZILIAN SOCIETY proposal of Art, Body and Technology that composes the axis of this unit of
Sesc. “It seemed very important to take a first look at this power, this trinomial,
AT THE MOREIRA SALLES INSTITUTE (Instituto Moreira Salles) until already in the inauguration exhibition,” says Juliana. Consensus was not difficult
July 29, the exhibition Conflitos: Fotografia e Violência Política no Brasil 1889- to choose. In addition to dealing with technology throughout his career as
1964 is a masterclass of photography, politics and history. Denying in a crucial an artist, Bill has a track covered by experimentalism in relation to video art.
mode the officialist thesis that Brazil is a peaceful nation, the exhibition brings In addition, Bill’s chosen works for the exhibition are linked to the body, another point
together a wide range of images captured between two key moments: the of the triad of Sesc Avenida Paulista: “He deals with issues of this human corporality
proclamation of the Republic in 1889 and the military coup of 1964. The idea in a very metaphorical way, not only using the latest technology to present this
of “Gentle Mother” spurred on by the national anthem and school textbooks body in a sense more aesthetic and even hypnotic, but above all questioning the
quickly dissipates facing a succession of records of conflicts, civil wars, revolts, vertiginousness of technology in the contemporary, “explains the manager of GEAVT.
insurrections and much repression led by a violent state in that 75-year span. In addition to celebrating the inauguration of the unit, the exhibition marks the
As political scientist Angela Alonso summarized in one of the introductory texts first individual exhibition in Brazil in decades. For personal reasons, it is not known