Page 100 - ARTE!Brasileiros #50

ENGLISH VERSION BACK TO THE NATURE

sInce It began to be planned, about says Komatsu. In this case, a place was chosen thought of by Ali from the demands of the
a year and a half ago, until this beginning of where even the extreme right candidate won in company itself. community. Names like Lenora
2020, ali (itinerant free art school) has rarely the elections, despite the history of progressive de Barros, Noemi Jaffe, João Bandeira and Tiago
worked within something that its members struggles in the region. As the artist points out, Mesquita will participate in these events that
may call “comfort zone”. On the contrary, this the formation of the project also started from will be held on Saturdays at the Training Center.
kind of nomadic art school, conceived and an attempt to understand and act in this new Among the courses, one of visual poetry, one
coordinated by nine visual artists and a social Brazilian political context. open studio, one on the history and production
scientist, seems to have already emerged to Located in the extreme east of São Paulo of Rap music videos, one on the history of art
deal with adversities - “in the wake of the 2018 and with almost 300 thousand inhabitants, the and drawing, one on the intersection between
elections” - and has been searching for the CT is a district of the capital that was occupied photography and architecture and one on
difficulties of everyday life the answers to the mainly after the 1980s and that gathers the contemporary art formats are programmed.
many questions that arise in its performance. largest housing complex in Latin America. In this Some of them will be taught not only by the
Even so, whether dealing with difficulties vast and diverse universe, despite the notable members there, but in partnership with
in collective decision-making - in a group absence of the State, dozens of groups and invited professors, from outside or local -
of consolidated artists and used to working collectives of poetry, slam, graffiti, theater, such as Evandro César, Lucas Lins and the
individually -, when trying to articulate ways to music and other artistic areas are organized graffiti artist Link (aka MUSEU), from Luau dos
raise financial resources or, mainly, when trying - such as Pombas Urbanas, Red7, Luau Raiz Loucos. Ali:Leste will also initiate a scholarship
to establish genuine links with residents and Quadrado, Aliança Negra, Daughters of Dita program to be financed by supporters and future
collectives of the peripheral Cidade Tiradentes and Instituto du Gueto -, with performances members.
- the first region chosen by the group to act - the inside and sometimes outside the territory itself. If the results of this more than one year of
region is already reaping important fruits of its “They know that they have great power there. existence there may still sound shy numerically,
work. And you are also able to better understand Just as we know that the decentralized Brazilian with regard to the number of attendees of the
the territory you are stepping on to plan your culture, which emerged in the peripheries in courses and meetings (according to the artists
next steps. general, is perhaps the strongest in the country themselves), they have shown themselves
The idea of creating a free art school with today ”, says Dunley. “And this cultural wealth that remarkable in the networks created for the
a presence in less affluent areas of the city, doesn’t need us, they don’t depend on us getting consolidation and continuity from the project.
stimulating cultural and economic flows there and saying that we want to exchange an This became clear, for example, when the group
between center and periphery, was consolidated idea. So we thought about it a lot over the months, started to be called to meetings of collectives
after the electoral defeat of pT Fernando Haddad how we could act. Because at the same time, we in the region: “We feel that they are trusting,
to the current president Jair Bolsonaro, in think we have something to offer. So we want to seeing that the work is consistent and that we
November 2018. “We were already mobilized teach and learn, exchange, do it together.” are really there. It was a victory for the project”,
because of the elections, we already saw the says Dunley.
dismantling of a lot in the cultural area and, in two-way street The trajectory has already made it clear,
the militancy process, we had already thought a Knowing also the long history of unfulfilled too, that the initial plan to remain in CT for two
lot about this lack of integration between social promises that accompanies life in urban years and then move to another region must be
realities. In other words, between the middle peripheries - whether from politicians, the rethought. “It will be at least four years, even to
and upper middle class with the people from government, private organizations or individuals create bases for the project to continue working
the periphery”, says artist Bruno Dunley. -, the members of the group understood that later”. Another finding, reinforced by recent
At her side, the artists Ana Prata, André the group’s greatest challenge would be in events in the country, is that a project like the
Komatsu, Ding Musa, Lucia Koch, Renata establishing a organic and fruitful dialogue one there will continue to exist as a resistance,
Lucas, Rodrigo Andrade, Sara Ramo and Wagner with TC residents and collectives, seeking to outside any “comfort zone”, as Komatsu
Morales, as well as social scientist Gustavo move away from a colonizing model of action. concludes: “We are in a scenario where the
Vidigal, also integrate there. “We started to get “We are white, from the upper class and live in the government sees everything social and cultural
together when we saw this whole dark scenario center. And there are many projects that arrive in movement as an enemy and tries to prevent any
taking shape, even before the elections, but the peripheries dictating rules, with a supposed manifestation of reflection. The idea is to create
when the dismantling had started after the 2016 superiority of those who have information and soldiers, create a basic unit, establish order, and
coup”, says Komatsu. At that time, among the 10 money ”, says Komatsu. “Our idea has always not create diversity, reflections, divergences,
members of the group, some were already active been different.” problems. And we, in the opposite direction,
in the Jararaca political group, while others were After a long period of meetings and an believe that art is a way of reflecting and being
involved in the 9 de Julho Occupation. intense process of rapprochement with the critical of the surroundings”.
“And the one really arises because we CT - facilitated by the work of Antonio Guerra
have this understanding that art is a political -, the first courses from Ali:Leste began to be ON THE EDgES: ATELIE397 [pAgES58 TO 61]
manifestation. And I’m not talking about a offered in mid 2019 in different areas of the
pamphlet art, but in relation to creation, to neighborhood, from bars and squares to the AN INDEPENDENT SPACE
thinking ”, adds Komatsu. With the idea of Cidade Tiradentes Cultural Training Center
forming an open and itinerant art school, (linked to the City Hall and with which the City THAT RESISTS ON THE
members started to hold weekly meetings to establishes specific partnerships there). A SÃO PAULO SCENE
discuss possible formats. From the beginning, course focused on urban issues and the use
they defined two main guidelines for the project: of public space was given by Renata Lucas, while
it would be related to training - whether practical another on art history, drawing and painting was Even with financial difficulties, Ateliê397
or theoretical -, linked not only to art, but to led by Dunley, Rodrigo Andrade and Ana Prata. celebrates 16 years with intense
philosophy, Brazilian history and the collective It was around this time, starting in August, programming, focus on the training
construction of knowledge; and it would also be that the company started to raise its first funds of artists and the creation of critical
focused on the formation of cultural networks, through the sale of small boxes with works of thinking unrelated to the market and large
with work that seeks dialogue and exchange art - nine multiples each, one produced by each institutions
with other groups. artist -, through a partnership with the Carbono By MARCOS gRINSpUM FERRAz
“In this sense, we always think of the project as gallery, which continues to sell the works. The R
a bridge that could make circulation and mobility $ 180 thousand reais collected so far has made In a book released In 2015 about Ateliê397,
possible. A bridge that could go from the center it possible to hire some support services, pay one of the longest-standing independent art
to the periphery and from the periphery to the subsistence allowances for artists and partners, spaces in São Paulo, it is worth noting that
center”, says Dunley, who explains that the offer snacks to students in the courses and hold the cover photo is of a party - with dancing
itinerancy plans there may still cover, over the a “meeting” and a “meeting” , as the semiannual bodies and hands holding beers - and not of an
years, the five areas of the city. The proposal to activities that bring together collectives and exhibition, of a work of art or a performance. And
start work in Cidade Tiradentes (CT) came from residents for debates, conversations, concerts that does not mean that Ateliê397 is a party space,
Sara Ramo, who had already worked there (in the and other presentations were entitled. even though it housed many of them, especially
production of the short film “Lança”) and knew For 2020, in addition to new courses and before moving from the bohemian Vila Madalena
collectives and young people from the region. meetings, the “Saturday over there” project to a residential street in Pompeia. What the
“Because the idea was to create a project will take CT weekly to guests to teach classes choice of the photo seems to demonstrate, in
that would come out of our bubble, from the and participate in conversations with different fact, is that in the most varied activities that it
shopping center, and go to more distant places,” formats and themes - the participants were houses and carries out - workshops, courses,

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