Page 112 - ARTE!Brasileiros #57
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ENGLISH VERSION EVERYTHING IN CHECK


        of reflection in recent years, she realized that   curatorial proposal, you can go to the collection   – topics that also guide the program of the new
        she needed to rethink some structures of the   and find things on any topic. You can tell many   phase of the institute and mark the artist’s work.
        association, including establishing a type of   stories, assemble different clippings, including   In this proposal, the “Nature” pillar allows us to
        independence for vB in relation to her own person.   ones that dialogue with local contexts. This is   think of the ecosystem as identity, but it also
        “Because the huge, wonderful collection is also   our great treasure.”  offers an opportunity to eliminate the supposed
        frightening. The pandemic brought a cruel fact   Finally, the biggest celebration should be the   dichotomy between nature and culture. At the
        of life, the realization that we can die at any time.   holding of the 22nd Bienal Sesc_Videobrasil -   same time, its choice is linked to the fact that
        And what happens to this collection? It can’t just   which was on hold due to the pandemic - in 2023.   “it is impossible to think about nature without
        be in my hands, I saw that I need to think about   Now it will happen exactly four decades after   thinking about territory, without thinking
        continuity.                        the incipient 1983 festival. Curated by Raphael   about cosmologies”, says Júlia Rebouças, the
          The responsibility for a collection with high   Fonseca, from Rio de Janeiro and Renée M’boya,   institution’s current artistic director, who shares
        maintenance costs, which includes not only the   from Senegal, the exhibition at Sesc 24 de Maio   the exhibition’s curatorship with the Venezuelan
        works gathered over the 21 festivals - several of   was already in the planning stages when it had to   Julieta González .
        them made from commissions -, but also entire   be canceled, but it is now resuming production at   “In Brennand’s universe of creation there is
        collections donated by artists (or their families)   an accelerated pace. At the beginning of the year,   a great diversity of hybrid species, which fuse
        such as Rosangela Rennó, Rafael França, Marina   there will be an open call for projects by artists,   animal, mineral and vegetable existences, always
        Abs and Moysés Baunstein accelerated the idea   who will be added to the five artistas that was   in tension with human forms. Nature is also

        of  transferring the care of the collection to other   already invited for the edition. “We will have to   present from the coexistence with these two
        institutions. The implementation of this plan   adapt the themes and the curatorial approach to   very important entities, the Capibaribe River and
        would not mean, however, the disengagement   a different world, very different from that of two   the Varzea forest, constituents there of what he
        of this collection from the association, as Farkas   years ago”, concludes Farkas.  understands as the factory’s territory, ”, explains
        emphasizes. At this point, she exemplifies the                       Rebouças. It is precisely to this environment
        richness of the material citing some names that   institutions BrEnnand institutE [paGEs 34 to 37]  that the “Territory” axis refers, with a focus
        have at least two works in the collection: Akram                     on the geography and history of the region.
        Zaatari, Barbara Wagner and Benjamin de Burca,  “BUT THE CLAY AND    “We are developing specific actions for the
        Enrique Ramirez, Eder Santos, Bouchra Khalili,                       region, which began with the strengthening of
        Cao Guimarães, Jonathas de Andrade, Liu Wei,   THE WATER CONTINUE    a relationship network. In 2021, in addition to
        Marcellvs L., Maya Watanabi, Sebastian Diaz   TO TURN IN THE         extensive teacher training and partnerships
        Morales, Seidou Cissé, Vincent Carelli, Virgínia                     with Federal University of Pernambuco,
        de Medeiros, Walid Raad, Walter Silveira, Ximena  POTTERS’ HUTS”     we launched an educational residency that
        Cuevas and Ximena Garrido-Lecca.                                     even served to raise job propositions in the
          With all this in hand, vB began to come out of its   Transformed into an institute, the factory   region. With the deepening of these actions,
        paralysis with the creation of the Videobrasil Online   of the late painter and sculptor Francisco   our educational sector is being formed and
        platform, in September 2020, at the height of the   Brennand moves towards the future and   projects and work policies with Varzea must
        pandemic. “In this absence of physical space, it   balances itself between the founder’s   be announced soon”, says the artistic director.
        was very clear to me that the video’s place is in fact   tradition and growth beyond his self   “Cosmologies”, in turn, intends to approach the
        on the small screen. And that it makes sense, more   mythologized figure  fabulatory and self mythologizing aspect of the
        than ever, to refocus on video, which is the origin of               artist (who described himself as “feudal” and
        the association.” The virtual page, which features   By miGuEl Groisman  “superstitious”) through the archetypal and
        both exhibitions with works from the collection                      philosophical evocations in his works. “They
        and unpublished productions, is already in its   when his father hanDeD him the keYs to the   [referring to the sculptures Brennand called
        ninth exhibition, by the Argentine artist Gabriela   olD faCtorY, the artist Francisco Brennand   ‘guards’] are on top of the wall that actually
        Golder. The exhibition, the second of a partnership   confessed that he went in there, never to leave,   surrounds the entire factory and that closes
        with Kadist (an institution with headquarters   and so he did. It was on November 11, 1971 that   off the citadel, with all its mysteries.”
        in San Francisco and Paris) which opened with   Brennand, aged 44, decided to occupy the ruins   According to Rebouças, “Brennand understood

        an exhibition by the American Lynn Hershmann   of Ceramic São João da Várzea -  a 15 km² complex   that the memory and preservation of his work
        Leeson, will continue with a collective only for   - and turn it into his studio.  needed the tension of the present. The creation
        women from the two institutions’ collections.  Brennand took two steps before he died (in   of the institute with the purpose of housing other
          The exhibitions of Abdoulaye Konaté (Mali),   December, 2019): “He made his own funeral urn in   productions was a result of this”. Here are two
        Ayrson Heraclito (Brazil), Ayoung Kim (South   a set of sculptures called the Temple of Sacrifice;   missions for the new phase of the factory, one is to
        Korea), Giselle Beiguelman and Ilê Sartuzi (Brazil),   and transformed Oficina Brennand into a private   create dialogues with the contemporary - whose
        Calderon y Piñeros (Colombia) and a group show   institution for public purposes. It was ensured that   art Francisco publicly acknowledged: “None of this
        on the prison system in Brazil, curated by Juliana   the land where the factory is located could not be   interests me”; the other is to preserve the artist’s
        Borges, also took place at vB Online this past   sold or have its purpose altered. In this way, his   memory beyond his fortress. An example of this
        year. “So Videobrasil Online emerged, in large   work could not be forgotten”, as noted by art dealer   are the pieces he donated to the Sculpture Park, in
        part, as a project that works in this virtual world   Cecília Ribeiro Peirão. The creation of the urn is   Recife, due to the 500 years since the discovery of
        and that minimally fulfills this role of digitizing   intrinsically linked to its deep relationship with the   Brazil - many of which were stolen over the years.
        and activating the collection. It’s an exhibition   place. To Folha de S. Paulo, in 2013, he confessed:   Curiously, in the 2012 documentary, homonymous
        platform that forces us to digitize the media,   “I’ve been dealing with fire for many years… I want   to the artist, he says: “The sculptures will receive
        subtitles, create new entries and put everything   to transform myself into what is ceramics, so I’ll   sun and rain, cross night and day and they will last
        on the air, with a global audience reach, which is   be cremated, I go back to this urn, part of my   forever if they are not destroyed, only the hand of
        fascinating”, says Farkas.         ashes will be in it and the rest will be thrown at   man can destroy them”.

          The “bounce back” of vB also takes place in   the house in the [engenho]  São Francisco, where   Regarding the future safety of the pieces in the
        Vitória, at the invitation of the Espírito Santo   I lived, where my family came from”.  Sculpture Park, Marianna Brennand, grand-niece
        State Government, with a large exhibition that   Now, half a century after the artist’s occupation,   of the sculptor and president of the institute, says:
        will occupy two spaces in the city: at the Espírito   the factory transformed into an institute organizes   “This project has suffered from vandalism since
        Santo Museum of Art there will be a large part of   a large exhibition that will show around 200 items -   its inauguration, with great misfortune. Over time
        the collection of the association; at the Homero   including paintings, sculptures, prints, serigraphs   some works were replaced, but in recent years
        Massena Museum, a curatorship based on more   and documents - from the institute’s permanent   the situation has worsened and almost all works
        than 300 videos of performances kept by vB,   collection (which has more than 3 thousand works),   in bronze were stolen”. She notes, however, that
        which will be assembled in a large audiovisual   private collections and museums. “I never worried   the current administration of the city hall (from
        installation. In addition, on display at the Museu   about unity because the feeling I have is that there   João Campos) is committed to bringing a long-
        da Língua Portuguesa, in São Paulo, there will   are many, we are many”, the artist attested.  term solution, not only with the restoration of the
        be the Sonhei em Português! exhibition, which   Titled Devolver a terra à pedra que era: 50 anos   park, but with actions to reinforce the safety of
        houses a room with vB videos related to themes of   da Oficina Brennand, it will run until October 2022.   the space. “Oficina Brennand is collaborating
        migration and the diaspora of peoples around the   Its curatorial approach is based on the conceptual   and providing the necessary support, in addition
        world. “It’s an example of how, based on a given   pillars “Nature”, “Territory” and “Cosmologies”   to supplying replacement parts and working
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