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solely for one person, whoever, you are going maintaining good relations with the three raiseD to the largest sYmbol of moDernitY
backwards, undermining all understanding of levels of power. in the CountrY, the Week of Modern Art – held
the law and effectively preventing it from being at the Carnival of 1922 at the Teatro Municipal de
properly applied. It is a very serious setback, Taking advantage of what you mentioned São Paulo – was only the noisiest side of a broad
which concerns not only funding, but the about cities that wish to have the presence and discontinuous process of rupture with the
character I would call didactic, educational, of Sesc, could you talk about the units that cultural models prevailing in the 19th century and
in the sense of involving companies in a are currently under construction? the development of an innovative way of thinking
commitment of a cultural, social, community We have a whole plan for the next ten years, about culture and art in Brazil. In order to explain
and participatory nature. approximately, which foresees the creation of this comprehensive and multifaceted character
several units in inland cities, in the capital and of the development of national modern art, the
In fact, it’s this same secretary who went on the coast of São Paulo. We are currently exhibition Moderno onde? Moderno quando? -
to the Venice Biennale and said he doesn’t building an important unit in Franca, which on display until December 12 - brings together a
know who Lina Bo Bardi is, the architect who is the most advanced project, in addition to diverse set of works produced in the first decades
designed one of the most emblematic units others in Limeira, Marília and Parque Dom of the 20th century in different regions of the
at Sesc-SP, Pompeia… Pedro (capital). We recently opened a unit country.
An architect who was being awarded at the in Mogi das Cruzes, we will have another in With works by more than 30 artists, produced
event. And Sesc Pompeia is an exemplary Osasco and soon the recovery of an area that between 1900 and 1937 (having as its final landmark
unit, in fact, it is an icon of culture in Brazil was handed over to us in São Bernardo do the beginning of the Estado Novo, a turning point
and worldwide. It’s a pride for Sesc and I Campo. There are also expansions in Registro in the national political trajectory), the exhibition
think it’s a pride for the country. Of Lina’s and Ribeirão Preto - which is a very old unit emphasizes some of the most striking aspects of
works, it is, for me, the most significant and and needs to be updated, and we also have this modernizing impetus: the adoption of new
important. Of course, Masp has a central role, plans to build in Pirituba, São Miguel Paulista themes and languages, disregarded in the past
Solar do Unhão, Casa de Vidro, they are all and Campo Limpo. It’s too much. 18th century. A careful look at the local scene
very important, but the project that has the stands out, either through records of the rural
greatest connection with a vast cultural and In some way, therefore, despite all the bad environment, or in the increasing attention to the
educational program, with coexistence, is situation in the country, are there always renewal and urban expansion experienced in large
Sesc Pompeia. reasons for optimism, to carry out projects cities, as well as the increasing incorporation of
and imagine transformations in society? ways of painting, sculpting and photographing
Migrating from the Culture Secretariat to the I think so, I am an optimistic person. Look, much closer to the avant-garde experiments that
Ministry of Economy, there has been a threat we’re in a terrible situation in the country, have for some time shaken European art. As the
of cuts in the Sistema S’s resources since the in many ways. This comes from before the curators Aracy Amaral and Regina Teixeira de
beginning of the government. Recently this pandemic, with errors in the conduct of the Barros explain, it is clearly noted in the period a
happened once again, with Paulo Guedes economy, with the lack of funding for culture, desire for renewal, a desire to recognize itself in
saying he wanted to use part of the collection with this denial of the field of knowledge and this new production and a change in the desires
for a stimulus program to employment. At science. And it got much worse with the in Brazil after the fall of the Empire. “We wanted
what point is this imbroglio? thousands of dead, the sacrifice, the pain to celebrate the recent Brazil, the new Brazil,”
Look, I’ve been at Sesc for over 50 years and the mourning spread across the country Aracy says.
and since then I’ve heard, from virtually all with the coronavirus. Now, we have to have Despite the difficulties arising from the
governments, about these attempts to take a perspective of change ahead, we have to pandemic, which made it much more difficult
resources or even prevent the continuation of believe in this, an optimistic view, because all to research and obtain the loans of the works,
the functioning of these entities in the S System of this has to be overcome, it cannot continue. it was possible to gather a very significant set
- as if they had a superfluous, unnecessary, And it depends a lot on us, on making clear of works. Purposely, there is no clear division
unimportant character. Well, that always worried everything that is happening. between the three central nuclei of the exhibition
us and demanded from us a kind of permanent I can say that at Sesc-SP our schedule (premodernism, the Week and the developments
proof of our importance. As if every day we had to remains very positive, optimistic, with many of the movement in subsequent years) As in a free
show why we exist, why we should exist, what role things ahead in all fields. In the field of visual flow, the assembly allows the visitor to follow,
we play and why society needs us to act. And this arts, for example, we already have a series without didactic rigors, some highlights of the
has been the great element that prevents these of important exhibitions on display - Alfredo production of the period. Either the selected works
ideas of courts from prospering, because when Jaar at Sesc Pompeia, the Frestas Triennale have a powerful and catalytic individual force or
they go to check they know that these institutions in Sorocaba, among others - and in 2022 we represent, in a symptomatic way, central events
have a fundamental character for Brazilian society, should also work a lot with the centenary of the period addressed, such as the disruptor
in every sense - especially the four original ones: of the Modern Art Week in 22, with the 200 entry of expressionism by the screens of Anita
Sesc, Senac, Sesi and Senai. We have a huge years of independence and with a series Malfatti, in the pioneering exhibition of 1917; the
amount of requests from city halls that want to of current affairs that are fundamental. aforementioned Week of 22; or the also famous
have a Sesc, because they consider it essential We will continue to play the boat without Revolutionary Hall, held in 1931 in Rio, when the
to have this presence in their cities. This means restrictions. urbanist Lucio Costa took over, even for a short
an important value, we are desired and it is a time, the Escola Nacional de Belas Artes. From
sign that there is an approval of the seriousness exhibitions sao paulo [paGEs 48 to 53] the regional point of view, São Paulo and Rio –
and quality of our work. And, furthermore, our and, in the background, Recife – are the cities
importance is not necessarily given by public MAM-SP MAKES EXPLICIT with the highest representation, but there is a
leaders, by governments; our importance, our clear intention to dismantle a parochial version of
value, is given by the thousands of people who use THE COMPREHENSIVE Brazilian modernity, evidencing the urban sprawl
it, who attend our units. People across the country AND MULTIFACETED of modernist ideas and practices throughout the
who benefit from the specialized professional national territory. The idea was to “escape a little
training offered by Senac and Senai, or from a CHARACTER OF NATIONAL from this ufanism from São Paulo “, points out
program of citizenship, social well-being and MODERN ART Aracy Amaral . We try to “spread a little the idea
valuing the human being offered by Sesc, Sesi and of modernity and modernism throughout Brazil,
other institutions in the S System. In other words, not only temporally, but in terms of territory”,
we are permanently accountable for what we do. Curated by Aracy Amaral and Regina adds Regina Teixeira de Barros
Teixeira de Barros, exposition “Moderno The selection combines from iconic works
But, finally, regarding our institutional onde? Moderno quando?” (Modern where? of national modernity to less known public
relationship with the government, we also Modern when) brings together a diverse investigations and usually dissociated from
have an effective dependence on public and set of works produced in the first this modernizing longing, such as the Baile à
governmental actions in our programming, decades of the 20th century in different Fantasia canvas, painted in 1913 by Rodolpho
in our way of acting. We have relations with regions of the country Chambelland, a vibrant and popularly inspired
the government and we would like them to scene having costume ball as theme. “We go from
be very healthy, we have every interest in By maria Hirszman and patricia roussEaux the guitar player to the carnival”, illustrates Aracy,
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