Associação Cultural Videobrasil

At Sesc São Carlos, the Mixtape: 18^th Videobrasil project – one of two activation actions of the 18^th Contemporary Art Festival Sesc_Videobrasil On Tour show, a part of the Festival’s Public Programs activities – has raised different issues than the first video, made at Sesc Pompeia. In this new short film, the Miyada brothers take distance from the fictional realm and put the spotlight on children to reflect on art and the themes of the works on display, in a conversation with adults. The children spontaneously address issues such as art, religion, belief and identity, contributing to a critical reflection about the artworks and their relationship with how the public receives them.

This Wednesday evening, June 04, took place the screening of the two videos directed by curator Paulo Miyada, with cinematography and editing by his brother, Ricardo Miyada, as the outcome of the reading activities superimposed onto the 18^th Festival exhibits. In the video, shot in São Carlos, the kids Ana Luiza Vellani Marino and Nicolas Pereira de Mori are the protagonists of the short film Mixtape 2: Videobrasil. In conversations encouraged by Natália Pelizari and Raphaela Melsohn, they answer questions like ‘What is an artist?’ and ‘What is the purpose of religion?’ same as they would reply to ‘What have you eaten today?’. “This is something a grown-up would have a harder time doing, for they could find the question aggressive and adopt a defensive stance…” explains the architect and curator Paulo Miyada, who has taken this opportunity to raise questions which are tackled in the Festival’s winning works, such as gender and sexuality, racism and prejudice. “Nicolas’ response about what makes an artist different from someone who simply takes pictures is, the artist does it a lot. The rationale is fully in line with the thinking of Nelson Felix, for instance, an artist to whom art-making is almost an obsessive repetition of the creative act. This is what sets a swimmer apart from someone who can swim, too.”

In the debate held following the screening, Paulo Miyada made it clear that his intention was to attract attention to what takes place when nothing seems to take place, after the exhibit has opened. To Miyada, curators, artists and producers impart much attention to production and little to reception, so they are involved with the exhibit up to the point where it opens. Then, they start thinking about the next show. The educators, security guards and box office clerks are the ones who experience this second moment, in which the audience visits the artwork and construct new meanings, through a dialogue with the artwork. “What do the people bring into an exhibit? How do they re-elaborate the meaning of the artwork, when their set of beliefs and ideologies intersects with the artistic intentions and attitudes? To me, an exhibit is like a gift. Whenever I give someone a gift, I can get something in return. I want to understand how we can receive the audience’s reciprocations,” says Miyada.

The 18^th Festival On Tour’s Public Programs activation actions will continue in São Carlos, with a presentation of Carolina Medonça’s Público performance on Thursday, June 05.

Watch Mixtape 2: 18^th Videobrasil on Channel VB soon.

MIXTAPE 2: 18^th VIDEOBRASIL
SESC SÃO CARLOS

with Ana Luiza Vellani Marino and Nicolas Pereira de Mori
featuring Natália Pelizari and Raphaela Melsohn

directed by PAULO MIYADA
cinematography and editing RICARDO MIYADA
sound HENRIQUE CHIURCIU
local production GABRIELA LORETI

WORKS QUOTED
My Father, Basir Mahmood
We Are One, LucFosther Diop
O Samba do Crioulo Doido, Luiz de Abreu
Funfun, Ayrson Heráclito