Associação Cultural Videobrasil

Agora somos todxs negrxs? [Now Are We All Black?], which opens on August 31 at Galpão VB, is the first exhibition to bring together the production of both young and celebrated black artists.

Curated by Daniel Lima, the show features 15 artists born, in its majority, within the three last decades of the 20th century. Dwelling on the intersection between the racial and gender issues, they showcase over 20 pieces (among videos, photographs, drawings, sculptures, installations, and performances) that reflect the deepening of the discussion about identities and negritudes in Brazil—marked, over the last years, by the diversity and growing prominence of black feminism and transfeminism in the social and aesthetic struggles.

The exhibition’s title is inspired by Article 14 of the 1805 Haitian Constitution, which restructured the laws of the country based on the single slave uprising to seize power in America. In Daniel Lima’s words, revisiting the Haitian statement “points to a new political situation, in which we struggle, in each individual and collective artistic practice, to express a historically silenced voice.” The show intends to place the role of black women and men in perspective, recreating symbols of the national history.

Throughout the entire period of exhibition, many activities open to the public are scheduled, such as meetings and debates with the curator, artists, and black intellectuals, in addition to presentations and performances by collectives of artists. These actions are aimed at amplifying the exhibition’s content, contributing to the creation of new forms of political and aesthetic militancy.

Agora somos todxs negrxs? is part of Videobrasil’s continuous work, which for over three decades has been seeking to shed light on topics, artists, and practices that are largely neglected by the art scene. The show wraps up Galpão VB’s 2017 program, a space that has been seeking to reflect on the relationships between art and politics. As of October 3, further developments of these themes will be at the forefront of the 20th Contemporary Art Festival Sesc_Videobrasil, which will bring to São Paulo the cosmovisions and political and aesthetic struggles of 50 artists from 25 countries of the Global South.

About the curator

Daniel Lima holds a bachelor’s degree in visual arts from the School of Communication and Arts of the University of São Paulo (ECA-USP), a master’s degree in clinical psychology from the Nucleus for Studies of the Subjectivity from the Pontifical Catholic University of São Paulo (PUC-SP), and is pursuing his PhD in audiovisual media and processes at ECA-USP. Since 2001 he has been creating interventions and interferences in the urban space. As a collaborator in collectives, he has been conducting research related to media, racial issues, and educational processes. He is a founding member of the groups A Revolução Não Será Televisionada [The Revolution Will Not Be Televised], Política do Impossível [Politics of the Impossible], and Frente 3 de Fevereiro. He runs the production company and publishing house Invisíveis Produções [Invisible Productions].

Artists

Ana Lira (Caruaru, PE, 1977)
Photographer, visual artist, and independent researcher with a specialization in cultural theory and criticism from the Federal University of Pernambuco. Her projects focus on power relations and their implications in the communication dynamics. Exhibitions: Pinacoteca do Estado de São Paulo (2017); 31st São Paulo Biennial (2014); Pernambuco State Museum, Recife (2008). She lives and works in Recife.

Ayrson Heráclito (Macaúbas, BA, 1968)
Artist, curator, and teacher, he holds a PhD in communication and semiotics from PUC-SP. His works address the myths, fears, and marks that accompany the Afro-Brazilian culture. Exhibitions: 57th Venice Biennale (2017); Afro-Brazilian Contemporary Art, Europalia.Brasil (Brussels, 2012); Luanda Triennial (Angola, 2010). He lives and works in Salvador.

Daniel Lima (Natal, RN, 1973)
See curator’s bio.

Dalton Paula (Brasília, DF, 1982)
He holds a degree in visual arts from the Federal University of Goiás. His works takes the body as a central element, representing black bodies in different stories and structures, making references to the African religions. Exhibitions: 32nd São Paulo Biennial (2016); Instituto Superior de Arte de Havana (2016); Bispo do Rosário Museum (Rio de Janeiro, 2016); Tomie Ohtake Institute (São Paulo, 2014). He lives and works in Goiânia.

Eustáquio Neves (Juatuba, MG, 1955)
Visual artist and photographer, his works tackle social and racial issues, as well as topics related to the identity and the memory of the Afro-Brazilian culture. Exhibitions: São Paulo-Valência Biennial (2007); 5th Rencontres de la Photographie Africaine (Bamako, 2003); 6th Havana Biennial (1997); Pinacoteca do Estado de São Paulo (1996 and 1998). He lives and works in Diamantina.

Frente 3 de Fevereiro (São Paulo, SP, 2004)
Transdisciplinary group of research and direct action focused on racism in the Brazilian society. Formed by: Achiles Luciano, André Montenegro, Cássio Martins, Cibele Lucena, Daniel Lima, Daniel Oliva, Eugênio Lima, Felipe Teixeira, Felipe Brait, Fernando Alabê, Fernando Coster, Fernando Sato, João Nascimento, Julio Dojcsar, Maia Gongora, Majoí Gongora, Marina Novaes, Maurinete Lima, Pedro Guimarães, Roberta Estrela D’Alva, and Will Robson. Exhibitions: Museu de Arte do Rio (2015); Museo Universitario Arte Contemporáneo (Mexico City, 2014); Living as Form (New York, 2011). The collective is based in São Paulo.

Jaime Lauriano (São Paulo, SP, 1985)
Visual artist with an arts degree from Centro Universitário Belas Artes (São Paulo, 2010). His work reveals the the subjectivization processes molded by power institutions, proposing a collective revision and recreation of history. Exhibitions: 10th Bamako Encounters (2015); Pinacoteca do Estado de São Paulo (2015); 2nd Biennale of Young Art (Moscow, 2010). His works are part of the collections of Pinacoteca do Estado de São Paulo and Museu de Arte do Rio. He lives and works in São Paulo.

Jota Mombaça (Natal, RN, 1991)
Essayist and performer, he places the body as a vector for creation and action to tackle the relationships between monstrosity and humanity, queer studies, de-colonial spins, political intersections, and tensions between ethics, aesthetics, art, and politics in knowledge production in the globalized south-of-the-south. He has participated in an artistic residency with Capacete 2017, in documenta 14 (Athens; Kassel). Performances: Goethe Institute (São Paulo, 2014); Pinacoteca do Estado do Rio Grande do Norte (Natal, 2013); Casa Selvática (Curitiba, 2013). He lives and works in Natal.

Luiz de Abreu (Araguari, MG, 1963)
Dancer and performer whose work investigates the stereotypes related to the black body. He has performed in contemporary dance festivals in France, Germany, Portugal, Croatia, Cuba, Spain, and Brazil. Performances: Mercosul Biennial (Porto Alegre, 2009); Sesc Dance Festival (São Paulo, 2001). His piece O samba do crioulo doido is part of the video dance collection of Centre Georges Pompidou, in Paris. He lives and works in São Paulo.

Musa Michelle Mattiuzzi (São Paulo, SP, 1983)
Performer, writer, and researcher, she holds a bachelor’s degree in performance art from PUC-SP. Her works appropriate and subvert the exotic place attributed to the black female body by the white cisnormative imagery, that transforms it in a kind of aberration, an entity split between the wonderful and the abject. In 2012 and 2013 she collaborated in Bahia’s GIA and Rio de Janeiro’s Opavivará collectives. In 2017 she was a resident artist in the Capacete Program in documenta 14’s Public Program, curated by Paul B. Preciado. She lives and works in Salvador.

Moisés Patrício (São Paulo, SP, 1984)
Visual artist and art educator with a bachelor’s degree in visual arts from USP. He is a founding member of Coletivo Artístico Dialéticas Sensoriais [Sensorial Dialectics Artistic Collective, CADS]. His work approaches urban landscapes of metropolitan peripheral areas, as well as elements from the Latin and Afro-Brazilian cultures. Exhibitions: 12nd Dakar Biennale (2016); Museu Afro Brasil (São Paulo, 2014); Instituto de Pesquisa e Memória Pretos Novos (Rio de Janeiro, 2014). He lives and works in São Paulo.

Paulo Nazareth (Governador Valadares, MG, 1977)
Visual artist and drifter, he has walked long distances through several countries, accumulating experiences, objects, and images, as well as conducting performances. Exhibitions: 55th Venice Biennale (2013); 12nd Lyon Biennale (2013); Montevideo Biennale (2013); São Paulo Art Museum (2012); Centro Cultural São Paulo (2009). He lives and works in Belo Horizonte.

Rosana Paulino (São Paulo, SP, 1967)
Visual artist, researcher, and educator, she holds a PhD in visual arts from the University of São Paulo, specializing in engraving at the London Print Studio. Her work mainly concerns the status of black women in society. Exhibitions: Goodman Gallery (Cape Town, 2017); Galeria Superfície (São Paulo, 2016); Galería Fernando Pradilla (Madrid, 2016); Pinacoteca do Estado de São Paulo (2015); Espace Culturel Fort Griffon (Besançon, 2014). She lives and works in São Paulo.

Sidney Amaral (São Paulo, SP, 1973–São Paulo, SP, 2017)
Painter, sculptor, and draftsman, he holds a degree in visual arts from Fundação Armando Álvares Penteado, São Paulo. His work appropriates scenes and objects from daily life, introducing elements that trigger strangeness, irony, and sarcasm, tackling social and racial issues. Exhibitions: Pinacoteca do Estado de São Paulo (2017); Galeria Tato (2016); Central Galeria (2015); Museu Afro Brasil (2015); Tomie Ohtake Institute (São Paulo, 2014); 11th Dakar Biennale (2014).

Zózimo Bulbul (Rio de Janeiro, RJ, 1937–Rio de Janeiro, RJ, 2013)
Filmmaker, producer, and actor, starting his career in the Brazilian Cinema Novo. He was the first black leading character in a Brazilian telenovela (1969). Unsatisfied with the representation of the black population in cinema, he set out to write and direct his own films, such as Alma no Olho (Soul in the Eye, 1974), Aniceto do Império (1981), Abolição (Abolishment, 1988), Samba do Trem (Train Samba, 2000) and Pequena África (Little Africa, 2002). He was the founder of Centro Afro Carioca de Cinema (Afro-Carioca Cinema Center, Rio de Janeiro, 2007) to promote the Afro-Brazilian culture and its artists.