Black personalities history has ignored are subject of exhibition

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – The São Paulo Pinacoteca (Art Gallery) on Saturday, May 1st, inaugurated the Enciclopédia negra (Black Encyclopedia) exhibition.

For the first time, the exhibition brings to public view the 103 works by contemporary artists for a book with the same name, written by researchers Flávio Gomes and Lilia M. Schwarcz and artist Jaime Lauriano and published in March 2021 by Companhia das Letras.

The exhibition is a development of the publication and is connected to the new presentation of the museum’s collection, which is based on contemporary issues and reflects more inclusive and diverse narratives.

The book contains the biographies of over 550 black personalities, in 416 individual and collective entries. Many of these figures have had their images and life stories erased or never recorded. To interrupt this invisibility, 36 contemporary artists were invited to produce portraits of the subjects of the biographers.

The artists are Amilton Santos, Antonio Obá, Andressa Monique, Arjan Martins, Ayrson Heráclito, Bruno Baptistelli, Castiel Vitorino, Dalton Paula, Daniel Lima, Desali, Elian Almeida, Hariel Revignet, Heloisa Hariadne, Igi Ayedun, Jackeline Romio, Jaime Lauriano, Juliana dos Santos, Kerolayne Kemblim, Kika Carvalho, Lidia Lisboa, Marcelo D’Salete, Mariana Rodrigues, Micaela Cyrino,Michel Cena, Moisés Patricio, Mônica Ventura, Mulambö, Nadia Taquary, Nathalia Ferreira, Oga Mendonça, Panmela Castro, Rebeca Carapiá, Renata Felinto, Rodrigo Bueno, Sonia Gomes, and Tiago Sant’Ana.

The Enciclopédia negra exhibition displays all 103 unpublished works, some of which were included in the book’s pages.

The works, produced specifically for the project, were donated to the museum by the artists and will become part of the Pinacoteca’s collection, creating an important piece in the search for greater representativeness.

The exhibition is divided into 6 thematic areas: Rebels; Atlantic Characters; Black Protagonists; Arts and Crafts; Freedom Projects; and Religiosity and Ancestry. These areas combine biographies from different historical times, in which common aspects are highlighted.

There are records of those who led resistance movements or negotiated employment and living conditions; of women who were forced to separate from their children; of those who, through their labor, managed to buy their freedom; of master healers, teachers, attorneys, and artists, among others.

“The works grouped into these areas show how stories lived at different times in Brazil’s recent history have affinities, and show how the struggles and living conditions of these black figures persist. It is very beautiful how the organization of the exhibition shows this more clearly,” said Ana Maria Maia, curator of São Paulo’s Pinacoteca.

She highlights the unprecedented nature of the works.

“There are 103 works that come with the Encyclopedia, donated to the museum and exhibited for the first time. They leave the artists’ studios and can be seen by the public for the first time, before moving on to other locations. We hope the Enciclopédia negra project will leave the Pinacoteca next year and travel to other places,” says Ana Maria.

Meeting the Pinacoteca’s collection

In addition to the thematic areas, the Enciclopédia negra is part of the new presentation of the Pinacoteca’s collection. Visitors will be able to see 10 works in exhibition at the Pinacoteca: Collection, which dialogue with the issues addressed in the temporary exhibition. This is the case with works by artists such as Arthur Timóteo da Costa and Heitor dos Prazeres, essential to the Encyclopedia’s repertoire.

Three works that were part of the collection were also transferred to the temporary exhibition rooms: Estudos para imolação, by Sidney Amaral; an untitled work, by Mestre Didi; and Objeto Emblemático 4, by Rubem Valentim. Another example is Baiana, a famous painting of unknown authorship, from the Museu Paulista of the University of São Paulo on loan to the Pinacoteca.

Revisiting consolidated narratives in social and institutional history, regarding the representation of gender and race, has been one of the present Pinacoteca’s main missions. In the new exhibition of the collection, for example, the number of works by black artists has more than tripled in comparison to the previous exhibition. Before, there were 7 and now there are 26. The advent of the Enciclopédia negra is a great contribution to this process, which will increase the number of works from 26 to 129.

Source: Moneytimes