Fourteenth International Conference on the Arts in Society

Abstract

The study discusses the impact of recent exhibitions of contemporary art exhibited in Brazilian museums, produced by Latin American artists imbued with emergencies that, faced by indigenous communities and afro-descendants, are relevant to the whole society. From two exhibitions, “The Fall of the Sky” and “Afro-Atlantic Stories,” made throughout the last 2 years in Brazil, with the participation of artists from countries such as Guatemala, Uruguay, Colombia, Jamaica, Brazil, it intends to think about art as a place of birth for hope and for effective educational and social actions. The researcher presents results from interviews with curators (Moacir dos Anjos, Lilia Moritz, among others) and participating artists (Cildo Meireles, Claudia Andujar, Regina Galindo, Dalton Paula, among others). It will present reflections on the impact of representation and symbolic power and of the works presented to provoke and summon the public to the dialogue between art and social issues, strengthen and broaden discussions about the rights of indigenous and people of African descent. Data will be presented on public visitation, educational actions and their tangible impacts. The objective is to contribute to visibility of issues that are still little confronted in spaces of artistic presentation in Latin America, as if the had little worth or not even existed, with special focus on the performative gesture present in the works of art presented. The paper presents ways of creating - through art - fissures, crossings, dialogues and resistance proposals from connections that forge and nurture the cultural heritage of the peoples mentioned here.