MASP

Brazilian Histories

8.26–10.29.2022

Brazilian Histories are complex, contradictory, multiple, fragmented, and incomplete histories. The exhibition is presented in the year that marks the 200th anniversary of the Independence of Brazil and the 100th anniversary of the Week of Modern Art. However, it is also the 100th anniversary of writer Lima Barreto’s death, and 100 years of artists Judith Lauand and Rubem Valentim’s birth. In addition, there is now an intense review of Brazil’s histories—as told in books, exhibitions, conferences, films, and documentaries. What are the themes, narratives, events, and characters to be celebrated, studied, and questioned in this long and conflicting process? Which ones have been deliberately forgotten?

Since 2016, MASP has organized a series of exhibitions and projects around different histories: Histórias da infância [Childhood Histories] (2016), Histórias da sexualidade [Histories of Sexuality] (2017), Histórias afro-atlânticas [Afro-Atlantic Histories] (2018), Histórias das mulheres, Histórias feministas [Women’s Histories, Feminist Histories] (2019), Histórias da dança [Histories of Dance] (2020), and now these Brazilian Histories (2022). The schedule for the year or biennium —as is the case for 2021-22—in which these group exhibitions are held is dedicated to these same histories and is complemented with solo shows connected to the theme. Not by chance, they encompass contents, images, and agendas of social, cultural, and political history, and are more related to contemporary agendas and everyday life than strictly to the history of art itself—as the sequence of our series of Histories indicates. 

Brazilian Histories is divided into eight sections or nuclei organized by themes (not by chronologies or media), each one placed in a room: four on MASP’s first floor (Flags and Maps; Landscapes and the Tropics; Land and Territory; Retakings) and four on the second sublevel (Portraits; Rebellions and Revolts; Myths and Rites; Festivities). The exhibition includes more than 300 objects: paintings, drawings, sculptures, photographs, videos, installations, newspapers, magazines, books, documents, flags, and maps. It is organized by 11 curators, which underlines the project’s polyphonic aspect. Each section is curated by a pair of professionals, and among them, we find overlaps, complementation, connections, and contradictions.

In schools, we still learn that there is one single history. But it is not so. Our Histories (in the plural) show that this is an open process, which does not contemplate just one narrative (definitive, coherent, monolithic, and evolutionary), but includes many (open, diverse, inconstant, insurgent, preliminary and in conflict).

Brazilian Histories is organized under the curatorial direction of Adriano Pedrosa, Artistic Director, MASP, and Lilia M. Schwarcz, Guest Curator. The exhibition is curated with Amanda Carneiro, Assistant Curator, MASP; André Mesquita, Curator, MASP; Clarissa Diniz, Guest Curator; Fernando Oliva, Curator, MASP; Glaucea Brito, Assistant Curator, MASP; Guilherme Giufrida, Assistant Curator, MASP; Isabella Rjeille, Curator, MASP; Sandra Benites, Guest Curator; and Tomás Toledo, Guest Curator.

This exhibition is part of the two-year program at MASP dedicated to Brazilian Histories in 2021–22, which coincides with the Independence of Brazil’s bicentennial in 2022. This year, the cycle also includes individual exhibitions dedicated to Alfredo Volpi (1896–1988), Abdias Nascimento (1914–2011), Joseca Yanomami, Luiz Zerbini, Dalton Paula, Madalena dos Santos Reinbolt (1919–1977), Judith Lauand and Cinthia Marcelle, as well as shows in the video room of works by Aline Motta, Bárbara Wagner & Benjamin de Burca, Letícia Parente, Melanie Smith, and Tamar Guimarães.

PARTICIPATING ARTISTS

#coleralegria

Abdias Nascimento

Adenor Gondim

Adriana Varejão

Agnaldo Manuel dos Santos

Agostinho Batista de Freitas

Agrippina R. Manhattan

Alberto da Costa e Silva

Alberto da Veiga Guignard

Alberto de Noronha Torrezão

Aline Albuquerque

Aline Motta

Allan Weber

Amadeo Lorenzatto

Ana Elisa Egreja

Ana Vitória Mussi

André Mantelli

André Ryoki

André Vargas

André Vilaron

Anita Malfati

Anna Bella Geiger

Anna Maria Maiolino

Antonio Bandeira

Antônio Francisco Lisboa (Aleijadinho)

Antonio Gomide

Antonio Henrique Amaral

Antonio Manuel

Antonio Obá

Arissana Pataxó

Arpillera mineira, atingidas em Brumadinho, MG

Arpillera paraense, Atingidas pela UHE Belo Monte em Altamira

Arpillera paraense, Atingidas pelo projeto da Usina de Marabá, comunidades de Vila Espírito Santo (Marabá), Vila Landi (São João do Araguaia) e Bacabal (Bom Jesus)

Arsenio da Silva

Arthur Timótheo da Costa

Baiana System

Bane Huni Kuin, Movimento dos artistas Huni Kuin (MAHKU)

Benedito Calixto

Benedito José Tobias

Beth Moysés

Bianca Barbosa Chizzolini/Parquinho Gráfico

Bob Wolfenson

Bruno Baptistelli

Candido Portinari

Carlos Julião

Carlos Zilio

Carmela Gross

Carmézia Emiliano

Carolina Caycedo

chameckilerner

Charles Othon Frederic Jean-Baptiste de Clarac

Cildo Meireles

Claudia Andujar

Cláudio Tozzi

Clovis Hirigaray

Colaboradores Equinaldo Silva e Kátia Flávia

Cristal

Curt Nimuendajú

Daiara Tukano

Davi de Jesus do Nascimento e Bicho Carranca

Denilson Baniwa

Desali

Descartes Gadelha

Diambe da Silva

Djanira da Motta e Silva

Duhigó

Edgar Kanayko

Edival Ramosa

Edmund Pink

Eduardo de Almeida Navarro

Eduardo Navarro

Elisclésio Makuxi

Emanoel Araújo

Emiliano Di Cavalcanti

Emmanuel Nassar

Emmanuel Zamor

Ernestina Antonia da Silva Oliveira

Eustáquio Neves

Fefa Lins

Felismar Manuel Nhamanrurí Schuteh Pury

Félix Émile Taunay

Ferdinand Denis

Fernando Sato

Firmino Monteiro

Frans Post

Frederico Costa

Gê Viana

German Lorca

Gerog Marcgrave e Joan Blaeu, atribuído a Frans Post

Giacomo Gastaldi

Gira

Glauco Rodrigues

Grupo de ação

Gustavo Torrezan e Nildilene Diniz da Silva (Pichuita)

Hank Willis Thomas

Heitor dos Prazeres

Hélio Melo

Henrique Bernardelli

Humberto Espíndola

Ibã Huni Kuin, Movimento dos artistas Huni Kuin (MAHKU)

Ignacio Aronovich/Lost Art

Iran do Espírito Santo

Ismael Nery

Itamar Garcez

J. M. Rugendas

Jaider Esbell

Jaime Lauriano

Jan van Brosterhuysen

Jean Baptiste Debret

Jean de Léry

Jean-Baptiste Debret

Jefferson Medeiros

Joan Blaeu

João Pimenta Filho

João Zinclar

Joedison Alves

José Antônio da Silva

José Bezerra

José Bina Fonyat Filho

José Correia de Lima

José Medeiros

José Pancetti

José Wasth Rodrigues

Joseca Yanomami

Jota

Jovanna Baby

Lalo de Almeida

Lampião da Esquina

Larissa de Souza

Lasar Segall

Leandro Joaquim

Leandro Vieira

Leonardo Queiroz

Lili Fialho

Linhas do Horizonte

Lourival Cuquinha

Luana Vitra

Lucas Arruda

Lucílio de Albuquerque

Lucy Citti Ferreira

Luiz Braga

Luiz Matheus

Lula Cardoso Ayres

Madalena dos Santos Reinbolt

Madame Satã

Mana Huni Kuin, Movimento dos artistas Huni Kuin (MAHKU)

Manoel da Costa Ataíde

Manuel Messias

Marc Ferrez

Marcel Gautherot

Marcela Cantuária

Marcelo Brodsky

Marcelo Sant’Anna Lemos

Márcio Vasconcelos

Marcos Chaves

Maré de Matos

Maria Auxiliadora Da Silva

Matheus Ribs

Mauro Restiffe

Mestre Didi

Mirian Inez da Silva

Movimento dos artistas Huni Kuin

Movimento dos Trabalhadores Ruarais Sem Terra (MST)

Mulambö

Nair Benedicto

Ney Matogrosso

Nidia Aranha

Nilson Barbosa

No Martins

O Bastardo

Osvaldo Carvalho

Oswald de Andrade

Otavio Araujo

Panmela Castro

Paulo Bruscky

Paulo Jares

Paulo Nazareth

Paulo Pedro Leal

Pedro Marighella

Pedro Motta

Pedro Victor Brandão

Pegge

Pisco del Gaiso

Priscila Rooxo

Programa Manos e Minas, TV Cultura

Rafael Bqueer

Rafael Matheus Moreira

Rafael Vilela

Randolpho Lamonier

Revista Manchete

Revolução Periférica

Ricardo Basbaum e João Camillo Penna

Richard Skerret Hickson

Robson Ruan Cristo

Rodrigo Arajeju

Rogério Reis

Rosa Gauditano

Rosana Paulino

Rosana Ricaldi

Rosangela Rennó

Rosina Becker do Valle

Rubem Valentim

Rubens Gerchman

Sallisa Rosa

Sandra Gamarra

Santarosa Barreto

Sebastião Salgado

Sepp Baendereck

Sergio Vidal

Serigrafistas Queer

Sidney Amaral

Talles Lopes

Tarsila do Amaral

Teresinha Soares

Thiago Honório

Tiago Rocha Pitta

Tiago Sant’Anna

Tuin Huni Kuin, Movimento dos artistas Huni Kuin (MAHKU)

Valeska Soares

Ventura Profana

Vicente Paulo da Silva

Victor Meirelles de Lima

Vivian Caccuri

Wallace Pato

Wesley Duke Lee

Wilson Tibério

Xadalu Tupã Jekupé (Colaboração: cacique Cirilo, wherá Mirim, Karai Mirim)

Xingu

Yacunã Tuxá

Yêdamaria

Yhuri Cruz

Zé Caboclo

Note 14.5.22

ABOUT THE BRAZILIAN HISTORIES EXHIBITION


MASP holds the mission of establishing, in a critical and creative way, dialogues between past and present, cultures and territories, based on the visual arts. Precisely because it is a diverse, inclusive and plural museum, MASP values freedom of expression and makes public its commitment to art and democracy in the country.


The Museum, in its more than 70 years of history, has never censored or inhibited any form of artistic expression. On the contrary, over the decades the institution has been the stage for important discussions in society, such as those present in the annual exhibition cycles Histories of Sexuality, Afro-Atlantic Histories, Feminist Histories and Indigenous Histories.


In 2021-22, in particular, MASP's programming is dedicated to Brazilian Histories, within the framework of the 200 years of independence, with a large group show of the same name that aims to critically review the country's history. The exhibition, scheduled to open on July 1, 2022, is organized into 7 thematic sections: “Maps and flags”, “Landscapes and tropics”, “Land and territory”, “Rebellions and revolts”, “Myths and rites”, “Parties” and “Portraits”. The section “Resumption” [Retomadas] was also part of the section, curated by Clarissa Diniz, guest curator, and Sandra Benites, deputy curator, whose participation was canceled upon the request of the curators themselves on May 3 this year.


The cancellation was due to the impossibility of including, in the section, 6 works by photographers linked to the Movimento Sem Terra – MST, requested by the curators to the museum's production department, well outside the deadlines of the schedule established in the contract. These restrictions are common in the production process and also prevented other curators of the show from requesting some works in their respective sections.


The production had already sought to make the deadlines for requesting the loan of works more flexible – a minimum of 6 months (for Brazilian museums) and 4 months (for galleries, private collections and artists) – and even accepted a request for the inclusion of posters and documents from the collection of the MST. The schedule is very important for a healthy and quality assembly for all the teams involved, especially in an exhibition of this size: there are more than 300 works, occupying two floors in the museum, with a curatorial body composed of 11 members, and a team operating within deadlines. It is essential, therefore, greater rigidity and discipline in relation to all instances, not only curatorial and production, but also contractual.


MASP's refusal to include the 6 photographs is in no way linked to the content of the works, nor does it represent any censorship of the MST – something inadmissible in a democratic institution such as MASP. It is worth noting that a text authored by the MST was included in the book Histórias Brasileiras: Antologia, which accompanies the exhibition and will be released in July, thus ruling out any possibility of censorship. Also, the “Rebellions and Revolts” section, from the same exhibition, includes several images linked to demonstrations and social movements.


The museum deeply regrets the cancellation of “Resumption” [Retomadas]. The exhibition Brazilian Histories will continue with the other 7 sections organized by the MASP curators – Adriano Pedrosa, Amanda Carneiro, André Mesquita, Fernando Oliva, Glaucea Britto, Guilherme Giufrida, Isabella Rjeille, Lilia Schwarcz and Tomás Toledo.

Note 20.5.22

ABOUT THE BRAZILIAN HISTORIES EXHIBITION


May 20, 2022


MASP — Museu de Arte de São Paulo Assis Chateaubriand goes public with a new information on the cancellation of the "Retomadas" [Resumptions] segment, which was part of the group show Brazilian Histories, to be opened on July 1st. The exhibition is part of the Histories series, which included Histories of Sexuality (2017), Afro-Atlantic Histories (2018), Feminist Histories (2019), among others.


The Museum has reflected a lot on the current moment and, as a living museum, seeks to learn from this episode, including observing procedural flaws and errors in the dialogue with the curators Clarissa Diniz and Sandra Benites, responsible for the “Retomadas” [Resumptions] segment. The institution publicly regrets the cancellation of the segment, so important for the exhibition, and the departure of the project's curators.


Intending to move forward so that similar episodes do not happen again in the future, we are open to listening to Benites and Diniz, in order to learn from this experience and improve processes and work models.


In this sense, if the curators agree, we propose to postpone the opening of the exhibition and reorganize its schedule so that we can include the "Retomadas" [Resumptions] segment in the show.


Another measure we are proposing is to hold a public seminar, on the “Retomadas” [Resumptions], during the exhibition period with the participation of the curators.


Finally, we will propose the incorporation of the 6 photographs by André Vilaron, Edgar Kanaykõ Xakriabá and João Zinclar into the Museum's collection, if it is of interest to the artists, as a record of the importance of these images for the history of MASP and recognition of the work developed by the curators together with the Movimento Sem Terra—MST.


MASP is committed to opening new spaces for listening, in the certainty that what we want is a more plural, inclusive and democratic Brazil - which can only be built collectively, based on open, empathetic and collaborative dialogue.

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