The centrality of black thought in the field of Brazilian visual arts, in different times and places. This is one of the main assumptions that guide the curatorial process of the exhibition Dos Brasis – Black Art, Black Thinking, the most comprehensive exhibition dedicated exclusively to the production of black artists ever held in the country, which will open on August 2, at Sesc Belenzinho, in São Paulo. Starting in 2024, part of the exhibition will circulate in Sesc spaces throughout Brazil for the next 10 years.
The idea was born in 2018, a research project resulting from Sesc’s institutional desire to know, give visibility and promote Afro-Brazilian production. For its realization, curators Hélio Menezes and Igor Simões were invited. In 2022, the project will be curated by Simões with assistant curators Marcelo Campos and Lorraine Mendes.
The exhibition will present to the public works in various artistic languages such as painting, photography, sculpture, installations and video installations, produced between the end of the 18th century and the 21st century by 240 black artists, including cis and trans men and women, from all states of Brazil.
In order to reach this expressive and representative number of black artists, present throughout the national territory, two important fronts were opened. In the first, on-site surveys were carried out in all regions of Brazil with the participation of Sesc in each state, with the aim of bringing black voices of Brazilian art to the public. These actions resulted in activities and programs such as lectures, portfolio readings, exhibitions, among others, with a local focus. It is worth mentioning that this process was given special attention so that it was not limited to the country’s capitals, but also encompassed the artistic production of the black population in different locations, such as inland cities and quilombola communities. The second front was the implementation of an online artistic residency program entitled Pemba: Black Residence, which had more than 450 applications and selected 150 residents.
The curatorial team researched works and documents in ateliers, portfolios and public and private collections, to offer the public the opportunity to learn about the history of art produced by the black population of Brazil and understand the centrality of black thinking in Brazilian art.
