Page 116 - ARTE!Brasileiros #37

ART VERSUS IGNORANCE ENGLISH VERSION
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EDITORIAL | PAGE 20
DO YOU WANT
TO BE ILLITERATE?
BY PATRICIA ROUSSEAUX, EDITORIAL DIRECTOR
THIS ISSUE WAS EDITED by a duo, Marcos Grinspum Ferraz and
me. Although Ferraz’s desire was only to be a specialty reporter
and a musician, he proved to be an excellent manager.
The variety of themes and “readings” of the reality given by the
artists in the numerous exhibitions that we’ve visited - encouraging
observation and reflection - only confirms the idea that Art is
definitely not a mere discipline to be learned at school. The theory
that the quest for formal matters or materiality is still the only
function of the Plastic Art is so outdated in Contemporary Art - by
Philosophy, Psychoanalysis, Science, and Technology - that seems
laughable that today, petty politicians can, simply at a stroke of a
pen, ignore Art’s true importance within the culture of a country.
In order to remain against this flow and to make use of our memories,
we introduced the new section History of Exhibitions in this issue,
with texts that examine exhibitions that made history in Latin
America. The idea came up in our cycle Processos Curatoriais
(Curatorial processes), launched in September 2016, together with
the Spanish art critic, researcher and curator Juan José Santos.
The first article discusses the Biennial of Havana of 1986, an event
that changed the ruling paradigms of the art of that time.
Themes such as the various interpretations of the History; the
Brazilian indigenous issue; consumerism; originality (or lack of it)
in the contemporary art; and the resignification of the exhibition
space are found in the articles about the solo exhibitions of the
artists Gustavo Von Ha, Leda Catunda and Ana Maria Tavares and
also in the articles about the collective exhibitions such as A Missão
Francesa no Brasil e seus Discípulos (The French Artistic Mission in
Brazil and its disciples) and Adornos do Brasil Indígena: Resistência
Contemporânea (Ornaments from Indigenous Brazil: Contemporary
Resistances). Also in the stubborn work of the young Rodrigo Braga,
which entangles the man-nature relation the whole time.
To conclude the coverage of the 32 Biennial of São Paulo, provided
nd
by ARTE!Brasileiros throughout the year - through a comprehensive
series of articles, videos, and seminars - Marcos Grinspun Ferraz
had a conversation with visitors of the event in the Pavilhão do
Ibirapuera recording their opinions; Fabio Cypriano discusses the
importance of the event as a space for experimentation, while
Leonor Amarante writes about the audiovisual artwork of Rachel
Rose. On the section of art critics, the Biennial of São Paulo remains
the subject of discussion and two impression (a positive and a
negative one) are given: while the curator Leonor Amarante points
out the lack of potency on a great number of works displayed at the
event, the anthropologist Pedro Cesarino affirms the importance
of this year’s show as a fundamental action of transformation in
our days.
It is also worth noting the three types of patronage brought up in
this issue: private investors financing artists; collectors donating a
significant part of their collections to public museums; collectors
contributing to institutional projects and opening their private
collection to the public.
Finally, Guto Lacaz has a profile made by Fabio Cypriano, for his work
Eletro Esfero Espaço: The artwork, that was first exhibited in 1987,
has just been acquired by the Pinacoteca do Estado de São Paulo.
Art is not a choice. Art is found in our first scribblings. It is part
of our writing development, it is part our cognitive and emotional
construction. Do you want to be illiterate?
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