On November 19, Inhotim opens the exhibitions Quilombo: vida, problemas e aspirações do negro [Quilombo: life, problems and aspirations of the black people], at the Lago Gallery, and O Mundo é o Teatro do Homem [The World is Man’s Theater], at the Fonte Gallery

The two shows are linked to the Second Act of the exhibition Abdias Nascimento o Museu de Arte Negra [Abdias Nascimento and the Black Art Museum], a curatorial program developed by the Institute in partnership with Ipeafro, opened in 2021.

On view through February 2023, the Second Act of the show, under the title Dramas para negros e prólogo para brancos [Dramas for blacks and prologue for whites], presents questions about the Black Experimental Theater [Teatro Experimental do Negro – TEN], representation and self-representation.

The common ground for both exhibitions is the newspaper Quilombo: vida, problemas e aspirações do negro [Quilombo: life, problems and aspirations of the black people], edited by the Black Experimental Theater (TEN) from 1948 to 1950.

The World is Man’s Theater

On view at the Fonte Gallery, the exhibition’s springboard is the legacy of the Black Experimental Theater (TEN), a group founded by Abdias Nascimento, which was notable for putting black people at the forefront and denouncing racism in its actions.

Also noteworthy is TEN’s approach to the practice of psychodrama, documented and discussed in the pages of the Quilombo newspaper.

In addition, archives contextualize the exchanges between Abdias Nascimento and Augusto Boal, and the practices and concepts that the latter crystalized in the Teatro do Oprimido [Theater of the Oppressed]. In turn, the scheduled plays are produced in arenas located at the edges of the gallery, and have a strong connection with the Theater of the Oppressed.

Quilombo: Life, problems and aspirations of the black people

Directly alluding to the name of the newspaper, the exhibition, on view at the Lago Gallery, is divided into five sections (New power: reformulating a vanguard; Public lives; Life and aspirations of the black people; The women speak; and Rewriting history: building and affirming identity), which establish a dialogue with themes present in the Quilombo, such as issues of representation and identity of the figure of the black in the society of the time, and relate them to the contemporary production of both male and female Brazilian artists.

The exhibition features works by 34 artists: Aline Motta, Ana Elisa Gonçalves, Antonio Obá, Arjan Martins, Desali, Elian Almeida, Erica Malunguinho, Eustáquio Neves, Gustavo Nazareno, Januário Gárcia, Juliana dos Santos, Kika Carvalho, Larissa de Souza, Lita Cerqueira, Moisés Patrício, Mulambö, Nacional Trovoa, No Martins, O Bastardo, Panmela Castro, Paulo Nazareth, Pedro Neves, Peter de Brito, Rafael Bqueer, Robinho