Mazé Andrade represents Pernambuco in Cidade das Artes.
Image CRedit above: Disclosure on the artist Cris Marcos’ social network.
From March 27th to June 16th, Rio de Janeiro will host the 3rd Black Brazil Art Biennial, which aims to give visibility to the work of emerging artists, without excluding veterans, especially women. The presentations will occupy eight cultural spaces in the capital, bringing together 225 artists from all over the country and abroad. With more than 40 years practicing the visual arts, Mazé Andrade will represent Pernambuco, state of Northeast Brazil, at Cidade das Artes, one of the event's hubs. Located in the heart of Barra da Tijuca, it is the largest cultural complex in the city. In addition, the Biennale will be at the Hélio Oiticica Municipal Arts Center, the Calouste Gulbenkian Arts Center, the Correios Cultural Center, the Correios Cultural Space and the Museum of History and Afro-Brazilian Culture; with attractions scheduled to also take place at the Samba Museum and the Maré Museum. Mazé’s work will be part of the collaborative exhibition “As Duas Faces de Exu”, organized by artist Cris Marcos. As Cris explains, the visual proposal of her work seeks to connect Exu's rich narratives with the central theme of the third edition of the Bienal Black, "Fluxos (in) Fluxo: Transience, Migration and Memory", offering artists a unique opportunity to explore the cultural and contemporary complexities surrounding African-based religions. This installation, which will house 105 works from ten states in Brazil, will feature 49 artists, 80% of whom are women and 65% over 55 years of age. The choice of ceramics is in line with the Biennale's theme of flows and influxes, since in the production process there is a fluidity of materials such as water, which evaporates, the influx of minerals which, under the action of fire, coalesce , in addition to the physical and cultural memory related to clay art. “The materiality of the pieces will be an extension of the narratives about the relationship between natural elements and the identity of Exu, enriching the sensorial experience of the installation”, adds Cris Marcos in the call for proposals. Mazé will present the ceramic sculpture “Our Lady of the Home”, in a version that features the colors blue (an allusion to Our Lady's mantle) and gold (the yellow of Oxum). “I propose to address the religiosity of our people, marked by this syncretism also represented by Exu”, explains Mazé. Oxum is a striking figure in Exu's life, being complementary forces: she is tranquility, wealth, fertility and motherhood; he is energetic, communicative, protective of villages, yards and homes. Aiming to learn the secrets of Ifá, Oxum seduces Exu, taking on the two of them to guard the oracle. In addition to Mazé, another person from Pernambuco will also participate in the Biennale, presenting in another venue. Artist Lucas Aleixo will be exhibiting his work at the Correios Cultural Center, together with Renato Sancharro from Espírito Santo. The 3rd Black Biennial has a collaborative curatorship: Patrícia Brito (BR) from Instituto Black Brazil Art, Claudia Mandel Katz (CR) from Museo de las Mujeres de Costa Rica, Edwin Velazquez (PR) from Casa Silvana, Vinicius (DE) from Momentos World and Julio Pereyra (UY) from Colectivo de Estudios Afrolatinoamericano. The opening of the Biennale will take place on March 27th, at 7pm, at Teatro Gonzaguinha. The installation “As Duas Faces de Exu” opens on March 28th. Before joining this event, between 2017 and 2019, Mazé Andrade developed studies of African masks, pieces that have religious symbolism for the people of Sub-Saharan Africa (see text on the artist's blog on this subject). The studies culminated in two exhibitions at the Abolition Museum, in Recife, under the direction of professor from the Department of Art Theory and Artistic Expression at UFPE, Suely Cisneiros, and professor Paulo Lemos, researcher in Anthropology of Traditional African Arts.
Acima, à esquerda, logomarca divulgada pela Bienal Black.
Comments