Art in Latin America: from monument to testimony

Art allows local stories to go beyond borders and deconstruct nationalist histories. Read the report in the new edition of Ciência & Cultura

In the exhibition “Exiles, Rubble, Resistance” by Marcelo Brodsky at the Jewish Museum of São Paulo, art is used as a means of reflection on memory, violence and resistance. The Argentine photographer, in addition to recording images, makes interventions in the photos, questioning the unique narrative of Latin America and promoting a more diverse and inclusive narrative. The exhibition addresses themes such as dictatorships in Latin America in the 1960s and highlights the importance of art in deconstructing conservative narratives. The ability of art to allow local stories to go beyond borders and deconstruct nationalisms is discussed in a report in the new edition of the magazine Ciência & Cultura, whose theme is “Latin America: Integration and Democracy”.

“Art is a very serious thing. It is no coincidence that all authoritarian regimes censor it. Just remember the racist denialist uproar that marked the Palmares Cultural Foundation between 2019-2022, in a true attempt to erase Afro-descendant culture in Brazil”, points out Márcio Seligmann-Silva, curator of the exhibition and professor at the Institute of Language Studies at Unicamp. For him, the colonization process and the imposition of European thought on other cultures are discussed in the exhibition, showing how many languages, traditions and histories were erased.

The exhibition also highlights the need for a culture of testimony, in which artists share their stories and experiences, promoting positive identification and expanding our understanding of art and culture. Furthermore, it emphasizes the importance of valuing indigenous and Afro-descendant languages and knowledge to preserve cultural diversity and face contemporary challenges, such as the preservation of the Amazon.

Brodsky's exposition and discussion of the culture of testimony has the potential to challenge nationalist and homogeneous narratives, promoting a deeper understanding of Latin American cultural and historical identities. “Art is responsible for creating spaces of convergence and this space does not need to be consensual, on the contrary, it can express opposing opinions, stimulating debates and generating provocations”, points out Maria de Fátima Morethy Couto, professor at the Unicamp Arts Institute.

For Andrea Califano, professor of the Postgraduate Program in International Relations (PPGRI) at the Federal University of Bahia (Ufba), we need a defense that is based on the historical and cultural specificities of the region – which includes languages and expressions artistic. “It is a defense of human rights that involves the recognition of historical subjects who were brutally subjugated in the process of constitution of national states dependent on the centers of the world capitalist system. And this is a historical process typical of all countries in the region”, she points out.

Read the full report:

https://revistacienciaecultura.org.br