Beatriz Lemos Named Artistic Director of Sertão Negro, Marking New Institutional Phase

Beatriz Lemos, former chief curator of the Museum of Modern Art of Rio de Janeiro and coordinating curator at Inhotim Institute, has been appointed artistic director of Sertão Negro in Goiânia. Founded by artist Dalton Paula and Ceiça Ferreira, Sertão Negro is an art and cultural project that integrates art, education, agroecology, and community empowerment. Lemos will work alongside Paula, who remains president director, to develop sustainability strategies, a patronage program, and institutional expansion. The project operates across four axes: art, education, environment, and territory, featuring artist residencies, educational programs, agroecological practices, bioconstruction, and community actions rooted in Afro-Brazilian and indigenous principles. Sertão Negro has recently gained institutional recognition, participating in the 36th São Paulo Biennial with the installation "Sertões," the exhibition "Histórias da Ecologia" at MASP, and "Território Vivo by Sertão Negro" at Storefront for Art and Architecture in New York. It has also been recognized as a Ponto de Cultura by the Ministry of Culture and supported by Fundación Ama Amoedo and Funarte. The project celebrates its fifth anniversary in 2026.