Decolonial Art and Memory: Brazilian Exhibitions Address Violence, Identity, and Ancestrality

exhibition · 2026-04-23

Across Brazil, a range of exhibitions showcases themes of decolonization and collective memory. The 21st Sesc_Videobrasil Biennial acts as a venue for powerful stories that challenge colonial oppression. The work #JáBasta! by artist No Martins confronts the violence faced by Black communities, highlighting the police murders of João Pedro Mattos Pinto (May 18, 2020) and George Floyd (May 25, 2020). Significant exhibitions include 'Barracas e fachadas do nordeste' (Jan 30 - May 30), 'Greve Negra Já!' (Feb 24 - Apr 26), and 'Solidão Coletiva' (Mar 3 - Jul 12). Additional featured artists are Julio Bittencourt, Marlene Barros, and Rafael Hayashi. A lecture focusing on Alberto Henschel's photography is scheduled for April 23.

Key facts

The 21st Sesc_Videobrasil Biennial is highlighted as a key site for decolonial artistic reconstruction.
Artist No Martins's series #JáBasta! is presented as a response to police killings of João Pedro Mattos Pinto and George Floyd.
Walter Benjamin's theories on dialectical images and memory underpin the text's analysis of art and history.
Over twenty distinct exhibitions are listed across São Paulo, Salvador, Vitória, Sorocaba, Belo Horizonte, and Itu from January to November 2026.
Major institutions hosting shows include MASP, IMS, Pinacoteca, Itaú Cultural, CAIXA Cultural, CCBB, and Sesc.
Exhibitions focus on themes of Black and Indigenous identity, vernacular architecture, feminist practices, photographic history, and environmental crisis.
The Frestas Triennial 'do caminho um rezo' involves 102 participants and 188 works, including 26 new commissions.
The Langsdorff exhibition revisits a 1826-1829 scientific expedition to reflect on contemporary environmental degradation.

Entities

Artists

Institutions

21a Bienal Sesc_Videobrasil
Galeria Galatea
Nara Roesler
Galeria Galatea Salvador
Museu de Arte do Espírito Santo (MAES)
Movimento Grevista Negro
Universidade Federal do Espírito Santo
Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro
Midiateca Capixaba
Secretaria da Cultura (Secultes)
Fundo de Cultura do Estado do Espirito Santo (Funcultura)
Política Nacional Aldir Blanc (PNAB)
Ministério da Cultura (MINC)
Sesc Sorocaba
Capela João de Camargo
Clube 28 de Setembro
CAIXA Cultural São Paulo
Phi Projetos
Cinnamon
Governo do Brasil
Centro Cultural Banco do Brasil Belo Horizonte (CCBB BH)
Ateliê Marlene Barros
Ponto de Cultura Coletivo ZBM
Universidade de Aveiro
MASP — Museu de Arte de São Paulo Assis Chateaubriand
El Espacio 23
Coleção Jorge M. Pérez
Janaina Torres Galeria
FAMA Museu
10×10 Photobooks
IMS - Instituto Moreira Salles
Biblioteca de Fotografia
Getty Research Institute
Museo Reina Sofía
Rijksmuseum
New York Public Library
Paris Photo
Livraria da Travessa
Simões de Assis
Galeria Estúdio Reverso
NONADA SP
NND|Azeco
DAN Galeria
Casa de Cultura do Parque
Instituto de Cultura Contemporânea (ICCo)
Lei Rouanet
banco BV
Laranjinha
Banco Itaú
Biblioteca Brasiliana Guita e José Mindlin - USP
Instituto Hercule Florence
Documenta Pantanal
Centro Maria Antônia da USP
Bibliothèque nationale de France (BnF)
Fonte
Carmo Johnson Projects
Itaú Cultural
Ilê Asipá
Pina Luz
Centro de Pesquisa e Formação do Sesc
Serviço de Repressão à Mendicância
ARTFEED

Locations

Brasil
São Gonçalo
Minnesota
Estados Unidos
Gana
Salvador
Bahia
Brazil
Centro
Vitória
Espírito Santo
Recife
Olinda
Pernambuco
São Paulo
Sorocaba
SP
Nova York
Tóquio
Mumbai
Pequim
Jacarta
Belo Horizonte
MG
Maranhão
Portugal
Santiago
Argentina
La Puntana
Gran Chaco
Paraguai
Miami
EUA
Campo Grande
Mato Grosso do Sul
Itu
Amsterdã
Los Angeles
Madri
Jardim Paulista
Vila Nova Conceição
Alto de Pinheiros
Cidade Universitária
Vila Madalena
Boaçava
Bela Vista
Bom Retiro
Rio de Janeiro
Porto Feliz
Mato Grosso
Grão-Pará
Amazônia
Pantanal
Algarve
Santo Antônio da Patrulha
RS
Fortaleza
Alemanha
França
Camarões
Japão

Sources

ARTE!Brasileiros — 2020-06-15