Hélio Menezes Reflects on 61st Venice Biennale's 'In Minor Keys'
Hélio Menezes released an essay for the 61st Venice Biennale, titled 'Imaginar alguma voz que você nunca ouviu' (Imagine a Voice You've Never Heard). In it, he examines Koyo Kouoh's curatorial theme 'In Minor Keys,' interpreting the concept of operating in a minor key as an act of care and ethical obligation. He draws connections to Dona Ivone Lara's 1981 samba 'Alguém me avisou' and Beatriz Gonzalez's contributions at the 4th Medellín Biennale. Menezes highlights the notable involvement of peripheral artists such as Ayrson Heráclito, Ebony G. Patterson, and Wangechi Mutu. He underscores the importance of spirituality, healing, and a life-affirming curatorial approach, urging a focus on unheard voices while addressing the Brazilian art scene's evolution and the necessity to prevent tokenization.
Key facts
- Hélio Menezes wrote an essay on the 61st Venice Biennale titled 'Imaginar alguma voz que você nunca ouviu'.
- The essay was published on ARTE!Brasileiros.
- The 61st Venice Biennale is curated by Koyo Kouoh under the concept 'In Minor Keys'.
- Menezes references Dona Ivone Lara's 1981 samba 'Alguém me avisou' and Beatriz Gonzalez's 1981 work at the 4th Medellín Biennale.
- The essay discusses artists including Ayrson Heráclito, Big Chief Demond Melancon, Ebony G. Patterson, Daniel Lind Ramos, Tabita Rezaire, Guadalupe Maravilla, Torkwase Dyson, Buhlebezwe Siwani, arms ache avid aeon, fierce pussy, María Magdalena Campos-Pons, Annalee Davis, Eustáquio Neves, Senzeni Marasela, Álvaro Barrington, Wangechi Mutu, Otobong Nkanga, and Dan Lie.
- Menezes emphasizes the biennale's focus on spirituality, ritual, healing, and non-ocularcentric perception.
- The essay reflects on the transformation of the Brazilian art scene and the limits of institutional change.
- The essay ends with a quote from Ricardo Aleixo's poem 'Qualquer voz' (2014).
Entities
Artists
- Hélio Menezes
- Koyo Kouoh
- Dona Ivone Lara
- Beatriz Gonzalez
- Ayrson Heráclito
- Big Chief Demond Melancon
- Ebony G. Patterson
- Daniel Lind Ramos
- Tabita Rezaire
- Guadalupe Maravilla
- Torkwase Dyson
- Buhlebezwe Siwani
- María Magdalena Campos-Pons
- Annalee Davis
- Eustáquio Neves
- Senzeni Marasela
- Álvaro Barrington
- Wangechi Mutu
- Otobong Nkanga
- Dan Lie
- Ricardo Aleixo
- James Baldwin
- Carolina Maria de Jesus
- Jota Mombaça
Institutions
- 61st Venice Biennale
- 4th Medellín Biennale
- ARTE!Brasileiros
- Art Institute of Chicago
- Project a Black Planet – The Art and Culture of Panafrica
- 35th Bienal de São Paulo
- Tougaloo College
Locations
- Venice
- Italy
- Medellín
- Colombia
- Chicago
- United States
- São Paulo
- Brazil
- Mississippi