Abre Alas: Carnival, Body, and Territory at A Gentil Carioca

A Gentil Carioca gallery in Rio de Janeiro inaugurated its 2024 program with the non-commercial exhibition Abre Alas, running near Carnival dates. Curated by Agrade Camíz and Daniela Castro, the 19th edition brings together artists Emilia Estrada, Naomi Shida, and Marlon de Paula to fuse popular culture and visual arts. The exhibition includes a monumental party with music and costumes, echoing Carnival. Estrada's large-format work Rumores áridos de rumbos húmedos (2022) maps river routes to the mythical City of the Caesars in Patagonia, subverting colonial narratives. Shida presents textile pieces like Passagem, o atravessar do corpo (2022), a flag embroidered with a trans woman, and a fabric book reading “Objeto, Corpo, Abjeto,” exploring trans identity and Asian ancestry. Marlon de Paula's Como costurar às margens (2020) uses land-art interventions with donated worn clothing to stitch rock erosions, addressing mining exploitation in Minas Gerais. Since 2019, he has been sewing along the Córrego do Lenheiro stream in São João Del Rei, aiming to restore degraded land and draw attention to the watercourse. The exhibition runs at A Gentil Carioca in Rio de Janeiro.