Berna Reale's 'Estetica della violenza' at Bari's Pinacoteca Metropolitana

Brazilian artist and forensic criminologist Berna Reale (born 1965, Belém do Pará) presents ten historical videos and a world premiere at the Pinacoteca Metropolitana 'Corrado Giaquinto' in Bari, curated by fellow artist Pamela Diamante. The exhibition, titled 'Estetica della violenza' (Aesthetics of Violence), is part of the 11th edition of the BIG Bari Gender Festival, running until December 5, 2025. The festival's theme is 'Chaos' as a space of resistance. Reale, who participated in the 2015 Venice Biennale for the Brazilian pavilion, uses her body as a political and collective instrument to denounce corruption, racism, censorship, abuse of power, social inequality, gender oppression, and environmental devastation. The world premiere 'MAYDAY MAYDAY' (2025) features Reale dressed as a clown on a boat filled with plastic bottles, singing an ironic melody about planetary asphyxiation. Other works include 'Cantando na chuva' (2014), a grotesque parody of luxury culture on a red carpet in a landfill; 'Palomo' (2012), riding a red-painted horse to invert institutional security; and 'A massa é Bi' (2018), wearing a pink suit with male and female genitalia to protest violence against women and LGBTQ+ communities. The exhibition is hosted under the supervision of Micaela Paparella, metropolitan councilor for the exhibition space.