Carolina Maria de Jesus Exhibition at Instituto Moreira Salles Recontextualizes Writer's Legacy

The Instituto Moreira Salles in São Paulo presents 'Carolina Maria de Jesus: um Brasil para os brasileiros' this September, curated by anthropologist Hélio Menezes with historians Raquel Barreto and Luciara Ribeiro. The exhibition features approximately 15 thematic sections that challenge limiting narratives of poverty, instead showcasing the writer's elegance, travels, and television appearances. It positions her prose and poetry as an epistemic foundation for understanding persistent socioeconomic inequalities and racism in Brazil from the 20th to the 21st century. The show reframes her work as a cultural heritage of love and freedom, drawing connections to thinkers like Toni Morrison and Maya Angelou. It also traces her international influence, highlighting a dialogue with Martinican writer Françoise Ega's 'Cartas a uma negra'. The exhibition aims to move beyond a biographical perspective, presenting her writing as a living organism that restores humanity to marginalized bodies and offers a portrait of Brazil framed by colonial remnants and urban conflicts.