ARTFEED — Contemporary Art Intelligence

Decolonial Revisions of Brazil's 1922 Modern Art Week Centennial

opinion-review · 2026-04-23

The centenary of Brazil's Modern Art Week, which took place in 1922, is now being examined through a decolonial perspective that addresses the racial and gender biases of modernism. Artists and curators are embracing 're-antropofagia' to reclaim narratives from indigenous and Afro-diasporic communities. Denilson Baniwa's exhibition 'ReAntropofagia' in 2019 included a striking painting of Mário de Andrade's severed head. The February 2021 edition of the Brooklyn Rail, co-edited by Sara Roffino and Tiago Gualberto, critically analyzed Oswald de Andrade's manifesto from 1928. Notable exhibitions include 'Nakoada' at MAM Rio (July 2022-January 2023), 'Brasilidade Pós-Modernismo' at Centro Cultural Banco do Brasil, and 'Abdias Nascimento: um artista panamefricano' at MASP. Additionally, works like Rafael Cardoso's 'Modernismo em preto e branco' contribute to this evolving discourse in Brazilian art.

Key facts

  • The 1922 Modern Art Week centennial is being reinterpreted through decolonial critique.
  • The concept of 're-antropofagia' is central to contemporary artistic revisions.
  • Denilson Baniwa curated the 2019 exhibition 'ReAntropofagia' at UFF's Centro de Artes.
  • The Brooklyn Rail's February 2021 issue questioned the original Anthropophagic Manifesto.
  • MAM Rio hosted 'Nakoada' from July 2022 to January 2023.
  • The collective Kókir, formed by Sheilla Souza and Tadeu Kaingang, promotes an 'antropofagia da re-volta'.
  • MASP's 'Abdias Nascimento' exhibition is the largest dedicated to the artist's visual work.
  • Rafael Cardoso's book 'Modernismo em preto e branco' challenges the racial exclusivity of modernism.

Entities

Artists

  • Alessandra Simões
  • Oswald de Andrade
  • Mário de Andrade
  • Denilson Baniwa
  • Jaider Esbell
  • Sara Roffino
  • Tiago Gualberto
  • Sandra Benites
  • Vivian Braga dos Santos
  • Caetano Dias
  • Tarsila do Amaral
  • Renata Felinto
  • Sheilla Souza
  • Tadeu Kaingang
  • Kadu Tapuya
  • Daniel Munduruku
  • Naine Terena
  • Júnia Torres
  • Beatriz Lemos
  • Alfredo Volpi
  • Luiz Zerbini
  • Dalton Paula
  • Joseca Yanomami
  • Madalena dos Santos Reinbolt
  • Judith Lauand
  • Cinthia Marcelle
  • Abdias Nascimento
  • Amanda Carneiro
  • Tomás Toledo
  • Adriano Pedrosa
  • Guilherme Giufrida
  • Mundano
  • Di Cavalcanti
  • Tereza de Arruda
  • Adriana Varejão
  • Alex Flemming
  • André Azevedo
  • Anna Bella Geiger
  • Armarinhos Teixeira
  • Arnaldo Antunes
  • Augusto de Campos
  • Barrão
  • Berna Reale
  • Beatriz Milhazes
  • Camila Soato
  • Cildo Meireles
  • Daiara Tukano
  • Daniel Lie
  • Delson Uchôa
  • Ernesto Neto
  • Emmanuel Nassar
  • Fábio Baroli
  • Farnese de Andrade
  • Flávio Cerqueira
  • Floriano Romano
  • Francisco de Almeida
  • Gê Viana
  • Glauco Rodrigues
  • Gisele Camargo
  • Joaquim Paiva
  • Jorge Bodansky
  • José De Quadros
  • José Rufino
  • Júlio Plaza
  • Lenora de Barros
  • Lina Bo Bardi
  • Lúcio Costa
  • Luiz Hermano
  • Luzia Simons
  • Márcia Xavier
  • Marlene Almeida
  • Maxwell Alexandre
  • Mira Schendel
  • Nelson Leirner
  • Oscar Niemeyer
  • Paulo Nazareth
  • Rejane Cantoni
  • Rodrigo Braga
  • Rosana Paulino
  • Rosilene Luduvico
  • Shirley Paes Leme
  • Tunga
  • Bel Santos Mayer
  • Ernani Chaves
  • Idjahure Kadiwel
  • Leonor Amarante
  • Rafael Cardoso
  • Gênese Andrade
  • José Miguel Wisnik
  • Lilia Moritz Schwarcz
  • Walnice Nogueira Galvão
  • Lélia Gonzalez
  • Conceição Evaristo
  • Theodor Koch-Grünberg
  • Akuli Taurepang

Institutions

  • Centro de Artes da Universidade Federal Fluminense
  • The Brooklyn Rail
  • MoMA-NY
  • Consulado do Brasil na Holanda
  • Memorial dos Povos Indígenas
  • Itaú Cultural
  • Pinacoteca de São Paulo
  • MAM Rio de Janeiro
  • MASP
  • Centro Cultural Banco do Brasil
  • Galeria Kogan Amaro
  • Companhia das Letras
  • Editora Elefante
  • Select
  • ONG Thydêwá
  • Helder Camara Jr.
  • Universidade Federal Fluminense
  • Universidade de Aveiro
  • Ateliê Marlene Barros
  • Ponto de Cultura Coletivo ZBM
  • Base7 Projetos Culturais
  • IHU Online
  • MODOS. Revista de História da Arte
  • Revista Iluminuras
  • Arte e Ensaios
  • PPGAV-UFRJ
  • Bibliothèque nationale de France
  • Getty Research Institute
  • Museo Reina Sofía
  • Rijksmuseum
  • New York Public Library
  • Paris Photo

Locations

  • Brasil
  • São Paulo
  • Rio de Janeiro
  • Campinas
  • Holanda
  • Amsterdam
  • Brasília
  • Porto Feliz
  • Mato Grosso
  • Grão-Pará
  • Argentina
  • Paraguai
  • Gran Chaco
  • La Puntana
  • Nova York
  • Los Angeles
  • Madri
  • Amsterdã
  • Portugal
  • Aveiro
  • Santiago
  • Algarve
  • Salvador
  • Recôncavo Baiano
  • Ilha de Itaparica
  • São Leopoldo
  • Fortaleza
  • Mumbai
  • Pequim
  • Jacarta
  • Tóquio
  • Vitória
  • Espírito Santo
  • Sorocaba
  • Belo Horizonte
  • Minas Gerais
  • Itu
  • Bahia
  • Recife
  • Olinda
  • Pernambuco
  • Ipojuca
  • Santo Antônio da Patrulha
  • Rio Grande do Sul
  • Vila Madalena
  • Boaçava
  • Alto de Pinheiros
  • Bela Vista
  • Bom Retiro
  • Jardim Paulista
  • Vila Nova Conceição
  • Centro
  • Funcionários
  • Jardim Faculdade
  • Cidade Universitária
  • Barra Funda

Sources