Ethical Debates in Socially Engaged Art: From Paternalism to Partnership
The ethical representation and financial equity within the contemporary art world are under examination. At Sesc Pompeia, Sebastião Salgado's 'Amazônia' exhibition benefits the Yanomami association Hutukara, headed by Davi Kopenawa. Jonathas de Andrade's exhibit at Pinacoteca raises concerns regarding exploitation. The critique of the 'artist-as-ethnographer' concept can be traced back to Hal Foster's 1995 writing. Hrag Vartanian contends that art devoid of class struggle is simply ornamental. A notable change is artists collaborating 'with' communities, exemplified by Bárbara Wagner and Benjamin de Burca's 2019 Venice Biennale film 'Swinguerra'. Claudia Andujar's works on the Yanomami, despite her European roots, aid land demarcation and she shares proceeds with her gallery and Hutukara. Vincent Carelli’s Video nas Aldeias empowers Indigenous communities in self-representation, while Mônica Nador's Jamac promotes painting as a means of social engagement.
Key facts
- Sebastião Salgado's 'Amazônia' show supports the Yanomami Hutukara association financially.
- Jonathas de Andrade's work at Pinacoteca do Estado gave photographs to his subjects about ten years ago.
- Bárbara Wagner and Benjamin de Burca collaborated with dance groups for the 2019 Brazilian Pavilion at the Venice Biennale.
- Claudia Andujar divides sales proceeds in thirds between her gallery, herself, and the Yanomami people.
- Video nas Aldeias, founded by Vincent Carelli in 1986, provides audiovisual training to Indigenous communities.
- Mônica Nador founded the Jamac art club in a São Paulo periphery neighborhood in 2004.
- Hal Foster's 1995 essay 'The Artist as Ethnographer' critiqued artistic engagement with cultural others.
- Hrag Vartanian recently invoked Chico Mendes, stating 'art without class struggle is just decoration' on Instagram.
Entities
Artists
- Sebastião Salgado
- Jonathas de Andrade
- Hal Foster
- León Ferrari
- Hrag Vartanian
- Bárbara Wagner
- Benjamin de Burca
- Eduarda Lemos
- Claudia Andujar
- Vincent Carelli
- Mônica Nador
- Gilberto Freyre
- Joseph Beuys
- Davi Kopenawa
- Chico Mendes
- Montez Magno
- Mari Ra
- Zé di Cabeça
- Fabio Miguez
- Adenor Gondim
- Luciano Feijão
- Júlio Bittencourt
- Marlene Barros
- Claudia Alarcón
- Deborah Paiva
- Nuno Ramos
- Marcos Amaro
- Anna Atkins
- Elizabeth B. Brownell
- Eslanda Cardozo Goode Robeson
- Annette Messager
- Angèle Etoundi Essamba
- Hiromix
- Maureen Bisilliat
- Gretta Sarfaty
- Vilma Slomp
- Claudia Jaguaribe
- Anna Mariani
- Stefania Bril
- Thalita Hamaoui
- Rogério Medeiros
- Rafael Hayashi
- Lázaro Roberto
- Ivald Granato
- Felipe Rezende
- Andrea Brazil
- Darks Miranda
- Flávia Metzler
- Ivan Cardoso
- Yuli Yamagata
- Georg Heinrich von Langsdorff
- Ludwig Riedel
- Néster Rubtsov
- Aimé-Adrien Taunay
- Hercule Florence
- Wilhelmine von Langsdorff
- Francisco Brennand
- José Cláudio
- Flavia Renault
- Belony Ferreira
- Mestre Didi
- Paulo Pedro Leal
- Alberto Henschel
Institutions
- Sesc Pompeia
- Pinacoteca do Estado
- Museu do Homem do Nordeste
- Bienal de Veneza
- Hutukara
- CCPY (Comissão pela Criação Yanomami)
- Museu de Arte de São Paulo (MASP)
- Video nas Aldeias (VNA)
- Bienal de São Paulo
- Jamac (Jardim Miriam Arte Clube)
- Galeria Galatea Salvador
- Nara Roesler
- Sesc Sorocaba
- CAIXA Cultural São Paulo
- Centro Cultural Banco do Brasil Belo Horizonte (CCBB BH)
- MASP
- Janaina Torres Galeria
- FAMA Museu
- IMS - Instituto Moreira Salles
- DAN Galeria
- Casa de Cultura do Parque
- Biblioteca Brasiliana Guita e José Mindlin - USP
- Itaú Cultural
- Pina Luz
- Centro de Pesquisa e Formação do Sesc
- 10x10 Photobooks
- Getty Research Institute
- Museo Reina Sofía
- Rijksmuseum
- New York Public Library
- Instituto Hercule Florence
- Documenta Pantanal
- Centro Maria Antônia da USP
- Ilê Asipá
- Movimento Grevista Negro
- Phi Projetos
- Cinnamon
- Ateliê Marlene Barros
- Coletivo ZBM
- Silät
- Coleção Jorge M. Pérez
- El Espacio 23
- Galeria Estúdio Reverso
- NND|Azeco
- NONADA SP
- Simões de Assis
- Fonte
- Carmo Johnson Projects
- Secretaria da Cultura (Secultes)
- Fundo de Cultura do Estado do Espirito Santo (Funcultura)
- Política Nacional Aldir Blanc (PNAB)
- Ministério da Cultura (MINC)
- Midiateca Capixaba
- Instituto de Cultura Contemporânea (ICCo)
- Bibliothèque nationale de France (BnF)
- Universidade de Aveiro
- Universidade Federal do Espírito Santo
- Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro
- PGHEA-MAC/USP
Locations
- São Paulo
- Brazil
- Recife
- Pernambuco
- Salvador
- Bahia
- Veneza
- Italy
- Sorocaba
- Porto Feliz
- Mato Grosso
- Grão-Pará
- Argentina
- Paraguay
- Gran Chaco
- La Puntana
- United States
- New York
- Los Angeles
- Madrid
- Spain
- Amsterdam
- Netherlands
- Paris
- France
- Portugal
- Aveiro
- Algarve
- Miami
- EUA
- Tóquio
- Japan
- Mumbai
- India
- Pequim
- China
- Jacarta
- Indonesia
- Vitória
- Espírito Santo
- Belo Horizonte
- Minas Gerais
- Itu
- Campo Grande
- Mato Grosso do Sul
- Santo Antônio da Patrulha
- Rio Grande do Sul
- Rio de Janeiro
- Cameroon
- Fortaleza
- Ceará
- Ilha de Itaparica
- Recôncavo Baiano
- Switzerland
- Zurich
- Amazonas
- Pantanal
- Yanomami Indigenous Land