Grada Kilomba's 'O Barco – Ato II' Performance at Inhotim Engages Local Brazilian Artists

Portuguese artist Grada Kilomba presented the second act of her large-scale installation 'O Barco' at Inhotim in Minas Gerais, Brazil, on February 7, 2024, with public performances on February 8 and 9. The work, which debuted in April 2024, features 134 burnt wood blocks arranged over 32 meters, evoking the holds of transatlantic slave ships. A poem inscribed in golden oil paint across the blocks is translated into six languages: Yorubá, Cape Verdean Creole, Kimbundu, Portuguese, English, and Syrian Arabic. For 'Ato II,' Kilomba collaborated with a new ensemble of 19 performers, including 12 Brazilian residents of Minas Gerais, moving away from the primarily Portuguese cast of the first act. She described her artworks as 'living objects' and emphasized creating a dialogue with the territory, fostering a diasporic vocabulary that transcends nationalism. The installation's local production of the wood blocks, rather than transporting them, strengthened the museum team's connection to the piece, according to Inhotim's artistic director Júlia Rebouças. Kilomba, who identifies themes of violence and repetition in her work, stated that the performance offers a 'dignified burial' for collective trauma. She expressed profound happiness from the artistic exchanges, noting the ensemble's extension into local quilombos, communities, and terreiros.