Hélio Menezes Assumes Direction of Museu Afro Brasil with Plans for Contemporary Focus and 20th Anniversary Program
Hélio Menezes, aged 37, has been appointed as the new artistic director of Museu Afro Brasil in São Paulo, taking over from the late founder Emanoel Araujo (1940-2022). With a 12-year tenure at the museum, which is celebrating its 20th anniversary, Menezes is also a curator and a doctoral candidate in Anthropology. His previous experiences include serving as curator for the 35th Bienal de São Paulo (2023) and co-curating Histórias Afro-Atlânticas (2018). The museum, now known as Museu Afro Brasil Emanoel Araujo, benefits from an annual budget of R$13 million from the Secretaria de Cultura do Estado de São Paulo and attracted 150,000 visitors in 2023. Menezes aims to foster contemporary connections and promote public dialogue while addressing racism thoughtfully.
Key facts
- Hélio Menezes, 37, became artistic director of Museu Afro Brasil five months ago.
- The museum, founded by Emanoel Araujo, is celebrating its 20th anniversary in 2024.
- It has a collection of about 10,000 artworks and thousands of books/documents.
- The institution receives R$13 million annually from São Paulo state's culture secretariat.
- Menezes removed explicit slavery torture instruments from display to avoid reenacting violence.
- Four temporary exhibitions are currently on view, including works by contemporary artists from Benin.
- A year-long program of events, debates, and shows will mark the anniversary starting in October.
- The museum is located in Parque Ibirapuera, an area with low Black population and transport access issues.
Entities
Artists
- Hélio Menezes
- Emanoel Araujo
- Aurelino dos Santos
- Rommulo Vieira Conceição
- Claudinei Roberto da Silva
- Wagner Celestino
- Vanicléia Silva-Santos
- Abdias Nascimento
- Denise Ferreira da Silva
- Jair Bolsonaro
- Anna Atkins
- Elizabeth B. Brownell
- Eslanda Cardozo Goode Robeson
- Annette Messager
- Angèle Etoundi Essamba
- Hiromix
- Claudia Andujar
- Maureen Bisilliat
- Gretta Sarfaty
- Vilma Slomp
- Claudia Jaguaribe
- Anna Mariani
- Stefania Bril
Institutions
- Museu Afro Brasil
- Museu Afro Brasil Emanoel Araujo
- 35ª Bienal de São Paulo
- Centro Cultural São Paulo
- MASP
- Instituto Tomie Ohtake
- Secretaria de Cultura do Estado de São Paulo
- Parque Ibirapuera
- Museu de Arte Negra
- Museu Afro-Brasileiro (Salvador)
- Museu de Laranjeiras
- Museu do Negro (Rio de Janeiro)
- Ilê Asipá
- 10x10 Photobooks
- Biblioteca de Fotografia do IMS
- Getty Research Institute
- Museo Reina Sofía
- Rijksmuseum
- New York Public Library
- Paris Photo
Locations
- São Paulo
- Brazil
- Salvador
- Bahia
- Porto Feliz
- São Paulo (state)
- Mato Grosso
- Grão-Pará
- Paraguay
- Argentina
- Gran Chaco
- Nova York
- Los Angeles
- Madri
- Amsterdã
- Algarve
- Portugal
- Moema
- Jardins
- Vila Madalena
- Barra Funda
- Centro
- Bela Vista
- Bom Retiro
- Funcionários
- Belo Horizonte
- Minas Gerais
- Vitória
- Espírito Santo
- Sorocaba
- Itu
- Santo Antônio da Patrulha
- Rio Grande do Sul
- Recife
- Pernambuco
- Ipojuca
- La Puntana
- Aveiro
- Sergipe
- Rio de Janeiro
- Tóquio
- Mumbai
- Pequim
- Jacarta
- Miami
- Florida
- EUA
- Switzerland