IMS Paulista Examines Urban Contradictions in 'Moderna pelo avesso'

The Instituto Moreira Salles (IMS Paulista) presents 'Moderna pelo avesso: fotografia e cidade, Brasil, 1890-1930', an exhibition curated by Heloisa Espada with assistance from Beatriz Matuck. The show explores the relationship between photography, silent cinema, and urban culture, revealing the contradictions of modernization projects in Brazil. It features 311 images in various formats—postcards, albums, stereoscopies, magic lantern projections, and films—drawn from the IMS collection and 28 other institutional and private collections, including Fundação Joaquim Nabuco, Fundação Biblioteca Nacional, Museu Paraense Emílio Goeldi, and Museu de Porto Alegre Joaquim Felizardo. The exhibition covers cities such as Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, Porto Alegre, Recife, Belém, and Belo Horizonte. It highlights urban reforms like the 'bota-abaixo' (1903–1908) that displaced low-income populations and destroyed colonial heritage, and the founding of Belo Horizonte in 1897. The show also includes films such as 'Cerâmica Horizontina' (1920) by Igino Bonfioli, depicting child labor, and photographs by Augusto Malta of Rio's beaches. The exhibition concludes with excerpts from Mario Peixoto's 1931 film 'Limite', with cinematography by Edgard Brasil. On view until February 26, 2023, at Avenida Paulista, 2424, São Paulo, with free admission.