Márcio Almeida's 'Nheë Nheë Nheë' at Sesc Santo Amaro Explores Tropical Idleness and Labor

Márcio Almeida's exhibition 'Nheë Nheë Nheë, Genealogia do Ócio Tropical' at Sesc Santo Amaro in Recife invites visitors to embrace idleness as a creative and political act. The show, curated by Beano de Borba, critiques Western labor systems through four installations that trace work relations from Brazil's colonial period to the present. The title piece, 'Nheë Nheë Nheë,' consists of thirteen delicate works made from olive branches, shovels, and iron hoes. Another installation, 'Nosso Descanso é Carregar Pedras,' features time cards from hospitals overlaid with watercolor images of stones, symbolizing biblical-era slavery. 'Waiting for Work' presents ten photographs capturing workers' rest moments after lunch, while 'Truck Sistem' addresses debt servitude through about thirty collected and graphed carbon papers. The exhibition draws on philosophical references from Antonio Negri and Hannah Arendt, and its title originates from the indigenous term 'Ñheé,' meaning speech, referencing forced catechization. Almeida developed the work during a residency at Usina de Arte Santa Terezinha in the Zona da Mata region of southern Pernambuco. The show runs until September 28, 2024.