MASP Faces Censorship Allegations After Canceling Exhibition and Book Launch

Sandra Benites, the first Indigenous curator at a Brazilian museum, resigned from her position as adjunct curator at the Museu de Arte de São Paulo (MASP) following the institution's cancellation of a collective exhibition. The exhibition, part of the 'Histórias Brasileiras' series and co-curated by Benites and critic Clarissa Diniz, was suspended in July after MASP declared it impossible to display a photographic series about the Landless Workers' Movement (MST). The curators canceled the entire exhibition in response, arguing they were not informed of any missed deadlines and viewing the decision as political censorship. MASP stated the suspension was due to contractual deadlines for loan requests and licensing, denying censorship claims. Earlier in February, the museum canceled the launch of a book by Guilherme Boulos, a leader of the Homeless Workers' Movement (MTST) and federal deputy pre-candidate, citing a statute prohibiting political manifestations. The museum removed Benites and Diniz's names from the exhibition synopsis on its website. These incidents are framed within a broader context of bureaucratic censorship in Brazilian cultural institutions, referencing the Museu da República's interruption of cataloging the 'Coleção Nosso Sagrado', a collection of Afro-Brazilian art, following an order from the Instituto Brasileiro de Museus (Ibram).