Rio de Janeiro Exhibitions Confront Political Violence and Social Conflict

Two exhibitions in Rio de Janeiro directly address Brazil's political and social violence, a theme often absent from the country's vibrant art scene despite recent São Paulo Bienals tackling it. 'Arte Democracia Utopia – Quem não luta tá morto' at the Museu de Arte do Rio, curated by Moacir dos Anjos, runs until May 2019. It features over 50 artists and collectives, including Clara Ianni and Débora Maria da Silva's video 'Apelo' from the 2014 Bienal de São Paulo, and works by Claudia Andujar and Rosângela Rennó. The show critiques institutional structures, with built additions to the museum's glass walls creating new entry points and meeting spaces. Concurrently, 'Com o ar pesado demais para respirar' at Galeria ATHENA, curated by Lisette Lagnado, runs from September 20 to November 24. It presents works by gallery artists like Frederico Filippi, whose steel plate piece gives the show its title and references the fire at Rio's Museu Nacional, and André Griffo, who critiques a white elite. Historical artists such as Antonio Dias, Antonio Manuel, Rubens Gerchman, and Artur Barrio are also included, linking current tensions to the 1960s and 70s. These exhibitions emerge as Rio remains under federal intervention, unresolved in the murders of Marielle Franco and Anderson Pedro Gomes, and amid a politically divided nation.