Sesc 24 de Maio hosts 'Raio-que-o-parta' with 200 artists reexamining Brazilian modernism

The exhibition 'Raio-que-o-parta: ficções do moderno no Brasil' opened at Sesc 24 de Maio, featuring 650 works by 200 artists from across Brazil. Curated by Aldrin Figueiredo, Clarissa Diniz, Divino Sobral, Marcelo Campos, Paula Ramos, and Raphael Fonseca, with consultancy by Fernanda Pitta, the show critically revisits the centenary of the 1922 Modern Art Week. Organized into four modules—Deixa falar; Centauros iconoclastas; Eu vou reunir, eu vou guarnecer; and Vândalos do apocalipse—it emphasizes previously marginalized artists outside the Rio-São Paulo axis. A video by Danielle Fonseca documents vernacular architectural practices from Belém do Pará. Works include a 1973 floral tapestry by Dorian Gray (1930-2017), a 1930s felt collage by Regina Gomide Graz (1897-1973), and silver vessels by Maria Hirsch da Silva Braga (1875-1960), which are now questioned for cultural appropriation. Paintings by José Antonio da Silva (1909-1996), such as 'Trem e Lavoura' (1959), critique modernist progress and agribusiness. The exhibition also includes Dimitri Ismailovitch's (1892-1976) 1940 triptych 'Sôdade de Cordão'. Through decolonial texts and a modest architectural display, the exhibition positions itself as a form of reparation, shifting focus from canonical figures like Tarsila do Amaral and Anita Malfatti.