HEKLER MEDIUM: AnnexB’s Forum Against Nostalgia
November 30, 2018 * 7-10pm * HEKLER, Gowanus, Brooklyn
HEKLER MEDIUM: AnnexB Forum PROTIV NOSTALGIJE
30. novembar, 2018 * 19-22h * HEKLER, Gowanus, Brooklyn
AnnexB Forum’s public programming, the recently-formed workgroup Art and Culture in Contexts of Authoritarianism (ACCA) was invited to present a seminar-based panel Against Nostalgia as a part of HEKLER Medium series. ACCA members, Raphaela Melsohn (Artist), Yudi Rafael (Curator, PhD Student Columbia University), Tatiane Santa Rosa (AnnexB Creative Director, PhD Candidate UC Santa Cruz), and Felipe Steinberg (Artist), presented cases relevant to present and past contexts of authoritarianism in Brazil, in relation to Latin America, and the US. We are grateful to the special participation of artist Cyriaco Lopes, Associate Professor of Photography and Deputy Chair of the Art and Music Department at John Jay College/The City University of New York.
The forum is conceived as a space for generative conversation: to share readings, artworks, visual/activist/cultural/practices, and discuss ways that professionals working within the arts can create collective and/or individual responses to the global political climate.
Presentations
Cyriaco Lopes
“Crimes Against Love”
Brazil has sanctioned same-sex civil unions throughout its territory and hosts the largest Gay Pride parade in the world. At the same time, the country has one of the highest rates of violence against homosexuals. Crimes Against Love memorializes some of these victims of intolerance.
Each piece juxtaposes large format images of ravaged sculptures taken from Greco-Roman and Medieval collections of preeminent museums, all printed on fabric, with micro narratives taken from the newspapers. A law that would criminalize homophobia has been proposed in 2001 and is yet to be voted on by Congress. Recently-elected president, Jair Bolsonaro, has threaten the Brazilian LGBTQ+ community by supporting this law.
In his performative talk at HEKLER, Lopes presented images of Greco-Roman and Medieval sculptures projected in the space. During the projection, he read excerpts of texts describing different crimes committed against homosexuals in Brazil. While reading each excerpt, often on his knees, Lopes held hands with a member from the audience. This gesture evokes images depicted in ancient Greek marble steles in which loved ones appear holding hands as a last farewell to the dying person. Many excerpts Lopes read describe the death of children who were killed due to their family members’ homophobia. By evoking such a loving gesture, Lopes pays a homage to these victims––a last goodbye.
Additional Material: http://cyriacolopes.com/crimes-against-love/
Tatiane Santa Rosa
“Indigenous Visual Culture of Activism”
http://havc.ucsc.edu/people/students/tatiane-rosa
In the 1960s and 1970s, the military turned its gaze towards the Amazon and the Northwestern areas of Brazil and, replicating the colonial paradigm, they understood those vast areas as terra nulis to be conquered. This time though, the regime had the support of eager agribusiness and elites fed by the discourses of progress and economic development of the 1950s, which had championed modernization. “Pacify to Integrate” was the motto of the Brazilian military dictatorship: the regime sought to “erase” conflicts in indigenous lands in order to occupy those territories. The actual number of indigenous peoples killed during the regime is still being examined by the National Commission of Truth in Brazil. Integration meant that indigenous peoples had to become part of the nation, or “useful citizens,” and for that to happen their ways of living would have to disappear. This presentation focused on one of the most iconic protests in the history of indigenous activism in Brazil, performed by indigenous leader Ailton Krenak, investigating what were the notions of “being indigenous” that Krenak articulated through his protest.
Further Material: ÍNDIO CIDADÃO? - Grito 3 Ailton Krenak
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kWMHiwdbM_Q
Felipe Steinberg
“Against Spontaneity, Institutional Organization as a Form of Resistance"
Felipe Steinberg’s talk, "Against Spontaneity, Institutional Organization as a Form of Resistance", focused on the potential counterproductive forces which can come out of spontaneous/pop ups demonstrations under this particular context in Brazil. The aim was to look at historical cases and possibilities of long term institutional engagements, where praxis becomes reference.
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AnnexB is the first NYC-based organization to offer an art residency exclusively for Brazilian artists living in Brazil and across the world. AnnexB’s mission is carried out through three pillars: art residency, public programs, and public art. www.annexb.net
Art and Culture in Contexts of Authoritarianism (ACCA) is a workgroup started in 2018 by Raphaela Melsohn (Artist), Yudi Rafael (Curator, PhD Student Columbia University), Tatiane Santa Rosa (AnnexB Creative Director, PhD Candidate UC Santa Cruz), and Felipe Steinberg (Artist) that focuses on studying, discussing, and articulating collective and/or individual responses to contexts of authoritarianism.
HEKLER MEDIUM: organizes round-table discussions, exhibitions, and podcasts that examine the origins, mutations, and consequences of contemporary conflicts through an interdisciplinary lens generating alternative educational environments where presentation, discussion, and cross-pollination of ideas relevant to contributing political contexts can take place.
The events are hosted by HEKLER or collaborators. The team provides organizing support in close dialogue with the collaborator(s). The events can be invitation only or open to the public, depending on the agreement.
AnnexB Forum, nedavno formiran program radne grupe Umetnost i kultura u kontekstu autoritarnosti (ACCA) pozvan je da predstavi panel-seminar Protiv nostalgije kao deo serije HEKLER Medium. Članovi ACCA, Raphaela Melsohn (umetnica), Judi Rafael (kustos, doktorant Kolumbija univerziteta), Tatiane Santa Rosa (kreativna direktorka AnnexB, doktorantica UC Santa Cruz) i Felipe Steinberg (umetnik), predstavili su slučajeve relevantne za sadašnji i prošli kontekst autoritarizma u Brazilu, u odnosu na Latinsku Ameriku i SAD. Zahvalni smo na posebnom učešću umetnika Sirijaka Lopesa, vanrednog profesora fotografije i zamenika predsednika Odseka za umetnost i muziku na Džon Džej koledžu/Gradskom univerzitetu Njujorka.
Forum je zamišljen kao prostor za generativnu konverzaciju: za deljenje čitanja, umetničkih dela, vizuelnih/aktivističkih/kulturnih praksi i diskusija o načinima na koje profesionalci koji rade u polju umetnosti mogu da kreiraju kolektivne i/ili pojedinačne odgovore na globalnu političku klimu.
Prezentacije
Ciriaco Lopes
"Zločini protiv ljubavi"
Brazil je sankcionisao istopolne građanske zajednice širom svoje teritorije i domaćin je najveće gej parade na svetu. Istovremeno, zemlja ima jednu od najvećih stopa nasilja nad homoseksualcima i homoseksualkama. Zločini protiv ljubavi spominju neke od ovih žrtava netolerancije.
Svaki komad suprotstavlja slike razorenih skulptura velikog formata preuzetih iz grčko-rimskih i srednjovekovnih zbirki eminentnih muzeja, sve štampane na tkanini, sa mikro narativima preuzetim iz novina. Zakon koji bi kriminalizovao homofobiju predložen je 2001. godine i tek treba da ga izglasa Kongres. Nedavno izabrani predsednik Žair Bolsonaro zapretio je brazilskoj LGBTK+ zajednici podržavši ovaj zakon.
U svom performativnom govoru u HEKLER-u, Lopes je predstavio slike grčko-rimskih i srednjovekovnih skulptura projektovanih u prostoru. Tokom projekcije čitao je odlomke tekstova koji opisuju različite zločine počinjene nad homoseksualcima i homoseksualkama u Brazilu. Dok je čitao svaki odlomak, često na kolenima, Lopes se držao za ruke sa prisutnima u publici. Ovaj gest evocira slike prikazane na drevnim grčkim mermernim stelama na kojima se pojavljuju voljeni ljudi držeći se za ruke kao poslednji oproštaj od umiruće osobe. Mnogi odlomci koje je Lopes pročitao opisuju smrt dece koja su ubijena zbog homofobije članova njihovih porodica. Prizivajući takav gest pun ljubavi, Lopes odaje počast ovim žrtvama – poslednje zbogom.
Dodatni materijal: http://cyriacolopes.com/crimes-against-love/
Tatiane Santa Rosa
“Indigenous Visual Culture of Activism”
http://havc.ucsc.edu/people/students/tatiane-rosa
Tokom 1960-ih i 1970-ih, vojska je okrenula svoj pogled ka Amazoniji i severozapadnim oblastima Brazila i, replicirajući kolonijalnu paradigmu, shvatila te ogromne oblasti kao terra nulis koje treba osvojiti. Ovog puta, međutim, režim je imao podršku željnog agrobiznisa i elita hranjenih diskursima napretka i ekonomskog razvoja 1950-ih, koji su zagovarali modernizaciju. „Pacifikujte da se integrišete“ bio je moto brazilske vojne diktature: režim je nastojao da „izbriše“ sukobe u domorodačkim teritorijama kako bi ih okupirao. Stvarni broj domorodačkih naroda ubijenih tokom režima još uvek ispituje Nacionalna komisija za istinu u Brazilu. Integracija je značila da autohtoni narodi moraju da postanu deo nacije, ili „korisni građani“, a da bi se to desilo njihov način života bi morao da nestane. Ova prezentacija se fokusirala na jedan od najznačajnijih protesta u istoriji autohtonog aktivizma u Brazilu, koji je izveo vođa domorodaca Ailton Krenak, istražujući pojam „biti autohtoni“ koje je Krenak artikulisao kroz svoj protest.
Dodatni materijal: ÍNDIO CIDADÃO? - Grito 3 Ailton Krenak
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kWMHiwdbM_Q
Felipe Steinberg
„Protiv spontanosti, institucionalna organizacija kao oblik otpora“
Govor Felipea Steinberga, „Protiv spontanosti, institucionalna organizacija kao oblik otpora“, fokusirao se na potencijalne kontraproduktivne sile koje mogu proizaći iz spontanih/iskačućih demonstracija u ovom konkretnom kontekstu u Brazilu. Cilj je bio da se sagledaju istorijski slučajevi i mogućnosti dugoročnih institucionalnih angažmana, gde praksis postaje referenca.
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AnnexB je prva organizacija sa sedištem u Njujorku koja nudi umetničke rezidencije isključivo za brazilske umetnike i umetnice koji žive u Brazilu i širom sveta. Misija AnnexB se sprovodi kroz tri stuba: umetnička rezidencija, javni programi i javna umetnost. www.annexb.net
Umetnost i kultura u kontekstu autoritarizma (ACCA) je radna grupa koju su 2018. godine pokrenuli Raphaela Melsohn (umetnica), Iudi Rafael (kustos, doktorand Kolumbija univerzitet), Tatiane Santa Rosa (AnnekB kreativni direktor, doktorantica UC Santa Cruz) i Felipe Steinberg (umetnik) koji se fokusira na proučavanje, diskusiju i artikulisanje kolektivnih i/ili individualnih odgovora na kontekst autoritarnosti.
HEKLER MEDIUM: organizuje okrugle stolove, izložbe i podkaste koji istražuju poreklo, mutacije i posledice savremenih konflikta kroz interdisciplinarnu prizmu sa namerom da stvari alternativna obrazovna okruženja u kojima se predstavljaju, diskutuju i ukrštaju ideja relevantne za prisutne političke kontekste.
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