Social Fabric: Art and Activism in Contemporary Brazil

Wed 22 Feb, 2023

Organized by Adele Nelson, Assistant Professor of Art History (UT Austin), and MacKenzie Stevens, Director of the Visual Arts Center, with María Emilia Fernández, Assistant Curator, Social Fabric showcases artists that understand art as a platform for critical engagement with historical, political, and cultural configurations of a particular place, and contribute to both local and global conversations about the state of democracy. By refusing to remain neutral and shedding light on histories of state-sanctioned oppression and persistent inequity, the artists in Social Fabric provide differing approaches towards activism and forge pathways towards justice and healing.

Spanning a wide range of media, including installation, painting, performance, photography, sculpture, and video, the exhibition features over 60 works of art and several new commissions. The exhibition is on view until March 10, 2023. Afterwards it will be on view at the Museu de Arte Contemporânea da Universidade de São Paulo (Museum of Contemporary Art of the University of São Paulo, MAC USP) in Brazil.

Artists: Aline Motta, Antonio Obá, Castiel Vitorino Brasileiro, Denilson Baniwa, Guerreiro do Divino Amor, Jaime Lauriano, Lais Myrrha, Maré de Matos, Rosana Paulino, Sallisa Rosa

Visual Arts Center
The University of Texas at Austin
Art Building
2301 San Jacinto Blvd
Austin, Texas 78712

utvac.org

Social Fabric: Art and Activism in Contemporary Brazil, installation view, Visual Arts Center, The University of Texas at Austin, September 23, 2022 – March 10, 2023. Photo: Sandy Carson

Rosana Paulino, Tecelãs [Weavers], 2003 (detail). Faience, terracotta, cotton and synthetic thread Approximately 500 pieces, dimensions variable Collection of Inhotim Institute, Minas Gerais. Social Fabric: Art and Activism in Contemporary Brazil, installation view, Visual Arts Center, The University of Texas at Austin, September 23, 2022 – March 10, 2023. Photo: Sandy Carson

Social Fabric: Art and Activism in Contemporary Brazil, installation view, Visual Arts Center, The University of Texas at Austin, September 23, 2022 – March 10, 2023. Photo: Sandy Carson

Sallisa Rosa, Resistencia [Resistance], 2017- present. Inkjet prints on paper, wheat paste. Dimensions vary. Courtesy of the artist. Social Fabric: Art and Activism in Contemporary Brazil, installation view, Visual Arts Center, The University of Texas at Austin, September 23, 2022 – March 10, 2023. Photo: Sandy Carson

Social Fabric: Art and Activism in Contemporary Brazil, installation view, Visual Arts Center, The University of Texas at Austin, September 23, 2022 – March 10, 2023. Photo: Sandy Carson

Rosana Paulino, Búfala e senhora das plantas [Buffalo and Lady of Plants], 2021 (detail). Offset artist book. 11 7/16 x 9 1/16 x 5/16 in. (29 x 23 x 0.8 cm. Social Fabric: Art and Activism in Contemporary Brazil, installation view, Visual Arts Center, The University of Texas at Austin, September 23, 2022 – March 10, 2023. Photo: Sandy Carson

Social Fabric: Art and Activism in Contemporary Brazil, installation view, Visual Arts Center, The University of Texas at Austin, September 23, 2022 – March 10, 2023. Photo: Sandy Carson

Aline Motta, Pontes sobre Abismos [Bridges over the Abyss], 2017. 8:28 min. Three-channel video installation, color, sound. Courtesy of the artist. Social Fabric: Art and Activism in Contemporary Brazil, installation view, Visual Arts Center, The University of Texas at Austin, September 23, 2022 – March 10, 2023. Photo: Sandy Carson

Aline Motta. (Outros) Fundamentos #4 [(Other) Foundations #4], 2017-2019. Inkjet print on paper. 27 9/16 x 49 3/16 in. (70 x 125 cm). Courtesy of the artist. Social Fabric: Art and Activism in Contemporary Brazil, installation view, Visual Arts Center, The University of Texas at Austin, September 23, 2022 – March 10, 2023. Photo: Sandy Carson

Maré de Matos, Fundamento [Foundation], 2019. Paint on canvas, fabric, clay, wood, acrylic panel, LED sign, video, color, sound. 118 1/8 x 196 7/8 in. (300 x 500 cm). Courtesy of the artist. Social Fabric: Art and Activism in Contemporary Brazil, installation view, Visual Arts Center, The University of Texas at Austin, September 23, 2022 – March 10, 2023. Photo: Sandy Carson

Traducción: Nicolás Gelormini