The iconography and the many forms of expression of the maternal figure are part of a set of more than 100 works of art that make up the new exhibition at the Museu Afro Brasil Emanoel Araújo, in Ibirapuera Park, São Paulo. Curated by Claudinei Roberto da Silva, the show Mães - no imaginário da arte also marks the opening of the 2023 season of temporary exhibitions, the first with brand-new shows since the death of the museum's founder, the artist Emanoel Araújo.
Spanning sculptures, paintings, murals, drawings and prints, Mães brings together artists such as Aline Bispo, Bruno Giorgi, Candido Portinari, Claudia Andujar, Di Cavalcanti, Flávio de Carvalho, Gilda Vogt, Jean-Baptiste Debret, José Pancetti, Mário Zanini, Marjô Mizumoto, Pierre Verger, Povo Yombe and Rosana Paulino.
Claudinei Roberto da Silva's curation
Claudinei Roberto da Silva returns to the museum, now as the institution's guest curator for the 2023 season. He previously worked in collaboration with Emanoel Araújo on other Afro Brasil exhibitions. In this show, he highlights "the centrality of the maternal figure since the dawn of humanity, with the first pictorial or sculptural representations of the 'Great Mother', the mythical and fundamental provider of life".
The logistics of bringing together more than 100 works
Bringing together a collection of large dimensions required logistical support from Clé Chenue do Brasil. Once each work was chosen, with the authorization of private collectors or museums, the team determined the best conditions for packing, transport and unpacking for installation in the exhibition.
From colonial art to the mães de santo
The broad scope of the selected works offers visitors a perspective that embraces Brazilian colonial, academic, modern and contemporary art. And, according to the curator, it aligns with the museum's mission by showing the role played by mothers among Afro-descendants in Brazil and in other territories of the African diaspora, reaching beyond the family sphere and highlighting the figure of the mães de santo.
"The imposing ialorixás, matriarchs who govern the spiritual and social life of entire communities and who, for a very long time, have resisted, nurtured and encouraged the construction of the complex networks of relationships that create histories and memories," says Claudinei in the text that opens the exhibition.
How to visit
The Museu Afro Brasil is open Tuesday to Sunday, from 10:00 to 17:00, with visitors allowed to remain until 18:00. Tickets cost R$ 15.00, with half-price admission at R$ 7.50. Admission is free on Wednesdays. Information on the museum's website.
