Brazilian international art

I have borrowed this subtitle from the title of the book by the Brazilian critic Tadeu Chiarelli, exactly for the fact that it emphasizes the works of Brazilian artists who, like any other artist around the globe, absorb international discussions in a critical way, without disregarding local contributions. This consideration, although obvious, serves as a warning to avoid the simplistic readings of productions such as those of Brazil, and any others that establish a relation of exteriority between national and international, as the Henry Moore Institute’s exhibition EspaÁo Aberto/EspaÁo Fechado strives to clarify.


In order to clear up this issue, it is useful to explain that the obligation to search for a supposedly Brazilian identity, that is, the identification of local elements which differentiate an artwork from works produced in other parts of the world, is a theme that has caused real trauma for our artists, and this is the reason why I introduce it here. In fact, for Brazilian artists, until recently, the best strategy to escape the obligation of showing a ‘local colour’ - which is equivalent to an ‘exotic’ label that would identify them right away - was to claim that their art had nothing to do with their country. For instance, Hélio Oiticica and Cildo Meireles, who in 1970, when the military dictatorship and its national discourse broke out, were invited to take part in the Information exhibition at MoMA, New York, defended the idea that they were not representing Brazil. Was Oct?vio Paz defending the same idea at the beginning of his conference Latin American Poetry?, declaring: ‘I’m sure that there are some poems which have been written in the last 50 years by some Latin American poets, but I’m not sure if there is Latin American poetry’.


This problem has many ramifications. Brazilian and Latin American intellectuals, in other words, all those who don’t belong to the first world (and no doubt there is a first world), are always around with this type of demand. Even after the acceptance of multiculturalism and the correspondent verification that, concerning the cultural field, there is no centre. Even so, it is inconceivable for English, German or French intellectuals to try to prove the English, German or French character of their ideas.


On the other hand, after close examination, it stands to reason that it is a false issue. Any artist can only produce from where they are, out of their own experience, which certainly involves, even though not exclusively, the place where they live. It cannot be denied that Brazil has exotic aspects, especially if observed from the perspective of a European country (after all they are so different from each other). But it is always necessary to point out that when it comes to cultural issues, history prevails upon geography in the same way that information ends up changing the perception that one has of the place where they live.