Papers by Alice Heeren
Arts
This article examines contemporary artists’ appropriation of the city of Brasília to critique Bra... more This article examines contemporary artists’ appropriation of the city of Brasília to critique Brazil’s continued reliance on the “unfinished” project of modernity. Exploring the construction of the scenography of Brasília and its resonance with the architecture and organization of space in the colonial plantations, the works of contemporary artists Lais Myrrha (Estudo de Caso [Case Study], Estudo para um Futuro Construído [Study for a Constructed Future]), and Talles Lopes (Construção Brasileira [Brazil Builds]) allows us to reconnect Brasília with the backdrop that gave rise to this ideal. These works invoke the reconciliation of the colonial matrix of power in Lucio Costa’s discourse about modernist architecture in Brazil, of which Brasília is the culmination. Myrrha’s and Lopes’ works show that the history and legacy of Brasília, not only as an idea but also as form, are embedded in the Brazilian imaginary and built environment in the contemporary moment.
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Arts, 2023
This article examines contemporary artists’ appropriation of the city of Brasília to critique Bra... more This article examines contemporary artists’ appropriation of the city of Brasília to critique Brazil’s continued reliance on the “unfinished” project of modernity. Exploring the construction of the scenography of Brasília and its resonance with the architecture and organization of space in the colonial plantations, the works of contemporary artists Lais Myrrha (Estudo de Caso [Case Study], Estudo para um Futuro Construído [Study for a Constructed Future]), and Talles Lopes (Construção Brasileira [Brazil Builds]) allows us to reconnect Brasília with the backdrop that gave rise to this ideal. These works invoke the reconciliation of the colonial matrix of power in Lucio Costa’s discourse about modernist architecture in Brazil, of which Brasília is the culmination. Myrrha’s and Lopes’ works show that the history and legacy of Brasília, not only as an idea but also as form, are embedded in the Brazilian imaginary and built environment in the contemporary moment.
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Latin American and Latinx Visual Culture, 2020
This article focuses on the photographs of Augusto Malta, the official photographer of the city o... more This article focuses on the photographs of Augusto Malta, the official photographer of the city of Rio de Janeiro, made between 1904 and 1929. It departs from the work of Brian Massumi, Sara Ahmed, and Anna Gibbs on affect theory to argue that Malta's images were responsible for supporting a rhetoric of contagion used to justify the violent biopolitical policies of the Brazilian republican government. Furthermore, I assert that this rhetoric depended on the mobilization by Malta of affects widely circulated in the popular media of the period. This study aims to bring affect theory into dialog with the vast body of existing historical, visual, and sociological literature on the so-called Brazilian Belle Époque. This period in the history of Brazil, and especially of Rio de Janeiro, has been amply studied by scholars from diverse disciplines. Nevertheless , engagement with theories of affectivity and the work of Malta, especially in English-speaking scholarship, remains limited. This article speaks to the implication of photography, architecture, and urban planning in medical and biopolitical discourses, contributing to the study of the mechanisms that produce and reproduce myths of progress and the emancipating power of reason in early twentieth-century Latin America. KEYWORDS Rio de Janeiro, photography, affect theory, Augusto Malta, biopolitics RESUMEN Este artículo se centra en las fotografías de Augusto Malta-el fotógrafo oficial de la ciudad de Río de Janeiro-realizadas entre 1904 y 1929. Toma distancia con respecto al trabajo sobre la teoría del afecto de Brian Massumi, Sara Ahmed y Anna Gibbs para argumentar que las imágenes de Malta brindaron un apoyo efectivo a una retórica de contagio utilizada para justificar las violentas medidas biopolíticas del gobierno republicano de Brasil. Además, afirmo que esta retórica dependía de la movilización por parte de Malta de los afectos ampliamente difundidos en los medios populares de la época. Este estudio tiene como objetivo poner la teoría del afecto en diálogo con el vasto corpus de literatura histórica, visual y sociológica existente sobre la llamada Belle Époque brasileña. Este período en la historia de Brasil, y especialmente de Río de Janeiro, ha sido ampliamente estudiado por académicos de diversas disciplinas. Sin embargo, especialmente en la academia de habla inglesa, hay pocos trabajos que estudien la obra de Malta a la luz de las teorías de la afectividad. Este artículo habla de la implicación de la fotografía, la arquitectura y la planificación urbana en los discursos médicos y biopolíticos, contribuyendo así al estudio de los mecanismos que producen y reproducen mitos del progreso y el poder emancipador de la razón en la América Latina de principios del siglo XX. PALABRAS CLAVE Río de Janeiro, fotografía, teoría del afecto, Augusto Malta, biopolítica RESUMO Este artigo se foca nas fotografias de Augusto Malta, o fotógrafo oficial da cidade do Rio de Janeiro, realizadas entre 1904 e 1908. Partindo do trabalho de Sara Ahmed e Anna Gibbs sobre a teoria do afeto, argumenta-se que as imagens de Malta serviram para apoiar uma retórica do contágio usada para justificar políticas biopolíticas violentas do governo brasileiro republicano. Ademais, eu afirmo que esta retórica dependeu da mobilização por Malta de afetos largamente circulados na mídia popular daquele período. O objetivo desse estudo é colocar a teoria do afeto em diálogo com o vasto corpo de literatura histórica, visual e sociológica existente sobre a dita Belle Époque brasileira. Esse período da história do Brasil, e especialmente do Rio de Janeiro, tem sido amplamente estudado por acadêmicos de diversas disciplinas. No entanto, o envolvimento com as teorias da afetividade e o trabalho de Malta, especialmente na produção acadêmica em inglês, permanece limitado. Este artigo endereça a implicação da fotografia, da arquitetura e do planejamento urbano em discursos médicos e biopoliticos, contribuindo para o estudo de mecanismos que produzem e reproduzem mitos de progresso e do poder emancipatório da razão na América Latina do início do século XX. PALAVRAS-CHAVE Rio de Janeiro, fotografia, teoria do afeto, Augusto Malta, biopolítica A sharp diagonal composition marks Augusto Malta's photograph of Rio de Janeiro's Morro do Castello (fig. ). The image contrasts the poorly maintained housing structures of the morro on the right with the city's bay and the bright sky stretching beyond the frame to the left. The precarious structures presented by Malta and the bodies inhabiting 47
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Mario Cravo Neto is one of the most important contemporary photographers in Brazil. His works sho... more Mario Cravo Neto is one of the most important contemporary photographers in Brazil. His works show a complex marriage of aesthetic lyricism, sculptural monumentality, and afro- Brazilian themes. In this paper, I am interested in comparisons that have been resisted by other scholars of Cravo Neto’s work. Particularly, I focus on the way his photographs work against the documentary and ethnographic tradition in Brazil. By looking at a series of earlier works by Cravo Neto, I will argue that the legacy of the Black Atlantic archive is an undercurrent in the artist’s work that at times transpires in eloquent ways.
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Part of re-bus: a journal of art history and theory from the University of Essex's Special Issue ... more Part of re-bus: a journal of art history and theory from the University of Essex's Special Issue “Cultural Production in the 20th and 21st Centuries: Art Collectives, Institutions, Culture Industry”
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The Instituto Cultural Inhotim is the largest collection of contemporary art in Brazil. The museu... more The Instituto Cultural Inhotim is the largest collection of contemporary art in Brazil. The museum's spatial configuration is defined by an inside/outside dichotomy and influenced by the compositional signature of landscape designer Roberto Burle Marx. This organization of space and works from artists such as Chris Burden, Cildo Meireles and Doris Salcedo open another way of engaging in critical examinations of history and trauma. Through technologies of affect, the museum provides glimpses into histories of atrocities, while the idyllic landscape of the museum and the White Cube gallery model threaten to numb the viewer to the poignancy of the artworks.
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Materiais e Técnicas Pistóricas no Brasil do Século XX: O Impacto da Semana da Arte Moderna de 1922 e da Segunda Guerra Mundial na Produção Artística Nacional, 2007
A caracterização detalhada dos materiais presentes em uma obra de arte, assim como o conhecimen... more A caracterização detalhada dos materiais presentes em uma obra de arte, assim como o conhecimento da época de introdução daquele material nas obras de uma região, é fundamental para a realização de tratamentos de conservação e restauração, além de ser de vital importância para processos de autoria e datação de obras.
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Artelogie
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In the Entrance Figure series, one of the first major works of Brazilian contemporary artist Adri... more In the Entrance Figure series, one of the first major works of Brazilian contemporary artist Adriana Varejão, the female body is the canvas on which the artist challenges the historical and artistic canon. It is where the oscillation between the noble savage - in the form of the maternal and domestic muse - and the cannibal - symbolized by the perverse, macabre flesh-eating native - converge and conflate. This article examines how Varejão questions purity in the construction of a shared identity by using multiple iconographical references in her Entrance Figures. By highlighting the layered nature of the notion of Brazilianess, what Varejão proposes is that the construction of a modern national identity is a process that brings together disparate pasts and visions of the future.
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Book chapters by Alice Heeren
Arte Concreta e Vertentes Construtivas: Teoria, Crítica e História da Arte Técnica, 2018
A corrente de movimentos abstrato-concretos pode ser vista como
a mais marcante no Brasil e na Am... more A corrente de movimentos abstrato-concretos pode ser vista como
a mais marcante no Brasil e na América Latina a partir do meio do século XX. Dois aspectos dessa corrente foram abordados neste estudo. Inicialmente, uma discussão da complexa questão terminológica e, em seguida, eventos e atores que ainda não foram amplamente estudados pela literatura, ou ainda, foram apagados da narrativa sobre o momento abstrato-concreto no país. Entre eles estão os Salões de Maio e o papel de indivíduos como Jacob Ruchti. Uma revisão do cânone do universo abs- trato-concreto no Brasil necessita de uma compreensão mais profunda dessas referências ainda pouco estudadas, além de uma ampla discussão da questão terminológica central em qualquer debate sobre o movimen- to.
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Chapter published in Dolor, represión y censura política en la cultura del siglo XX edited by Dav... more Chapter published in Dolor, represión y censura política en la cultura del siglo XX edited by David Martín López. Este libro ha sido realizado en el marco del proyecto HAR2012-31321 El artista y dolor: el sufrimiento como límite de la representación artística contemporânea, financiado por el Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad, adscrito al Departamento de Historia del Arte de la Universidad de Granada.
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Chapter in Brazil, an anthology by ABC-Clio organized by Luciano Tosta and Eduardo Coutinho. This... more Chapter in Brazil, an anthology by ABC-Clio organized by Luciano Tosta and Eduardo Coutinho. This chapter focuses on the history of Brazilian art from indigenous to contemporary.
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Reviews by Alice Heeren
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caa.reviews, 2018
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Encyclopedia Entries by Alice Heeren
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<jats:p>Lygia Clark was born in 1920 in Belo Horizonte, Brazil. She studied with Roberto Bu... more <jats:p>Lygia Clark was born in 1920 in Belo Horizonte, Brazil. She studied with Roberto Burle Marx before leaving for Europe to learn from Fernand Léger. During the 1950s she was part of the Grupo Frente and like other artists in the group she would soon begin to subvert the rationalist premises of concrete art and experiment with materials, space, and collaborative practices. From the early stages of her abstract art, Clark was concerned with the need for totality in her work, and for creating a living "thing." The Bichos [Critters] (1960–1966) are among Clark's most influential works and they manifest these concerns; the artist perceived them as having their own will instead of being completely passive to manipulation. Clark argued that the Bichos, more than simple artistic objects, initiate and are active subjects in the viewer's experience. Clark, like other artists of this generation such as Hélio Oiticica and Lygia Pape, took the teachings of iconic modernists such as Piet Mondrian, Max Bill, and Kasimir Malevich, and elaborated on them to arrive at a practice that walked the line between activism, and participatory and therapeutic practices.</jats:p>
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<jats:p>Hélio Oiticica was born in 1937 in Rio de Janeiro and studied at the Museum of Mode... more <jats:p>Hélio Oiticica was born in 1937 in Rio de Janeiro and studied at the Museum of Modern Art in Rio de Janeiro with Ivan Serpa in the 1950s, later moving to New York and engaging with the 1960s artistic milieu in the United States. Oiticica was an exponent of the Brazilian modernism group Frente in the 1940s and early 1950s, and influenced by abstract geometric tradition the artist experimented with the two-dimensionality of the pictorial field to the point that his works in the late 1950s transitioned to participatory works. Together with other artists of the Neoconcrete group such as Lygia Clark and Lygia Pape, Oiticica's trajectory marked an extremely important shift in Brazilian art towards sensorial works with a concern with the place for the spectators. The strategies of Oiticica, particularly from his break with the two-dimensional space, his engagement with marginalized members of Brazilian society, to his large installations sensorial and participative works of the 1960s and 1970s, influenced an entire generation of artists in Brazil and abroad, and his works are part of some of the largest collections of modern art in the world such as MoMA and Tate Modern.</jats:p>
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Routledge Encyclopedia of Modernism
Rubem Valentim was born in 1922 in Salvador in the state of Bahia. A self-taught artist, Valentim... more Rubem Valentim was born in 1922 in Salvador in the state of Bahia. A self-taught artist, Valentim starts his career in the 1940s acting alongside artists like Mario Cravo Júnior and others in effervescent new artistic milieu of the state of Brahia. As art historian Roberto Conduru has noted, Valentim, similarly to other artists working in the 1940s and 1950s in Latin America, responded to Joaquín Torres-García’s Universalimso Constructivo. Nevertheless, Valentim also learned from artists such as Alfredo Volpi and Milton Dacosta carrying their geometric stylistic principles into his own symbolic world heavily influenced by Afro-Brazilian religions. From the 1960s onwards, besides small-scale objects and paintings, Valentim also began working in large-scale murals, installations, and public art pieces, the most famous being his marble mural for the NOVACAP building in Brasília. Valentim found a common thread between the modernist rationality of Constructivism and the geometric lines o...
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David Alfaro Siqueiros was one of the founders of the mural movement in Mexico. Together with Die... more David Alfaro Siqueiros was one of the founders of the mural movement in Mexico. Together with Diego Rivera and Jose Orozco, Siqueiros joined the struggles of the Mexican revolution by fighting in the front lines, participating in political groups, and depicting the ideals of the movement in his murals. His art reflects his engagement with both Marxism and modern technology. Being influenced both by Futurism and the compositional and thematic concern of artists such as Michelangelo and Francisco Goya, Siqueiros' murals are a unique mixture of traditional and modern. Murals such as the Proletarian Victim (1933) express the impact of oppression upon the lower classes, while Echo of a Scream (1937), on the other hand, shows the suffering at the level of the body and the mind, and highlights the suffocating and overwhelming character of modern technology. The latter work's evocation of trauma, and the effect of trauma through generations, was an important theme in Post-Revolution Mexico. The impact of modern life and its technological changes is also central in Siqueiros' work. More than just depicting modernity, Siqueiros' use of modern materials and pictorial techniques such as synthetic paints and spray guns was revolutionary. Through his teaching in Latin America and the USA, Siqueiros introduced these new materials and techniques to a myriad of artists, and having an extensive impact upon art in North America. More than propagandistic, Siqueiros' works are important aesthetic statements with their forced perspectives and multiple viewpoints, as well as their affective color arrangements.
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Papers by Alice Heeren
Book chapters by Alice Heeren
a mais marcante no Brasil e na América Latina a partir do meio do século XX. Dois aspectos dessa corrente foram abordados neste estudo. Inicialmente, uma discussão da complexa questão terminológica e, em seguida, eventos e atores que ainda não foram amplamente estudados pela literatura, ou ainda, foram apagados da narrativa sobre o momento abstrato-concreto no país. Entre eles estão os Salões de Maio e o papel de indivíduos como Jacob Ruchti. Uma revisão do cânone do universo abs- trato-concreto no Brasil necessita de uma compreensão mais profunda dessas referências ainda pouco estudadas, além de uma ampla discussão da questão terminológica central em qualquer debate sobre o movimen- to.
Reviews by Alice Heeren
Encyclopedia Entries by Alice Heeren
a mais marcante no Brasil e na América Latina a partir do meio do século XX. Dois aspectos dessa corrente foram abordados neste estudo. Inicialmente, uma discussão da complexa questão terminológica e, em seguida, eventos e atores que ainda não foram amplamente estudados pela literatura, ou ainda, foram apagados da narrativa sobre o momento abstrato-concreto no país. Entre eles estão os Salões de Maio e o papel de indivíduos como Jacob Ruchti. Uma revisão do cânone do universo abs- trato-concreto no Brasil necessita de uma compreensão mais profunda dessas referências ainda pouco estudadas, além de uma ampla discussão da questão terminológica central em qualquer debate sobre o movimen- to.