Meus Caros Amigos – part IV

2022

1 film (24 min), towels, 1 short film (5 min), Brazilian football shirts, vinyl, riso prints


Documentation photos: Nayara Leite

The fourth and final part of Meus Caros Amigos, exhibited throughout two rooms at Isotop, Bergen, was a combination of reflections on the destructive government of Jair Bolsonaro and hopes for the future of Brazil.

The first room had a screening of a new film shot in the state of Ceará, Brazil, in July 2022. The film contains two tape recordings from the letters sent during the third part of the project, followed by the replies I have received so far – recorded by the ones who sent them. As to give an update to the viewer, I included a new text accompanied by footage of Brazil getting ready for the most important election in its recent years. Merch from both candidates, Lula and Bolsonaro, could be seen everywhere and in various formats: towels, caps, stickers. A towel with Lula’s face was also part of this room.

In the second room, I proposed to reflect on how the Brazilian far-right appropriated certain national symbols, such as the colours of the Brazilian flag and football shirts. With this segment of the show, I started the process of reclaiming these symbols – not only as myself but also as a part of a bigger community of marginalised Brazilians. The words sapatão (dyke), viado (faggot) and travesti (a South American term for non-binary people, used as a political identity) could be seen on the back of football shirts; these are words that have a derogatory connotation, but that have been recently reclaimed by the queer community. I also showed the short film The Dance of the Dictator, with found footage of a dance made by Bolsonaro’s supporters in my hometown. In this film, I address the use of the finger gun symbol and what has happened in Brazil since the president loosened gun control. In this room, I also revisited the work  I don’t want a president, from 2019, and exhibited a towel with Bolsonaro’s face on it, which the audience was invited to step on when entered the space.

If you would like to know more about Meus Caros Amigos part I – III, please visit their designated pages on this website.

This exhibition wouldn’t have been made possible without the support of Tine Adler, Sofie Hviid Vinther, Derek Sargent, Kiyoshi Yamamoto, Robert Carter, Emilie Wright, Kaeto Sweeney, Alex Hamish Millar, Kristen Keegan, Eva Rowson and BEK – Bergen Centre for Electronic Arts.

Meus Caros Amigos – part IV has been funded by Kulturrådet, Billedkunstnernes Vederlagsfond, Bergen Kommune and Vestland Fylkeskommune.