This text was submitted as a proposal to the apexart NYC25 Open Call
In Brazil, the legal limitation of access on pregnancy termination has been considered a criminal act since 1940, due to the national Penal Code. It was established that, with or without the consent of the pregnant woman, the act of abortion constitutes a crime against life. Even with the modern Constitution of 1988 , the issue of women's autonomy over their own bodies and reproductive rights does not address the demands and specificities of Brazilian women. Today, very few cases are legally authorized, and even then, there are always several legal restrictions, difficulties in accessing support, lack of trained doctors, and the risk of public exposure, which leads to moral judgment and persecution.
Considering these aspects, it is not surprising that abortion and reproductive rights are not very present in Brazilian art, even among female/feminist artists. At the contemporary art scene, it's almost impossible to find works that address these issues—we can think of very singular cases such as Juliana Notari, who touches the subject in a tangential way, or Aleta Valente, more explicit and controversial; but both artists share a common experience of intense and virulent backlash. Museums, cultural centers, and galleries vehemently reject works with such content, both due to the controversial nature that offends the sensitivities of conservative part of the public, and the sense of abjection by collectors and patrons regarding the theme.
The artists indicated to participate in this exhibition are all current or veteran members of a collective focused on studies, discussions, and the creation of artistic projects with a feminist emphasis, involved in national collaborative projects since 2020, the G.A.F. With a wide variety of techniques and mediums, it is possible to find works ranging from textiles, ceramics, and performance to more traditionally recognized media such as painting and drawing. However, it is important to point out that these artists, all CIS women, come from highly diverse backgrounds in terms of age, city of operation, and race, reinforcing the collective experience of frustration over the lack of autonomy over their own bodies.
Drawing on the poem by Brazilian writer Angélica Freitas, in which she compares the uterus to a unit of measurement but also as a karma of feminized corporeality, we intend to highlight the ambivalences that permeate the experience of femininity still tied to the anatomical dimension, particularly its institutional limitations.
Thus, the set of small-scale works we propose for this exhibition offers a unique opportunity to bring political pieces into the public arena, since there is no place for collective and diplomatic debate about of reproductive rights in the Brazilian art world (especially after the attempt to criminalized abortion acts through a law project that establish a sentence for women that has committed abortion higher than for a sexual perpetrators). With such a conservative and oppressive place of these themes, we are left to present this proposal to more liberal and receptive audiences regarding the issue of bodily autonomy and reproductive policies.
In Brazil, the legal limitation of access on pregnancy termination has been considered a criminal act since 1940, due to the national Penal Code. It was established that, with or without the consent of the pregnant woman, the act of abortion constitutes a crime against life. Even with the modern Constitution of 1988 , the issue of women's autonomy over their own bodies and reproductive rights does not address the demands and specificities of Brazilian women. Today, very few cases are legally authorized, and even then, there are always several legal restrictions, difficulties in accessing support, lack of trained doctors, and the risk of public exposure, which leads to moral judgment and persecution.
Considering these aspects, it is not surprising that abortion and reproductive rights are not very present in Brazilian art, even among female/feminist artists. At the contemporary art scene, it's almost impossible to find works that address these issues—we can think of very singular cases such as Juliana Notari, who touches the subject in a tangential way, or Aleta Valente, more explicit and controversial; but both artists share a common experience of intense and virulent backlash. Museums, cultural centers, and galleries vehemently reject works with such content, both due to the controversial nature that offends the sensitivities of conservative part of the public, and the sense of abjection by collectors and patrons regarding the theme.
The artists indicated to participate in this exhibition are all current or veteran members of a collective focused on studies, discussions, and the creation of artistic projects with a feminist emphasis, involved in national collaborative projects since 2020, the G.A.F. With a wide variety of techniques and mediums, it is possible to find works ranging from textiles, ceramics, and performance to more traditionally recognized media such as painting and drawing. However, it is important to point out that these artists, all CIS women, come from highly diverse backgrounds in terms of age, city of operation, and race, reinforcing the collective experience of frustration over the lack of autonomy over their own bodies.
Drawing on the poem by Brazilian writer Angélica Freitas, in which she compares the uterus to a unit of measurement but also as a karma of feminized corporeality, we intend to highlight the ambivalences that permeate the experience of femininity still tied to the anatomical dimension, particularly its institutional limitations.
Thus, the set of small-scale works we propose for this exhibition offers a unique opportunity to bring political pieces into the public arena, since there is no place for collective and diplomatic debate about of reproductive rights in the Brazilian art world (especially after the attempt to criminalized abortion acts through a law project that establish a sentence for women that has committed abortion higher than for a sexual perpetrators). With such a conservative and oppressive place of these themes, we are left to present this proposal to more liberal and receptive audiences regarding the issue of bodily autonomy and reproductive policies.
Talita Trizoli is a Brazilian curator, coordinator of G.A.F (Feminist Artistic Group). She holds a PHD from USP-BR and is currently a Mellon Fellow at UT Austin.
Renata Freitas is a Brazilian visual artist with a PhD in Communication and Semiotics. Her work delves into femininity, challenging cultural narratives and representations.
Renata Freitas is a Brazilian visual artist with a PhD in Communication and Semiotics. Her work delves into femininity, challenging cultural narratives and representations.
apexart’s program supporters past and present include the National Endowment for the Arts, Milton and Sally Avery Arts Foundation, the Kettering Family Foundation, the Buhl Foundation, The Martin and Rebecca Eisenberg Foundation, Bloomberg Philanthropies, Spencer Brownstone, the Kenneth A. Cowin Foundation, Epstein Teicher Philanthropies, The Greenwich Collection Ltd., William Talbott Hillman Foundation/Affirmation Arts Fund, the Fifth Floor Foundation, the Consulate General of Israel in New York, The Puffin Foundation, the Trust for Mutual Understanding, The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, and public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council, public funds from Creative Engagement, supported by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Governor and administered by LMCC, funds from NYSCA Electronic Media/Film in Partnership with Wave Farm: Media Arts Assistance Fund, with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature, as well as the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Kathy Hochul and the New York State Legislature.