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Um anti-espectáculo
Num dos textos que se estão elaborando Entre as formas a que se recorre no exercício
sobre o “exercício” lê-se: “Uma das noções «Nós não estamos algures», o cinema
mais em voga quando se trata de encarar tem um lugar de primeira importância,
uma problemática caracterizadora da arte como outras formas afins de comunicação
moderna, é a de participação. Realizam-se audiovisual, projecção sucessiva e simultânea
cartazes que devem ser completados pelo de diapositivos, etc. Além disso, informam-
utente objectos escultóricos a que o visitante nos, toda a primeira parte do exercício, foi
das exposições dará uma forma variável, e concebida para ser filmada e integrada no filme
os teatros misturam o actor ao espectador, «Almada, um Nome de Guerra» que Ernesto de
incitando este a... participar no espectáculo. Sousa está produzindo. Trata-se, pois, de mais
Por vezes, estas tentativas revestem-se uma extensão deste trabalho que pretende não
de grande ingenuidade. Os limites desta ter uma extensão única e precisa.
participação são, com frequência, demasiado
estreitos e evidentes, e nem sempre a obra ou
função se eleva acima da categoria de mero
brinquedo ou jogo fácil. O nosso exercício
pretende assumir, como não podia deixar de
ser, os termos de uma efectiva participação do Ernesto de Sousa
espectador ao ‘espectáculo’. Iremos mesmo In «Vida Mundial», suplemento «Actualidade»
ao encontro de certas ‘ingenuidades’, se for n.º 1588, 14 de Novembro de 1969
preciso. Como de um exercício de que se trata,
An anti-spectacle
At a time when the rediscovery of Portugal partnership with other institutions, a constant
and its culture by Brazilians gains familiarity contemporary programming, in permanent
and depth, it makes sense that the Consulate dialogue with the art and culture of Brazil, the
General in São Paulo presents the work of the present reading of Ernesto de Sousa drawns
artist, photographer, filmmaker and art critic parallels with Brazilian modernity, in particular
Ernesto de Sousa (1921–1988). with some great creators of the time, such
as the “paulistanos” (born in the city of São
Despite of his influence and wide intervention Paulo) Mário and Oswald de Andrade, or figures
in the artistic field (from visual arts to such as Hélio Oiticica and Neville D’Almeida.
cinema, through theater, essay, and of
course, photography, his great passion) in a The work of Ernesto de Sousa transcends his
political time in which the freedom of creation own history and circumstance, in the sense
in Portugal was constantly put to the test, in which his novelty and processes ended up
Ernesto de Sousa is still little known in Brazil. contributing to what we now understand as the
fundamental lexicon of contemporary artistic
And yet we owe him so much. He was a creation which, in this case, also speaks
prolific, innovative, multidisciplinary and a Portuguese.
combative spirit, whether as an artist or an art
critic, we owe much of the pioneering nature In this, which is the largest Portuguese-
of contemporaneity, as it is clear from his speaking city in the world, home to the
importance in the advent of the so-called new Portuguese Language Museum and one of the
cinema or his connections with the currents and most important International Art Biennials, an
European artistic means, having taken on for increasingly important axis of dialogue between
three times in the 1980s, the role of National Portuguese and Brazilian creators, I believe
Commissioner for the Venice Biennale. we can speak without false modesty, of the
importance of being Ernesto.
In addition to the intentionality of paying
homage to his legacy, as the Consulate General
did in the recent past with artists such as
Fernando Lemos, Lourdes Castro or E.M. de
Melo e Castro, the exhibition «Nós não estamos
algures» [We Are Not Somewhere], now open,
seeks to unveil the wealth and diversity of
his work in Portuguese language, whether
in the search for an individual invitation to
the transcendence of everyday life, which is
simultaneously lyrical, at times erotic and
sometimes political, or by adding to art its
acquired, powerful transfiguring condition.
Paulo Lourenço
In addition to our commitment to maintain, Consul General of Portugal in São Paulo
in the unique Fernando Pessoa Gallery, or in from 2012 to 2018
Ernesto de Sousa’s studies of popular art These intentions were built during a difficult
and his exhibition «Four Popular Artists of time, during the dictatorship, and through
the North: Barristas e Imaginários» (Livraria travel, participation in international symposia,
divulgação, 1964) remain fertile ground for the participation in the Mail Art Movement and
production of works or exhibitions by artists his participation in exhibitions as an artist
and curators today. I think it is unanimous or curator. In addition to the theoretical
to speak about a before and after Ernesto references produced in his texts, he introduced
de Sousa or the designation of a curatorial international figures through interviews (i.e.
activity of Ernesto de Sousa as fundamental Man Ray or Daniel Buren) and presentations
to contemporary Portuguese art, particularly on the work of Joseph Beuys or video sessions
highlighting the exhibitions «Do Vazio à Pro featuring works by artists such as Alan Kaprow,
Vocação» [From Void to Pro Vocation] at Rebecca Horn or Richard Hamilton. He later
Expo AICA, SNBA, Lisbon, 1972; «Projectos- commissioned the Portuguese representation
Ideias» [Projects-Ideas] at Expo AICA – at the Venice Biennale in 1980 under the title
SNBA, Lisbon, 1974; «Aniversário da Arte» «A Palavra e a Letra» [The Word and the
[Anniversary of Art] at the CAPC, Coimbra, Letter] with contributions by Ana Hatherly,
January 17, 1974; as well as «Alternativa Zero– António Sena, E. de Melo e Castro, Ernesto
tendências polémicas da arte portuguesa» de Sousa and João Vieira. Almada Negreiros
[Alternativa Zero – polemic tendencies in (with a reproduction of the panel «Começar»
Portuguese art] at the National Gallery of [Starting], 1968-1969) and Fernando Pessoa
Modern Art, Lisbon, 1977. were evoked as pioneers of the written word.
E.S. was the first curator, who brought together The musicians Lopes e Silva and Maria João
an art scene fragmented by disciplines and Serrão participated in the video «The Word and
created a unity based on difference, by joining The Letter», by Ernesto de Sousa; in 1982 he
forces, creating formal or conceptual analogies, commissioned the national representation at the
a certain spirit of the time (and particularly Venice Biennale with an individual exhibition
due to their diversity his proposals offered by Helena Almeida and in 1984 with one by
tools to think the present and attempted to José Barrias. The retrospective of Wolf Vostell
build a future). E.S. created context through (Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, Lisbon, and
intergenerational work and an international Soares do Reis Museum, Porto, 1979) is the
openness, both in the way he approached his result of a fertile relationship with Vostell and
exhibitions and also his texts - E.S. was a Robert Filliou. These relationships began during
collaborator, editor and director of several the 1960s through their joint approach to
magazines such as Plano Focal, Imagem, Seara the Fluxus Movement and were a determining
Nova, Opção and Abril; he edited books with influence for the reformulation of art as an
several publishers and collaborated with several open, experimental and participative work.
newspapers. His project to create a Portuguese Examples of this are the poetic communication
One would have at the same time an operative 2 E.S. created the Círculo de Cinema, one of the
resilience, and maintain a certain human grain first fil m clubs in Portugal in 1946, which was closed
(ethical, poetic, artistic or political). down by PIDE in 1948. E.S. and other members of
the film club were arrested.
«Nós não estamos algures» [We are not
somewhere] evokes a geographical notion 3 The idea of heterogeneity is taken from José
that seems to me to be close to the idea of Miranda Justo developments on the concept.
E.S. resonates from the 90s until today with 6 In 1974, E. S. published articles in «Século
Ilustrado» and «Vida Mundial», reflecting on the
those who have carried out acts of resistance
state of art in Portugal. In the latter, he defends
(for an improvement or survival of our artistic
the necessity of an artistic vanguard in a context of
scene) and above all, a thought of the culture social revolution, promoting international artists.
as a whole, that escapes individualism and These articles, produced during the heated period of
capitalist competitiveness16. As Wally Salomão April 25, are marked by a defense of the importance
wrote: “Do not forget to take your freedom of an autonomous artistic and cultural practice in
whenever you want”. Ernesto de Sousa relation to political power.
activity is stating the same and adds Almada
Negreiros’s “Joy is the most serious thing 7 Vilarinho das Furnas, in the district of Braga, was
a community with its own autonomy, with a political
in life”. To deal with the legacy of E.S. is to
organization that was intentionally destroyed in
produce with an ethos that results from the
1972 because of the creation of a dam. During
mimesis between the artistic, the social, and
a period of drought, the village of Vilarinho das
the political and with a curiosity for what is Furnas reemerged. The artists José Barrias, Ernesto
happening in front of us. de Sousa and Jorge Molder evoked this community
through the development of image works produced
Ernesto de Sousa died on October 6, 1988. in situ.
Realização Presented by
Consulado Geral de Portugal em São Paulo Consulate General of Portugal in São Paulo
Cônsul Geral Paulo Lourenço Consul General Paulo Lourenço
Edição Edition
Hugo Canoilas, Isabella Lenzi, Tobi Maier Hugo Canoilas, Isabella Lenzi, Tobi Maier
Textos Texts
Ana Cancela, Ernesto de Sousa, Hugo Canoilas Ana Cancela, Ernesto de Sousa, Hugo Canoilas
Tradução Translation
Camila Brandão Cruz, Tobi Maier Camila Brandão Cruz, Tobi Maier
Agradecimentos Thanks
Albano Afonso, Francisco Martins Fontes, Albano Afonso, Francisco Martins Fontes,
Galeria Quadrado Azul, Goethe-Institut São Galeria Quadrado Azul, Goethe-Institut São
Paulo, Fundação de Serralves, MAC-USP, Paulo, Fundação de Serralves, MAC-USP,
Manuel Asín, William Keri Manuel Asín, William Keri
Agradecimentos especiais à Isabel Alves, Ana Special thanks to Isabel Alves, Ana
Cancela, Ernesto Melo e Castro e às equipes Cancela, Ernesto Melo e Castro and the staff of
do Consulado Geral de Portugal em São Paulo the Consulate General of Portugal in São Paulo
e do Ateliê Experimental Porto FabLab and of the Ateliê Experimental Porto FabLab