|
The focus of the introductory sessions for the CIMAM Annual Conference 2005 was on the conferences title Museums: Intersections in a Global Scene. The director of Pinacoteca do Estado de São Paulo (host institution) Marcelo Araújo opened the first day by thanking all those involved in the organization of CIMAM 2005. He emphasized that hosting the conference places Brazil and Latin America in a prominent position with regards to making decisions over procedures and lines of action for museums of modern and contemporary art.
Fabio Magalhães, Assistant Secretary of Culture of the Sao Paulo State Culture Department, talked about the changes in the field of museology in the last 20 years in Brazil, mainly with regards to museums of modern and contemporary art. These changes have been possible due to investments in the professional improvement of public and private institutions. In his opinion, the two most important art institutions in Brazil are the government run, National Museum of Fine Arts in Rio de Janeiro and the Pinacoteca do Estado de São Paulo. These two institutions are responsible for Brazils current prominence in the international art scene.
Alfred Pacquement, CIMANs President, emphasized the importance of Brazil hosting the annual conference given the current developments of museums of modern and contemporary art in Latin America - a place of unique diversity and wide ranging economies. Pacquement praised the conferences comprehensive programme, which will include visits to art galleries, private collections and art institutions across the country. Given the strong participation of European and North-American members of CIMAM, Pacquement pointed out that the discussions would travel beyond Latin America.
Luís Bolcato Custódio, ICOMs President in Brazil, talked about the importance of the conference theme and its suitability to reality in Brazil. In Brazil, regional intersections are very strong and members will be able to experience some of them during their visits to Rio de Janeiro, Minas Gerais and Porto Alegre, places which combine a diverse set of art and heritage.
Alissandra Cummins , ICOMs Director, talked about the importance of bringing global cultural diversity to the debate over modern and contemporary art. She was also very enthusiastic about the Brazilian cultural diversity showcased at the exhibitions in Paris, which took place during the Brazil Year in France.
She also emphasized the responsibilities of art museums in debating current political, economic and social issues, focusing on the historic importance of regional museums, which have helped minorities to reach emancipation. Alissandra Cummins pointed out that larger museums must guarantee the interaction with the local community. CIMAM must be aware of this context, which involve the preservation of threatened heritage in different places. She also mentioned that in 2006 ICOM will celebrate its 100th anniversary. This will be commemorated by the different committees under the theme of Museums and the young audience, which is appropriate given the urgency to pass on the value of art institutions to the new generation.
Museums: Intersections in a Global Scene Conference Guidelines by Manuel Borja-Villel and Ivo Mesquita
According to Borja-Villel, museums first appeared in the sixteenth century and are directly related to the colonisation process in the Americas and Africa. Travelers used to collect objects thought to represent the new world, which were then placed in their cabinets of curiosities. Since the sixteenth century, museums have evolved to provide a crucial critical and educational role; however, Borja-Villel points out that it is necessary to establish new bonds with the public and to look to the future not the past. Museums must urgently address their educational role.
Globalisation is not a novelty. Globalisation the new form of colonisation - is present in all sorts of situations. Art is consumed in order to feed capitalism and generate profit, therefore, increasing the risks of trivialising art and culture.
For these reasons, selecting the theme Museums: Intersections in a Global Scene was a very strategic move. The theme is divided into three aspects, which will be developed during the lectures, panels and open discussions:
- The art museum today
- New forms of exhibition
- The geopolitics of art
Ivo Mesquita believes that Pinacoteca do Estado host institution has the opportunity to include Brazil in the current international debate regarding modern and contemporary art; however, he mentioned the difficulties encountered by Brazilian professionals to become CIMAM members due to the cost of annual membership. According to Mesquita, Brazil is going through a phase of building and developing museums; while museums in developed countries are already fully integrated into the art system.
Brazilian museums hold collections, which were influenced by the interest of different governments, with no criteria of continuity. On one hand, this resulted in a non-continuous discourse, and on the other hand, it contributes to the formation of a mestiço culture a strong feature of the Brazilian nation. The collections combine the academic taste, the later acquisitions of modernist art works and, more recently, works from contemporary artists. The Pinacoteca do Estado particularly shows this diversity.
Still under the theme of diversity, Mesquita talked about the Brazilian Baroque, the first artistic movement developed in a country where the language of black slave exploitation prevailed. After this period, with the establishment of art and science schools, and consequently, the propagation of the Illuminist idea, the first museums were opened in Brazil. Since their foundation, they attempted to deny the countrys past of slavery. It was only in 2003 that a museum dedicated to discussing Afro-Brazilian identity was founded. It showed an acceptance of the cultural importance of black slaves and how their exploitation contributed to the building of the Brazilian nation.
Adopting a critical stand in relation to Brazilian institutions, Mesquita mentioned the hosting of some important exhibitions of foreign art, which usually arrive in the country as closed packages, obstructing the establishment of connections with Brazilian art. These kinds of exhibitions are a reminder to the public of the grandeur and quality of foreign collections, without any regard to Brazilian heritage. One exception was the exhibition curated by Ivo Mesquita in partnership with the Stedelijk Museum in 2004, which combined works from both collections.
Close to the 200th anniversary of Brazilian independence, the country is looking to accept its mestiço culture not a hybrid -, which was developed spontaneously by its people. It carries the stains of prejudice and the class system, which differs from hybridisation, which is a laboratory process.
Summing up the points of interaction between the Pinacoteca do Estado, Brazilian culture and the global situation, Mesquita stated that Brazilian museums must develop their potential - without grief or dualism. Only then will Brazilian social history be really celebrated as cultural heritage and consequently, lead to positive critical education.
(by Viviane Sarraf)
Translated from Portuguese by hì-fen translation solutions
Proofreading: Alison Lee
|
