With "Brazil Contemporary - Contemporary Art, Architecture, Visual Culture and Design" Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen, the Netherlands Architecture Institute and the Nederlands Fotomuseum present a broad panorama of Brazilian culture today. The official opening on Saturday 30 May 2009 is preceded by a symposium on Thursday afternoon 28 May. The theme is the Brazilian capacity to combine the positive elements from other cultures and to mix them with Brazil's own culture. The big question is what we in the Netherlands can learn from this example. The curators, an architect, an anthropologist, a designer and other experts will explore the topic. The Netherlands Architecture Institute is hosting the symposium, which begins at 14:00 and closes at 17:30. Entrance is free; the official language is English.
A Selection from the List of Speakers
The symposium will be opened by Margriet Leemhuis, ambassador for International Cultural Cooperation. Paula Perissinotto of FILE, a Brazilian electronic arts festival will talk about Brazilian visual culture. During Brazil Contemporary, the Nederlands Fotomuseum is presenting a number of FILE interactive installations and games. Perissinotto will be followed by Milton Guran, lecturer, photographer and director of Foto Rio festival. Work by Foto Rio is also on display in the Nederlands Fotomuseum. Felipe Taborda, graphic designer and author on a study about Latin American graphic design, will lecture on contemporary graphic design in Brazil. Brazilian fine art will, of course, also be discussed. Luciano Figueiredo*, director of the Centro de Arte Hélio Oiticica in Rio de Janeiro, is one of the world's experts on the work of Hélio Oiticica, currently on exhibit in Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen. Finally, the symposium also will explore São Paulo, the theme of the exhibition in the NAI, and one of the largest cities in the world. The research of Heitor Frugoli, an anthropologist at the University of São Paulo, reveals the metropolis as a conglomerate of cities, a melting pot of multiple identities and communities leading separate yet parallel lives. Frugoli examines the interconnections, relationships and dependences. Milton Braga, architect at MMBB architects, expounds his vision of the role of urban development in gigantic conurbations such as São Paulo. What kind of transformation should the city undergo in the 21st century, and what does he consider are the challenges facing architecture? The symposium ends with a discussion with all speakers and the curators Paul Meurs (NAI), Frits Gierstberg (Nederlands Fotomuseum) and Jaap Guldemond and Bregje van Woensel (Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen) led by Ole Bouman (director of the NAI). After the symposium, visitors will be invited to view the exhibition in the NAI.
* speaker to be confirmed
