Brasil/Beleza?!: Museum Beelden aan Zee

Brasil, Beleza?! Contemporary Brazilian Sculpture 
Museum Beelden aan Zee, The Netherlands

The exhibition was on view at Beelden aan Zee, Museum of Modern Sculpture (26 May – 2 October) and on the Lange Voorhout in the centre of The Hague (26 May – 21 August).

The literal and most obvious translation of the Portuguese word “beleza” is “beauty”, however nowadays the term is commonly used amongst youngsters and friends as a form of acknowledgement, both as a question and an affirmation: What’s up? Everything ok? Yeah, fine. All right. On social media, for example, its abbreviation “blz” is widely spread.

With this new connotation in mind, the group exhibition Brasil, Beleza?! examines the current situation in Brazil which is at the height of an economic crisis and is dealing with political difficulties. Departing from a number of important historical works, the exhibition presents a network of interdependent topical themes such as consumerism, value circulation, trade routes, and also how these abstract notions influence the individual’s experience within a natural and urban environment. The exhibition was curated by Carolyn H. Drake.