ART-PRESENTATION: Dora Longo Bahia-Choque

Born in 1961in Sao Paulo-Brazil, Dora Longo Bahia literally lived her childhood in the shadow of a military junta that was no friend of vanguard artists and intellectuals on the left. As if to mark the momentous transition that occurred in 1984/5, Dora Longo Bahia first emerged as an artist with the demise of the military junta during those years. In 1984, Dora Longo Bahia was in group shows of graphic artists in Sao Paulo, as well as in Panama, and in 1985, her work was selected for the 8th Salao Nacional de Artes Plasticas in Rio de Janeiro. Since then she has won critical recognition in a variety of media covering printmaking, paintings, and videos.

By Dimitris Lempesis
Photo: Pedro Cera Gallery Archive

Dora Longo Bahia’s solo exhibition “Choque” borrows its title from the riot unit of Brazilian police, also known as the Tropa de Choque, a division trained and equipped to confront crowds and protests, the exhibition takes the notion of the protest as its point of departure, questioning thus institution(s) of power, their enforcement and methods developed to suppress forces of resistance. Choque police has been a reoccurring subject in the work of Bahia throughout the past years. Although anonymous (by means of depiction), identity of these officers can be traced to actual representatives of the police unit. Prompted initially by the 2013 manifestations in Brazil, – protests depicted in the exhibition -, brought together large numbers of demonstrators, from all parts of the Brazilian society. The installation “Choque” (2019) then narrates a struggle against the invisible forces of capital, while questioning the powers of the state, represented here by the police force. Rather then a symbol of protection however, the police transmits a philosophy of fear, distinctive to our present-day condition. Although prompted by a specific historico-political reality of contemporary Brazil, may this  be the identity of the police, the actual surface of the painted and cracked glass plates, (reminiscent of broken vitrines and windows of monetary institutions attacked during the 2013 São Paulo protest), or the silkscreen on aluminium thermal blanket series “Fogo” (2019), of ten museums in Brazil, which have burned down in the last ten years like much of Bahia’s work, also the exhibition, aims towards a universality of reading, rather then towards an account on national politics or history. The subject of (in)visibility shapes a backbone of the exhibition and is closely tied to the practice of the artist. While invisibility, as in the absence of being seen, can be understood as a protective act, invisibility by being made invisible, through forces of abstract or physical power, creates vulnerability and threat that is shaped by the absence of knowledge, solidarity and human ignorance. On 10/12/1998, the writer José Saramago received the Nobel Prize for Literature. In his speech at the awards ceremony, he criticized the world’s apathy regarding the misfortune of others: “The same schizophrenic humanity that is capable of sending instruments to a planet to study the composition of its rocks, is indifferent to the death of millions of people by hunger. It is easier to get to Mars than to our neighbour”. The “Fugue” series (2019) intends to propose a reflection on this indifference. The five abstract paintings of the series feature a portrait (invisible to the naked eye) of women and children who were forced to leave their countries due to political conflicts or natural catastrophes. The title of each of the paintings: Haya, Ewa, Ayeesha, Chime and Casho, corresponds to a female name used respectively in each of the five countries where 2/3 of the world’s refugees come from: Syria, Afghanistan, South Sudan, Myanmar and Somalia. Crises in Syria, Afghanistan and South Sudan have displaced more than 11 million people around the world – more than half of the refugee population worldwide. Meanwhile, conflict and climate hazards in Myanmar and Somalia have forced millions more to leave their homes behind.

Info: Pedro Cera Gallery, Rua do Patrocínio 67 E, Lisbon, Duration 12/1-23/2/19, Days & Hours: Tue-Fri 10:00-13:30 & 14:30-19:00, Sat 14:30-19:00, www.pedrocera.com