The Exhibit "Axé Bahia" Looks at South American Culture Through Afro-Brazilian Eyes
As part of the series "Pacific Standard Time: LA/LA", this exhibition is a window into Afro-Brazilia
The Fowler Museum's latest exhibition explores just how the culture specific to Brazil's coastal region of Bahia influences its artists and art-makers. Exhibit curator Patrick Polk says of Bahia, “it is regarded by many in and outside of Brazil as the bastion of Afro-Brazilian culture. So we were faced with needing to put together a selection that can address incredibly complex Brazilian understandings of cultural heritage and racial identity related to the African Diaspora.”
"Think of the art that you surround yourself with. It often reflects a time, a place, a culture that feels familiar. It's in artistic production that we get a window into the artist's culture and life, or the symbols that we affiliate with our own upbringing.For tourists, Salvador, Brazil, offers plenty to see. Anyone planning to visit the state of Bahia, especially, can read up about it on Frommer's and be assured that they’ll get their share of 'two of Brazil’s greatest non-exportable products — sand and sunshine.'
And then there are the cultural phenomena that the United States loves to marvel over, like Capoeira and Carnaval. But beyond the tourist appeal, Bahia is an area that boasts a rich Afro-Brazilian culture. The Fowler Museum’s “Axé Bahia: The Power of Art in an Afro-Brazilian Metropolis” looks to focus specifically on how this culture influences artists and art makers. As part of the "Pacific Standard Time: LA/LA" initiative, the exhibition will consist of more than 100 works from the mid–20th century to now. The challenge: Reflect the breadth and depth of artistic production in 'Salvador, the capital of the coastal state of Bahia.'"— Eva Recinos, May 4, 2017
Read the full article at the LA Weekly website.