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Brazil


2004

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Brazil
2004

Sao Paulo

“My father’s black, of a forgotten African origin. My mother’s white, from a far-off Portuguese family. Me, I’m like them, I’m Brazilian!” Nelida

 

Abstracts

"In São Paulo, I produced my first portrait of the beautiful mixed-blood Nelida, who, all by herself, could stand as the manifesto of my Brazilian work… When Stefan Zweig fled Nazi Germany, he was entranced by the 'pure mix' that characterised the population in his place of refuge, Brazil. It was therefore to this 'multiracial' colonial population that I first turned. Stefan Zweig’s enthusiastic vision of an all-inclusive society didn’t leap out at me though…

On the first day, I arrived in São Paulo and went to a comfortable hotel in the city’s most prestigious district, at the top of the country’s social pyramid: topped by a minuscule prism that owns the entire edifice (the whole pyramid, not just the comfortable hotel), but that in no way mixes around, except for its contact with domestic staff.

A white prism, a minority whose ethnic purity matches that of the Indians at the very bottom. It’s a reminder to us that this country dreamt up by Jesuits, was actually built by white leaders, through the work of black indigenous slaves.”

Extract from Zoé Zoé, Femmes du mondes, 2007, Éditions Gallimard

Works

Brazil 2115
Evania, 2004

State of Sao Paulo, Brazil
Silver print
40 x 50 cm

Brazil 2139
Barbara, 2004

State of Sao Paulo, Brazil
Gouache on paper
42 x 66 cm

Brazil 2975
Dé-sièclement, 2004

State of Sao Paulo, Brazil
Sepia turned silver print
30 x 40 cm

Brazil 2977
Maria de Lourdes, 2004

State of Sao Paulo, Brazil
Sepia turned silver print
30 x 40 cm

Brazil 2979
Maria de Lourdes 2, 2004

State of Sao Paulo, Brazil
Gouache on paper
46 x 37 cm

Brazil 2125
Nelida, 2004

Sao Paulo, Brazil
Gouache on paper
42 x 33 cm

Brazil 2991
Nelida 2, 2004

Sao Paulo, Brazil
Gouache on paper
29 x 24 cm

Brazil 2993
Nelida 3, 2004

Sao Paulo, Brazil
Gouache and pencil on paper
42 x 66 cm

Brazil 2989
Nelida Corações, 2004

Sao Paulo, Brazil
Silver print
75 x 105 cm

Brazil 2985
Hélicos, 2004

Brazil
Gouache enhanced silver print
60 x 150 cm

Brazil 2987
Pur mélange, 2004

Sao Paulo, Brazil
Silver print
60 x 74 cm

Brazil 2995
Nièce et tante, 2004

Sao Paulo, Brazil
Gouache on paper
42 x 66 cm

Brazil 2997
Pur mélange 2, 2004

Sao Paulo, Brazil
Silver print
47 x 63 cm

Maps

Brazil 2112
Map of Brazil, 2004

Gouache on paper
80 x 120 cm

Making-of

Film by Marc Jampolsky

Images by Eduardo Aguier

Books

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