For an Amefrican Art: A Global Debate on Afro-Diasporic Art History and the Absences of the South

This Lecture addresses the field of Afro-diasporic art history, emphasizing its focus on the Anglophone context, which results in a partial view of the global idea of African diaspora art. Considering the transnational dimension of the African diaspora concept, the work reflects on the losses caused by the exclusion of experiences such as Afro-Brazilian art, produced in the largest Black-majority country outside Africa. The work questions how Brazil, the main destination of the transatlantic slave trade, and the works of its Black artists remain largely absent in publications, exhibitions, and institutions dedicated to the subject. Furthermore, it investigates the rare appearances of Afro-Brazilian art in the global debate, often shaped by limiting frameworks and clichés about Brazil and its Black population. Finally, it explores potential connections between Brazil and Black Latin America, proposing the Brazilian intellectual Lélia Gonzalez as a reference for a more horizontal and comprehensive approach to Afro-diasporic art history and Black art produced in the Global South.

Speaker:

Igor Simões is a Brazilian PhD in Visual Arts, with a specialization in History, Theory, and Criticism of Art from PPGAV-UFRGS. He is currently an Adjunct Professor of History, Theory, and Criticism of Art and Methodology at the Rio Grande do Sul State University in Brazil and has been an Invited Professor in the PhD program in Art History at the Rio de Janeiro State University. His academic work focuses on the intersections between exhibitions, film editing, art history, and racialization in Brazilian art, particularly regarding the visibility of Black subjects in visual arts. He authored the thesis titled "Film Editing and Exhibition: Black Voices in the White Cube of Brazilian Art."

Moderated by Alex Ungprateeb Flynn, Associate Professor and Graduate Vice Chair, Department of World Arts and Cultures/Dance, UCLA.