Antonio Obá
Curator’s tour with Andrea Bellini
This commented tour by Andrea Bellini, curator of the show and director of the Centre, will reveal the themes that run through the work of Brazilian artist Antonio Obá.
Antonio Obá’s œuvre interrogates and subverts historical representations, reappropriating spiritual practices and stigmas of racism. Obá endeavors to reclaim his African heritage in a societal framework that has historically sought to dilute Black culture. His works therefore confront the violence inflicted over centuries upon African-Brazilian traditions and communities with new narratives.
Antonio Obá (b. 1983, Ceilândia, Brazil) lives and works in Brasília, Brazil. Obá investigates the influence and contradictions within the cultural construction of Brazil, giving rise to an act of resistance and reflection on the idea of national identity. Obá utilizes icons present in Brazilian culture as allusions to racial and political identity, these iconic historical and sometimes religious subjects are explored within his sculpture, painting, installations, and performance. Obá’s own body is central to his research, questioning the eroticization of the black male body and construction of his own identity.
