How can widening participation help diversify museums and galleries?
Filmmaker and researcher Sylvia Morgado travelled to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, to look closely into the work of artist Maxwell Alexandre. He’s known for creating pop-up galleries, or ‘pavilions,’ in unexpected places. Through these spaces, he’s forming new audiences and shaking up the art scene.
Alexandre is a contemporary Brazilian artist who celebrates Black culture and identity in his paintings, powerfully portraying individuals in positions of authority. Born in Favela da Rocinha, he actively engages with his community and others through social media and the arts institutions where his work is showcased, creating a sense of belonging.
In the documentary, Morgado visits two of his pavilions in Rocinha and São Cristóvão, talking to visitors to see how Alexandre’s work affects them. She explores whether these encounters inspire people to visit other art spaces they might not have visited otherwise.
These are questions Morgado has explored in arts and cultural institutions here in Oxford too, through inviting people from diverse backgrounds to visit museums and galleries in Oxford, many going to these spaces for the first time.
The film is a product of Morgado’s practice-based research at Oxford Brookes University, edited in collaboration with film editor and colorist Ricardo Brasília and supported by Oxford Brookes.
Stay after the screening for a Q&A with the filmmaker herself, along with Magda Gomes and Rafa Guse, two of the film’s participants who will be traveling to Oxford from Brazil. Join us for drinks and canapés afterwards and explore the art exhibitions at Rhodes House.
Everyone is invited to join the conversation and share what ‘welcome’ means to you in arts institutions.
