Museum of the Foreigner

2012 - Installation (Installation)

Various dimensions

Ícaro Lira


Icaro Lira has been developing the project “Museum of the Foreigner” since 2015, in which he recounts the trajectories of populations inside Brazil, from the north to the big cities of the south. The artist is himself Nordestin and moved to Rio to study cinema before enrolling at art school. The term “museum” is ironic, it evokes the institution and with it, the official history that the artist seeks to deconstruct by creating multiple stories that intertwine. Continuing the project in London and Paris, he continued to expand his history of Brazil, told through accounts found in Europe. Various histories are collaged together: an article from Paris Match about an evangelist group killed by the Indians, dated from 1945, is compared with the current political situation under the premiership of Bolsonaro. What is striking about the work is the economy of resources and the voluntary and political use of poor materials. If the artist develops a work while producing practically no waste, it is not for the sake of financial economy, but more an attempt to maintain authenticity and veracity within his work. The pieces that make up the “Museum of the Foreigner” are often small or insignificant objects, elements of everyday life so omnipresent that they have become invisible. However, here they are loaded with intimate stories, not of great men but of strangers. It’s an official counter history that is patiently constructed by Lira, in an attempt to provide a popular history of Brazil.


Artist Icaro Lira’s work develops archeological and fictional methods in order to assess historical and political events that have taken place in his native Brazil. Seeking to illuminate counter narratives that are often obfuscated by official accounts written and maintained by hegemonic voices, he develops what he calls “small museums” composed of found objects – for example an extracted paving stone or an old newspaper – and original research. Comprising objects, text and images, Lira’s works are often activated in exhibitions, publications, workshops and field trips with the aim to unveil the intricacies of history and question the power dynamics at play in the way in which they are recounted.


Colors:



Related works sharing similar palette

Qalqalah #3 and reading by Rasha Salti
© » KADIST

For the launch of the new issue of Qalqalah, Rasha Salti will share her new text Be Still My Beating Heart, part 4 which questions, through her curatorial practice between Beirut and Berlin, the exhibition of war images, pursuing her writing research, “ a fugue in fictional art history “...

Collecting stories: Christian Levett - via Christie's
© » LARRY'S LIST

The British collector invites us into the Mougins Museum, founded to house his extraordinary collection of antiquities...

Diana Al-Hadid’s Monumental, Spiky Bronzes Examine Feminine Strength and Fragility
© » ARTSY

Diana Al-Hadid’s Monumental, Spiky Bronzes Examine Feminine Strength and Fragility | Artsy Skip to Main Content Advertisement Art Diana Al-Hadid’s Monumental, Spiky Bronzes Examine Feminine Strength and Fragility Rawaa Talass Nov 16, 2023 5:13PM Diana Al-Hadid The Bride in the Large Glass , 2023 Kasmin Price on request Portrait of Diana Al-Hadid by Diego Flores...

Nghệ thuật Xin giấy phép Triển lãm ở Việt Nam
© » ARTS EQUATOR

Nghệ thuật Xin giấy phép Triển lãm ở Việt Nam | ArtsEquator Skip to content Tại một đất nước như Việt Nam, nơi có những yêu cầu không rõ ràng về việc trưng bày, Linh Lê nhấn mạnh rằng chỉ cần một thứ tưởng chừng đơn giản như xin giấy phép triển lãm có thể trở thành một cách kiểm duyệt biểu đạt nghệ thuật...

Weekly Picks: Malaysia (30 July – 5 Aug 2018)
© » ARTS EQUATOR

Weekly Picks: Malaysia (30 July – 5 Aug 2018) | ArtsEquator Thinking and Talking about Arts and Culture in Southeast Asia Weekly To Do July 30, 2018 The New Play Project : Book One, at klpac, 1–5 Aug Four staged readings from a project that focuses on storytelling by four KL writers; Ridhwan Saidi, Adiwijaya Iskandar, Juno Hoay-Fern Ooi and Terence Toh...

Performing Politicians with Larry Bogad
© » KADIST

In his Museum of Russian History (M...

Viral Sculpture in Gwyneth Paltrow’s Collection Is ‘Not a Ruth Asawa,’ Gallery Confirms
© » ARTNEWS

Gwyneth Paltrow Owns a Fake Ruth Asawa, Gallery Confirms – ARTnews.com Skip to main content By Shanti Escalante-De Mattei Plus Icon Shanti Escalante-De Mattei View All February 3, 2022 11:41am Actress Gwyneth Paltrow zz/John Nacion/STAR MAX/IPx On Wednesday, an Architectural Digest story featuring a look inside actress Gwyneth Paltrow’s home went viral on social media because it included one unexpected object: what appeared to be a sculpture Ruth Asawa hanging not far from an Ed Ruscha painting...

Happy Halloween from Liv Elbaz Paris, the President of ASVOFF 15 Climate Warriors
© » DIANE PERNET

Happy Halloween from Liv Elbaz Paris, the President of ASVOFF 15 Climate Warriors – A Shaded View on Fashion Dear Shaded Viewers, What a delight to receive this in my mail today...

The Murals and Paintings of Luca Ledda
© » HIGH FRUCTOSE

Luca Ledda’s surreal works deal with both our conception of the world and our consumption of its resources...

22022021, Yawnghwe Office in Exile
© » KADIST

Sawangwongse Yawnghwe

2021

22022021, Yawnghwe Office in Exile by Sawangwongse Yawnghwe belongs to a body of work made in response to the Myanmar military coup that began in February 2021...

UK Collector Charged With Money Laundering - via The Art Newspaper
© » LARRY'S LIST

The former husband of heiress Petra Ecclestone denies any criminality and says he will contest all charges...

How an Art Foundation Made the Difficult Decision to Sell Its Collection - via Artsy
© » LARRY'S LIST

Before it decided to sell the majority of its collection, California’s di Rosa Foundation explored the exact alternative critics of its decision have suggested....

Static Field I
© » KADIST

Kamau Amu Patton

2011

Kamau Amu Patton’s painting Static Field I originates from a system of electronic and digital media...

A Deep Dive Into Visual Artists On The Small Screen
© » ARTSJOURNAL

Streaming: the best films about artists | Movies | The Guardian Skip to main content Skip to navigation Skip to navigation From left: Kirk Douglas as Vincent van Gogh in Vincente Minnelli's ‘unabashedly gorgeous' Lust For Life (1956); ‘raw, restless' Jeffrey Wright in Julian Schnabel's Basquiat (1996); the Swedish artist and mystic Hilma af Klint in Halina Ryschka's documentary Beyond the Visible (2019)...

MEPAAN: The Air Bandung Conundrum
© » ARTS EQUATOR

MEPAAN: The Air Bandung Conundrum | ArtsEquator Skip to content Dr Shahril Salleh reflects on the challenges and rewards of intercultural collaboration in the Singapore Festival of the Arts 2022’s opening show, MEPAAN, using a beloved local drink as an analogy...

From Elina Chauvet to Judy Chicado, the Maison’s new exhibition highlights women’s art and their ties with Dior.
© » WONDERLAND

From Elina Chauvet to Judy Chicado, the Maison’s new exhibition highlights women’s art and their ties with Dior....