courses

com Mirella Maria

Dates: May 15, 22, 29 and June 05
Thursdays
Hour: 19h to 21h
Duration: 04 meetings
Audience: general interested parties
Investment: R $ 350,00

Online course
Live, via video conferencing platform
Recorded classes available for a limited time only
Course includes certificate at the end

This course investigates the visual productions of black women, tracing a path that goes from the African artistic heritage to the contemporary international scene. Structured in four modules, the program addresses artistic creation, curation and education from a practical-theoretical perspective, combining analysis of works, historical documents and contemporary productions. The proposal is to reflect on how different languages ​​have been mobilized to tell stories, question hegemonic narratives and propose new imaginaries.

Aimed at artists, educators, researchers and those interested in art and visual culture, the course offers tools to interpret and challenge established representations, understanding how contemporary black artists have rewritten visual narratives and created new spaces of visibility, agency and symbolic power.

Agenda

Class 01 – On perceptions in intellectual production by and for women – African Continent

This introductory class explores perspectives on art, aesthetics and everyday life in different African regions, based on contemporary women artists. We will analyze how these creators articulate tradition and contemporaneity through visual languages ​​such as photography, painting, textiles and installation, addressing identity, memory and power.

Discussion Topics:

• Billie Zangewa (Malawi): creates textile collages with scenes from women's daily lives, addressing identity and empowerment.
• Esther Mahlangu (South Africa): adapts traditional Ndebele patterns to contemporary art.
• Aida Muluneh (Ethiopia): produces symbolic and colorful photographs about African identity and history.
• Exhibition: I Am… Contemporary Women Artists of Africa (2019–2023, Smithsonian).

Class 02 – Representations and representations: Rewriting perspectives

The class investigates the representation of black women in art history and how contemporary artists subvert these visual narratives. Works that confront stereotypes and construct new images about the body, identity and memory will be analyzed, highlighting art as a space of resistance.

Discussion Topics:

• Queen of Sheba: mythical figure with varied representations that reveal racial and cultural tensions.
• Houria Niati (Algeria): criticism of the orientalist representation of North African women.
• Renee Cox (Jamaica/USA): Self-portraits that challenge racial and gender stereotypes.
• Lorna Simpson (USA): combines image and text to address identity and memory.
• Exhibitions and collections:
  • Afro-Atlantic Stories (2018, MASP/Tomie Ohtake Institute).
  • Afro Brazil Museum – highlighting the presence and creation of black women.
  • Zeitz MOCAA – When We See Us (2022–2023), black figurative painting and self-representation.

Class 03 – Oceans in diaspora: visualities and ancestries

The class will explore connections between Africa and its diasporas through textile art. We will see how artists transform traditional techniques into visual narratives, also acting as educators and cultural agents.

Discussion Topics:

• Nike Davies-Okundaye (Nigeria): revitalizes the Adire technique and promotes artistic education for women.
• Great-grandmother Butler (USA): creates portraits with colored fabrics, reinterpreting historical African-American photographs.
• Madalena Santos Reinbolt (Brazil): tapestries that narrate scenes from everyday life in Bahia with a wealth of color and detail.
• Faith Ringgold (USA): uses “story quilts” to narrate African-American experiences.
• Exhibition: The New Bend (2022, Hauser & Wirth) – contemporary quilting and heritage from Gee's Bend.

Class 04 – Women and their aesthetics about everyday life

The class examines how contemporary artists transform everyday life into powerful visual narratives, articulating the personal and the political. With a focus on production, curation and art education, we will discuss how these women create and share knowledge through art.

Discussion Topics:

• Liliana Angulo Cortes (Colombia): investigates Afro-Colombian identity with photography and installation.
• Mary Sibande (South Africa): uses the character “Sophie” to explore post-colonial identity.
• Elidayana Alexandrino (Brazil): rescues black memories with a focus on ancestry.
• Adrian Piper (USA): performances and installations that question race, gender and class.
• Exhibition: Carolina Maria de Jesus: A Brazil for Brazilians (2021, IMS) – connections between literature, art and everyday life.

Mirella Maria

Visual artist, researcher and teacher. Graduated in Visual Arts and master in Art Education from the Júlio de Mesquita Filho University – UNESP. She worked as an art educator, trainer and consultant in spaces such as Museu Afro Brasil, SESC, Instituto Adelina, MASP SP, Sparks School network (South Africa). As a visual artist, she participated in the XII Mercosul Biennial. Currently, she is a teacher of specialized educational services at the SP-PMSP City Hall and an educational consultant. Her research is focused on counter-hegemonic artistic production, aligning with epistemologies of the Global South, ethnic-racial/gender issues, post-colonial studies.

MAM friend has 20% discount. Be part!
Students, teachers and retirees have a 10% discount
Doubts:
cursos@mam.org.br
WhatsApp: 11 99774 3987

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