O Barco / The Boat

From 13 April, Galeria Galpão will host O Barco / The Boat (2021) by Grada Kilomba, a sculptural, performative and poetic work commissioned by BoCA 2021 and presented for the first time in Brazil.

The artist’s work is particularly known for her subversive storytelling practice and her immersive and poetic images, in which she gives body, voice, form and movement to her own writings.

In the work O Barco / The Boat (2021), 134 blocks of burnt wood stretch for 32 metres, arranged in reference to the architecture of the bottom of the ships that carried millions of enslaved African bodies across the ocean. As visitors move between the blocks, they come across a poem written by Kilomba and translated into six languages.

The sculptural installation is also accompanied by three performance acts, which take place throughout the period of the work’s exhibition at Inhotim.

Performance

On Sunday 14 April, at 2pm, the first of three performances of the work will take place at the Galpão Gallery.

The ensemble brings together gospel and operatic voices, as well as percussionists and classical dancers. In the following acts, there will be a re-enactment of the performance with a group made up of local artists from Brumadinho and the region.

Admission is free for visitors to the park and tickets must be collected one hour before the performance at Galeria Galpão (tickets are limited).

Translated with DeepL.com (free version)