Lula Marcondes and the Tales of a Storytelling Artist from Brazil
November 9 - December 23, 2007
Opening Reception: Friday, November 9 6-8 pm
Lectures:
Friday, November 30 6-8 pm
John Murphy Ph.D from the University of North Texas
Saturday, December 8 6-8 pm
Dr. Daniel Murphy from The University of William and Mary in Viriginia
Film Screenings:
“Xicão Xukuru” & “Baque Solto”
Saturday, December 15 6-8 pm
“Lula Marcondes and the Tales of a Storytelling Artist from Brazil” takes the oral traditions of Brazil and brings them to Austin with an art exhibit by Lula Marcondes and diverse lectures, demonstrations, and film screenings. This event celebrates the richness of Brazilian folk music, dance, and visual arts while bringing attention to the hardships faced by those who create these artistic riches.
Lula Marcondes is a painter, musician and architect who taps into the visual and performance traditions of Northeastern Brazil to fuel his creative process. While it is the poorest region of the country, it is rich in culture due to the mix Portuguese, Indian, and Afrian people. This diversity adds a strong mix of colors and rhythms in people’s day to day lives. Olinda, where Lula was born and raised, is one of the oldest cities in Brazil and a colorful city where many of these cultural expressions meet. Living in Olinda led him to be interested in Brazilian culture, arts, and architecture.
Maracatu Rural is a long oppressed Afro-Indigenous art form that includes music, dance, and visual arts that are rooted in religious traditions and have been practiced by the descendants of slaves for generations. Lula was first exposed to the arts through music he learned to play from Maracatu Rural groups that are made up of peasants who work on sugar cane plantations. Through his interaction with this marginalized art form, Lula began to understand an unofficial history of Brazil and it was the key for embracing his values of simplicity, essentiality, and spirituality that now guide his creativity.
Lula absorbed the artistic vernacular from underserved communities whose creativity is a response to their daily hardships. His experiences led him towards an artistic path where the essence of things is less is more. His message is simple, direct, without pretensions, and tells stories about ordinary events. These stories come to life through Lula’s colorful graphic style, puns on words, and collages made of inexpensive and commonly used fabrics in addition to found materials.
“Lula Marcondes and the Tales of a Story telling Artist from Brazil” opens with an art reception on Friday, November 9 from 6 – 8 pm that will also feature a performance of traditional music from Northeastern Brazil. Then it continues with lectures on Brazilian folk culture from Dr. John Murphy from the University of North Texas on Friday, November 30 and Dr. Daniel Sharpe from The University of William and Mary in Virginia on Saturday, December 8. Film screenings on Saturday, December 15 feature “Xicão Xukuru”, a story about the Xukuru Indigenous people’s fight for their land in Pernambuco, Brazil, and “Baque Solto”, a film that follows a Maracatu Rural group’s pilgrimage to Carnival.