The flagship exhibition from Museu de Arte do Rio has travelled to Lille’s Maison Folie Wazemmes to showcase the history of funk, exploring its sounds, composers and ongoing evolution.
The exhibition retraces the origins of funk carioca, not only through the music, but also by revealing its urban and suburban cultural roots. It highlights diverse community and social dimensions, while analysing aesthetic, political and economic developments. The exhibition also looks at the collective imaginary which has established itself around this iconic musical genre.
Visitors are taken to the heart of funk’s history, with a look at the influence of soul, imported to Brazil in the 1970s and 80s, as well as the ‘bailes de favela’, dance parties in poor neighbourhoods, which are now one of the major drivers of Brazil’s artistic production.
The exhibition explores the presence of funk in various cultural practices, specifically, in the visual arts domain, for which funk has become a reference in terms of visibility, political resistance, otherness and form. It features a range of objects relating to the history of this musical genre, combined with extensive audiovisuals of sounds, voices and gestures. In this way, the public is invited to discover the unique universe of funk in all its different forms.
As part of the France-Brazil Season
↑ © Thales Leite – Courtesy of Museu de Arte do Rio