The case of a black woman, resident of Boavista, Roraima, who lived in a violent relationship and had the house where she lived burned down by her aggressor. A resident of Calafate, on the outskirts of Salvador, who faced a long abusive relationship and suffered aggression because her partner did not accept her role in a women’s collective that fought various forms of discrimination. A young transvestite from Fortaleza who had to endure sexual violence committed even by men who were her family. These real stories seem to be part of the archives of a police station for the protection of women. But they are gathered and exhibited in a type of place where reports with this drama are not so common. Portraits Stories, subverting pain – Exhibition in Paraty/RJ – Photo: Luiza Saad/Sesc The city of Paraty, on the Costa Verde in Rio de Janeiro, is one of the main tourist destinations in the state. With about 45,000 inhabitants, it is one of the icons of colonial architecture in the country and its coastline is indented by beautiful beaches and islands. Until the 3rd of September, the Sesc Paraty Sociocultural Pole will host the exhibition Portraits Reports – subverting pain, which offers visitors stories of gender violence and overcoming it. The idea for the exhibition is by visual artist Panmela Castro. Herself with a history of domestic violence. As she became an activist against gender violence, she began to receive messages from other women. “Women from all over Brazil started to approach me and tell me their life stories. Most of them want to do something with this pain, pain from stories that many times have not been told to anyone. They see in me a safe haven, a person to whom they can open up. So we do something with this pain, which is to turn it into art”, said the artist born in Rio de Janeiro. Without guilt Portraits Reports, subverting pain – Exhibition in Paraty/RJ – Photo: Luiza Saad/Sesc Lana Abelha Rainha is the resident of Boavista whose house was set on fire by her attacker. She gets emotional when telling Agência Brasil what she felt when she saw herself portrayed, alongside her exposed report. “It was my story there nailed in the place, where all the people passed”. For her, the exposition of several stories of suffering and overcoming is a way of not feeling guilty. “When you see a lot of women with similar stories, you start to understand very clearly. I was never to blame for what happened, and neither were those women.” Lana believes that the reports have the power to prevent other cases of victims of gender violence from arising. “If I had listened to these stories before what I went through, if I had been alerted by the words of other women, maybe I would have seen signs within that relationship, which I did not see”. The cases exposed in Paraty are not isolated cases in Brazil. On the contrary, they represent part of a reality. A study by the Security Observatories Network revealed that, in 2022, a woman was the victim of violence every four hours in the country. Other stories Portraits Stories, subverting pain – Exhibition in Paraty/RJ – Photo: Luiza Saad/Sesc The exhibition in the colonial building also offers stories of activism, such as the defense of quilombola communities, fight for the rights of trans people and sex workers, actions anti-racist protests and reports of overcoming difficulties, some through help channels such as the Maria da Penha Law and Ligue 180, the Women’s Service Center, of the Ministry of Human Rights and Citizenship. In addition to the paintings and testimonials, the exhibition features the Hall of Mirrors, where visitors can express themselves freely through writing on the mirrored surface. “Impacting and provocative, Panmela Castro’s artistic works have the power to sensitize different audiences and broaden the debate on key issues today. From the role of art and culture, actions like this can contribute to social development”, says the director of Social Programs of the National Department of Sesc, Janaina Cunha. The curator of the exhibition, Maybel Sulamita, explains that the exhibition does not combat just one, but several forms of violence. “Each of these women symbolizes crucial issues related to confronting violence, such as the construction of gender, structural machismo, physical, psychological, moral, property and sexual violence,” she said. Healing process Portraits Reports, subverting pain – Exhibition in Paraty/RJ – Photo: Luiza Saad/Sesc Marta Leiro left Calafate, on the outskirts of Salvador, to be portrayed by Panmela. In the relationship in which she lived, she suffered violence because the aggressor did not accept her participation in a women’s collective in defense of the rights of minorities. “My gratitude is for being alive, for not having contributed to the statistics of femicide in Brazil. I was able to move from a domestic violence situation into a violent relationship,” she says. Being painted by the artist was a kind of relief for her. “It is to apply a balm to this pain. It’s not that we already overcome the pain of domestic violence, especially when this violence is very close to femicide. But we can manage that pain with these self-care processes. The moment of being a model, of being painted, was as if the brush were applying a balm on my life, on this story, which now takes a different direction. A way of thanking the Universe, valuing life and continuing the fight to end violence against women,” she explains. It is precisely this overcoming that is one of the incentives that motivate the visual artist. “I can contribute to the fight against violence using my art as a healing process. This is the healing process. Apart from the fact that showing this art in public makes these protagonists use their stories to inspire and inform other women about the situation of abuse”, says Panmela. Lana, who lives more than 3,000 kilometers away from Paraty, says that when she saw the painting “there was no pain there, but a healing process”. She knows that beyond just art, her story and portrait have the power to bear fruit. “By sharing that story there for other women—and probably men—to read, there’s a chance it might help,” she said. The exhibition Portraits Reports – subverting pain has already toured the Museum of the Republic and the Parque das Ruínas, both in Rio de Janeiro, and the Vila Cultural Cora Coralina, in Goiânia. The works will be incorporated into the Sesc Brasil Art Collection and will circulate through several states. “Thus, we strengthen our mission of promoting contemporary artistic production, in addition to stimulating reflection and valuing Brazilian culture and its diversity”, says Janaina Cunha, from Sesc. Service: Exhibition Portraits Reports – subverting pain Date: Until September 3 Location: Sesc Santa Rita – Rua Dona Geralda, 320. Historic Center, Paraty, RJ. Hours: Tuesday to Friday, from 10 am to 7 pm. Saturdays, Sundays and holidays, from 2 pm to 7 pm. Free entrance
Agência Brasil
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