La exposición EntreMeadas [EntreTramas] del Sesc Vila Mariana propone una inmersión en el mundo de la artesanía brasileña, presentando una amplia gama de técnicas tradicionales e iniciativas contemporáneas. Comisariada por la periodista e historiadora del diseño Adélia Borges, la muestra valoriza la pluralidad de la cultura material e inmaterial de Brasil y replantea el lugar de la artesanía hoy, percibiéndola como un posible agente de transformación económica y emancipación social.

En lugar de reforzar las tradiciones populares de lugares ya emblemáticos para su producción artesanal -como el estado de Minas Gerais y el nordeste brasileño-, la muestra se centra en el estado de São Paulo, arrojando luz sobre las producciones de telas, cestería, accesorios de vestuario y objetos personales que han estado impulsando la economía de las comunidades. De esta manera, a partir de un relevamiento y cartografía de profesores, artesanos y grupos artesanales de todo el estado de São Paulo, la muestra revela los saberes sobre encaje, bordado, cestería y tejido que han surgido de esta región, la más industrializada de Brasil.

The curatorial design considers the temporality of artisanal practice (and its technical procedures) in contrast to the speed and optimization of industrial productive systems using machines and factories. But rather than taking an archaic perspective – considering the activity of handicraft as a practice far from the modern logics – the exhibition points to a field of production in tune with the demands of the socioeconomic context. Therefore, among a field of popular techniques, personal and collective memories, and living heritages of Brazilian cultural identity, the show also includes projects linked to creative entrepreneurism, improving conditions for the financial autonomy of communitarian groups.

And the place of the woman is transformed in light of this scenario. If historically the manual praxis reinforced the social mindset that the woman’s place was in the home, today we note an overflowing of this practice, spreading beyond the borders of the private sphere, into the social realm. The collective dynamics attaching to these tasks has shifted from the family environment to reach new configurations through the structuring of work centers, trade associations and guilds, which in turn provide possibilities for collaboration, sharing and politicization. Such manual tasks thus play a significant role in the process for achieving feminine autonomy, contributing to the professionalization and consequent socioeconomic independence of social groups.

The show also takes a look at collectives linked to the urban space such as the Bordadeiras do Jardim Conceição, in Osasco, or the Piradas no Ponto, a group that meets in São Paulo’s Trianon Park. The artisanal practice is also present in public institutions such as the Cooperativa Lili, consisting of current and former inmates of the Penitenciária Feminina II of Tremembé who work together in the production and marketing of handicraft products for the generation of income.

Another noteworthy point is the link between artisanal activity and the natural environment, for example, when local resources are used. The cases represented here include the use of materials from banana plantations by artisans from the quilombos of Ivaporunduva and Sapatu, in Eldorado, and the use of dyes and pigments obtained from native maize species in products by the handicraft collective Arte e Vida, in the Ribeira Valley.

Besides paying homage to the productions of these artisanal collectives and teachers, and boosting their visibility, the exhibition seeks to show the quality of their productions. Among elaborately made textiles, delicate laces and embroideries, and the tessitura of weavings and basketry, EntreMeadas includes a wide range of authorial works that evidence the plural and refined character of popular production techniques. The proposal by Adélia Borges pays tribute to traditions of local identity but also presents them in a process of revision and updating in light of the pressing needs of the current times. Last but not least, the exhibition spotlights the resistance of a field of activity still marginalized by the hegemonic market forces, but which is claiming a space of its own, engaging in politics of recognition to achieve its consequent valorization.

ACTC – Casa do Coração (São Paulo)
Arte e Vida (Guapiara)
Arte Roses (Bertioga)
Artesãs da Linha Nove (São Paulo)
Banarte (Miracatu)
Bordadeiras do Jardim Conceição (Osasco)
Coletivo Bordaemia (São Paulo)
Coletivo Ybyatã (São Paulo)
Cooperativa Lili (Tremembé)
Eliana Bojikian Polito (Bauru)
Lucinda Bento (Américo Brasiliense)
Mulheres Artesãs da Enseada Da Baleia (Cananeia)
Nhanduti de Atibaia (Atibaia)
Odete Coradini (Olímpia)
Oficina dos Anjos (São Paulo)
Piradas No Ponto (São Paulo)
Povo Indígena Guarani Mbya (São Paulo e Eldorado)
Rendeiras da Aldeia (Carapicuíba)
Quilombos Ivaporunduva e Sapatu (Eldorado)
São Bento por Vários Fios (São Bento do Sapucaí)