The Silence of Tired Tongues

Curator: Raphael Fonseca
Artists: Julia Arbex, Aline Baiana, Sofia Caesar, Arthur Chaves, Vitória Cribb, Benedito Ferreira, Rodrigo Martins, Estêvão Parreiras, Tiago Sant’Ana, Tadáskía, Wisrah Villefort, Luana Vitra, Yuli Yamagata
Exhibition Designer: Juliana Prado Godoy

The Silence of Tired Tongues, curated by Raphael Fonseca, presents the works of 13 emerging artists born in Brazil. The artworks in the group exhibition bring together a sense of “saudade,” which can be translated as a mixture of melancholy and longing. The exhibition’s title comes from a popular song recorded in 1972 by the legendary singer Elis Regina, titled “Casa no campo” (House in the country) and composed by Tavito and Zé Rodrix. The lyrics are an elegy to quietness in a world that was already in a state of excessive turmoil – during that period Brazil was under an oppressive military dictatorship.

The song becomes relevant again 50 years later, in part because of a political climate defined by exclusion, oppression and exploitation. Still, this title echoes an existential view—who among us, globally, isn’t weary from the unrest we have both experienced and witnessed in recent years?

The Silence of Tired Tongues invites both artists and the public to think with silence and tiredness in bursts of colours, words, and narratives made of moving image and sound.

Learn more about the exhibition here.

Supported by Ministerie van Onderwijs, Cultuur en Wetenschap; Amsterdams Fonds voor de Kunst; Gemeente Amsterdam- Stadsdeel Oost.