QUEERMUSEU
Gaudêncio Fidelis
QUEERMUSEU
The Queermuseu exhibition opened in August 2017 at the Santander Cultural Center in Porto Alegre, Brazil. It featured 270 works by 82 artists, from both public and private collections exploring themes related to queer identity and difference in Brazilian art. However, after one month of its opening, the exhibition faced intense backlash from a right-wing group, accusing the sexually explicit and gender-bending material of promoting blasphemy and pedophilia.
Curated by Gaudencio Fidelis, this exhibition went beyond conventional boundaries of inclusion. It fostered a dialogue between the historical and the contemporary, encouraging visitors to explore diverse perspectives. After a visit from the public prosecutor’s office, which declared the defamatory allegations made against “QueerMuseu” to be false, the then-censored exhibit reopened at the School of Visual Arts in Rio de Janeiro, to record-breaking crowds.
As the international press and media advisor for the show, 4H5H MEDIA remained steadfast in its commitment and unwavering support for the QueerMuseum project. From the pre-opening phase until its triumphant reopening in Rio de Janeiro, the organization stood firmly behind the curator’s creative vision. The advocacy for freedom of speech and artistic expression as fundamental human rights remained resolute throughout.
PUBLISHED MEDIA
SANTANDER IMPRENSA READ THE ARTICLE
ELEONE PRESTES READ THE ARTICLE
SMITHSONIAN MAGAZINE READ THE ARTICLE
ART FORUM READ THE ARTICLE
THE ART NEWSPAPER READ THE ARTICLE
GAUDENIO FIDELIS - Curator
About the Curator
Gaudêncio Fidelis (b. 1965, Brazil) is an author, art historian, and curator specializing in Brazilian modern and contemporary art and art from Latin America. He was the chief curator for the 10th Mercosul Biennial exhibition to be held in 2015, the second largest Biennial in Brazil after São Paulo. He holds a B.A. in Fine Arts from the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, an M.A. from New York University (NYU), and a Ph.D. in Art History from the State University of New York SUNY. He was the founder and former director of the Museum of Contemporary Art of Rio Grande do Sul and worked as the director of the State Institute of Visual Arts of Rio Grande do Sul (IEAVI). He has published several monographs and articles in Brazilian and foreign press. He has organized and curated more than 50 exhibitions and has served as director of the Rio Grande do Sul Museum of Art. He is a member of the Brazilian Association of Art Critics (ABCA).