Africa, Artistic Expressions of a Continent

Bringing art and culture beyond the established spaces, such as museums, theaters and institutions, is one of the noble premises of the current administration of the State Government. The realization of this – which is one of the most significant exhibitions of the Oscar Niemeyer Museum – outside the physical limits of MON, proves the desire to democratize culture, bringing it to the public.

The exhibition “Africa – Artistic Expressions of a Continent”, which now arrives in the western region of our State, is the consolidation of a long and careful process that culminated in the arrival of one of the most important and significant collections of contemporary African art to MON and, consequently, to the people of Paraná. 

This exhibition is an excerpt from the generous donation of approximately 1,700 works of African art, the result of a partnership between the Oscar Niemeyer Museum and the Ivani and Jorge Yunes Collection (CIJY), from São Paulo. Since 2021, the collection belongs to the State of Paraná.

As the largest art museum in Latin America, with a space of more than 35 thousand square meters of built area, with 17 thousand square meters of area for exhibitions, MON is a state patrimony linked to the Paraná State Secretariat for Social Communication and Culture. 

With its natural vocation for visual arts, architecture and design, it has Asian and African collections. In recent years, its collection has tripled in size and now has more than 9,000 pieces, which consolidates it as one of the most important in the country. 

It is part of the Museum's mission, in addition to collecting and exhibiting, to provide transformative experiences and dialogue between the public and art. The objective is to make MON increasingly alive and active, nationally and internationally.

This would not be possible without the special look that the State of Paraná has dedicated to the cultural sector. Fortunately, this is a very attentive and sensitive management, which believes in the transformative role of art and culture.

We understand that a museum exists from its collection, but it is through the interaction with the public that culture and knowledge are disseminated – goods that make us more human. We are sure that the great collection of African art will offer the public of Paraná exciting and uplifting experiences.

Juliana Vellozo Almeida Vosnika
Director-President of the Oscar Niemeyer Museum

The ancient metaphor of the power of trees has never been as appropriate as when associated with the enduring connections to our Mother Africa. If we then think of the metaphors of the gigantic baobab trees, from the severe historical references associated with slavery by the 'Tree of Forgetfulness' to the gentler ones by the famous tree from The Little Prince, the lessons learned would be analogous: 'You become eternally responsible for what you have tamed,' as Saint-Exupéry said.

Strengthening institutional bonds, the Oscar Niemeyer Museum (MON) received this important donation of African works from the Ivani and Jorge Yunes Collection (CIJY). Over more than 50 years, the couple acquired works that span five continents. From Africa, 1,700 objects were donated to the Oscar Niemeyer Museum's collection, which we congratulate for taking this timely step, enriching its collection and, at the same time, the entire African legacy in Paraná and Brazil.

With the exhibition of objects from such distinct cultural heritages, we find an important common point here: within the Museum, these arts are elevated to the same artistic platform, equating African art with the level of world art. This is a way of honoring the visual ancestry of the past and opening new plantings, routes, and perspectives for this art in the future.

Renato Araújo da Silva
Curator and specialist in African Art

The Government of the State of Paraná is proud to strive to maintain cultural institutions such as the Oscar Niemeyer Museum, one of the most important museum entities in the world. But we also understand that cultural policies must promote and encourage the democratization of art and culture for all people. 

The extension of the MON collection to Cascavel, an important city in the West that leads a region with 54 municipalities, is a milestone for our policy of decentralization and exchange. 

With it, we materialized one of the pillars of our government plan for Culture. Thus, we establish a bridge between the public of the capital and that visit the city of Curitiba, to have access and the opportunity to have contact with this important artistic collection. 

Leading a federation unit at a time like the pandemic is, at the same time, challenging and extremely enriching. This is due to the fact that we know that, in addition to basic needs, people need interaction with art.

The exhibition “Africa, Artistic Expressions of a Continent” puts into perspective and exalts our African matrix with a fabulous collection of works. This collection has a lot to reveal to us and to teach future generations. It is a pleasure to be able to share this with the people of Paraná. 

Carlos Massa Ratinho Junior,
Governor of Paraná

Having, Maintaining, and Sharing: these are the three axes that guide the Ivani and Jorge Yunes Collection (CIJY).

When looking at the first axis, my parents saw the opportunity to realize what they called the "will of the world."

World, world, vast world. This is how I define the CIJY. Over fifty years of exchanges and learning, it expanded. Today it is composed of pieces that span twenty-two centuries of history, five continents, and the most diverse techniques and mediums. This is its essence.

Among its various cores, the African art one had a special place on the horizon: the construction of a museum to house it. That was Ivani and Jorge's great dream.

Naturally, I assumed with my mother the commitment to care for the second axis of the CIJY: Maintaining.

Various developments such as researching, cataloging, restoring, and exhibiting are part of the act of collecting. What a pleasurable responsibility to care for this small vast world!

I remember long and fond conversations with my father, when he quoted Heraclitus' Panta Rei: everything flows, nothing stays the same. The universe is an eternal flow.

This brings us to the third axis of the CIJY: Sharing.

The passage of our Afro Collection, from its private sphere, to the Oscar Niemeyer Museum greatly honors us and finally fulfills an old dream.

Among so many learnings, the greatest was the certainty that the collector has a biography, while objects have many.

It is in sharing the collection with the public that the alchemy happens. New dialogues, new reinterpretations, new horizons.

May African art lead us to still unknown ports. Panta Rei!

Beatriz Yunes Guarita
Ivani and Jorge Yunes Collection