“Empowerment is an instrument of social struggle that is born with a deep awareness of who we are.” The statement is by the writer Joice Berth and is in line with the most recent research by Renata Egreja, a production that was born after a period of intense personal transformation, influenced mainly by feminist ideas and motherhood. The result is exhibited at the individual Certezas Transparentes, an unprecedented exhibition that opens on October 1st at Galeria Lume.
The last four years were one of metamorphosis for Egreja: she became a mother, doula, teacher and, with that, gave birth to new forms of her artistic work. The artist reflects on the most diverse facets and places of women in contemporary times and invites the public to do the same.
Recurring idea in Accommodated (2019), an interactive installation that occupies the gallery’s central room with a large hand-sewn red carpet. On top of it, cozy pillows that encourage the visitor to take a rest break. On each pillow, Renata embroidered information from the survey Men’s perceptions of domestic violence against women, a study by the Avon Institute and Data Popular, which brings data such as “43% of Brazilian men think that women are responsible for taking care of the home”. “. A provocation by the artist to show how accommodated we are, often inert, in the face of situations of gender inequality.
Renata Egreja exalts her ancestors and the women around her. She combines past and present and brings to life the series of paintings Certezas Transparentes (2019), the exhibition’s namesake, in which she mixes painting, a technique she has used in her career, and sewing, a craft that, according to her, is the language of ancestral women in art. . “I explore sewing as an intention of painting and memory of female work and I evoke it to place it on an erudite level. It is a memory of women’s work”, explains the artist.
Certezas Transparentes is also the name of the group of women where Renata teaches feminism in art. A collective formed by women of different ages and profiles, all residing in Ubatuba, on the coast of São Paulo, where the artist resides.
Throughout the exhibition period, on October 5th, the Gallery promotes a conversation circle on Non-Violent Communication (CNV), a fundamental theme for Egreja. The chat will be conducted by Camila Goytacaz, journalist, writer and specialist in the field.