The anonymous Instagram profile New Memeseum takes part of Pivô Satellite’s third edition with its Panorama Botijão da Arte Brasileira [The Gas Cylinder Brazilian Art Panorama]. The proposal is a virtual exhibition that presents a set of documentation of gas cylinder capes, by collecting images on the internet or sent by the public. The exhibition aims to revisit an old habit, typically Brazilian, of covering household appliances. Panorama Botijão da Arte Brasileira is featured at Pivô’s platform for digital projects until December 2nd as part of the curatorial project Sex, Lies and Videotape, by Raphael Fonseca.

Watch here.

With its title alluding to a renowned contemporary art exhibition, the Panorama Botijão da Arte Brasileira intends to document the diversity of colors, shapes, and themes of the gas cylinders capes, by collecting images existing on the internet or sent by the public. The proposal will also take a look at the household item that has been a frequent subject in the press, due to its recent price increase. Gas, an essential product, has become less and less affordable for Brazilian families.

About the curatorial project

Sex, Lies and Videotape takes its title from Steven Soderbergh’s 1989 film of the same name. One of the film’s iconic dialogues reads, “A liar is the second-worst form of a human being.” From this provocation, the narrative revolves around the notion of desire, sex, truth, and virtuality. In the 1980s, access to portable video cameras became popular – as did the notions of surveillance and fiction around our own filmed images.

The four artists gathered in this third episode of Pivô Satellite – Laura Fraiz, Eduardo Montelli, Ventura Profana and New Memeseum – constantly challenge the boundaries between documentation and fiction. Through videos, audios, gifs, and memes, they constantly explore their self-images, making public questions about faith, narcissism, hegemonic narratives, and institutional critique. Beyond the increasingly invisible limits between what could become a “truth” or a “lie” in 2021, there is another essential element that unites them: the ability to seduce the public eye.