Artists and galleries from Brazil and Latin America gather at art fair in Paris

Artists from all over Latin America are gathering this weekend in Paris for Mira, an art fair that promotes the visibility of the region through sculptures, photographs, textile art, installations and performances, among other representations. The event takes place until November 16th at the Maison de l’Amérique Latine, in the 7th arrondissement of the French capital, and this year focuses especially on Brazilian artists and gallery owners due to Brazil's visit to France.

For its second edition, the Mira Latino Art Fair occupies all four floors of the Maison de l’Amérique Latine, bringing together 30 galleries, six more than last year when the event debuted at the same address. This year, Mira is taking advantage of the Paris Photo event – dedicated to photography, which also takes place this November – to energize the artistic and cultural scene of the French capital with a more active presence of international collectors. The event brings together not only galleries from Latin America, but also from various European countries, especially France.

The selection and scenography process was meticulous, but also aimed to highlight the diversity of artistic practices and the vitality of the Latin American art scene to attract not only buyers, specialists, and art professionals. The general public is also very welcome, as the curator of the Public Program, Noelia Portela, explains.

“The programming for the public exists precisely to invite people who may not know (the event), but who love art and everything that happens around it. So this programming is designed to provide that space. We also have weekend activities dedicated to children and families, with an institution from Chile, Nube Lab, which has an educational project with two artists, Paula de Solminihac and Elena Loson,” she explained.

More performances and photographs

The organizers explain that this edition of Mira was designed to promote exchanges, interactions, and “genuine encounters.” Therefore, there is a greater focus on artistic performances and not just on the exhibition of works. Noelia Portela explains that the goal was to create something more relaxed.

“Last year we were very ambitious, and we put together a large program with many dialogues and some interventions by artists. This year we focused on performances. So, people will come to the Maison de l’Amérique Latine precisely to see established artists who work in performance art and who, normally, in the context of art fairs, end up being somewhat left out,” she said, citing Maria Konder and Vanessa da Silva, Brazilian artists who present the performance Corpomuta.

Mira also dedicates a special focus to photography. Ana Stewart, gallerist, artist and photographer, one of the founders of the Da Gávea gallery, says that she brought works of hers and six other artists to Paris. According to her, the most classic works were chosen, represented by a little over 30 photos.

“We chose what explains, what tells a story, what constitutes the whole of our work. It’s a gallery dedicated solely to photography, and we brought what best represents our style,” she said.

As an artist, Ana Stewart spoke about her series of photographs illustrating girls and women from the North Zone of Rio de Janeiro, some examples of which will also be exhibited at the fair. She explains that the “Girls of Rio” series is a work in constant evolution over the years.

Read more