Moisés Patrício is a renowned babalorixá and multi-media artist based in Brazil whose practice engages the sacred elements of Amerindian and Afro-Brazilian culture.

Patrício will present a lecture performance as a ritual related to Afro-Brazilian culture and its Afro-rooted spirituality. The performance will be based on oral traditions, rituals, drums, and songs. This gathering emphasizes the importance of spirituality for the abolition movement in Brazil. The focal point of this presentation will be the deity Exu, the orisha associated with communication and the crossroads. Exu symbolizes opening paths, transformation, and possible negotiation between opposing forces. In the context of slavery, Candomblé temples, where Exu plays a central role, became sanctuaries of resistance.

This performance will activate Explode! Platform’s artwork, Passagem, 2024, currently on view in Seeing through Stone. Passagem transforms the IAS’s library into an area of ongoing dialogue between Brazil and the U.S. about the movement for prison abolition and Black liberation. This event is part of a series of Passagem activations this Fall.

About Explode! Platform

Founded by Cláudio Bueno and João Simões in Brazil, Explode! Platform operates at the intersections of art, pedagogy, and social justice. Cláudio Bueno, from São Paulo, Brazil, is a professor in the Art Department at the University of California, Santa Cruz. João Simões, from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, is an artist, curator, researcher, and designer.

Image: Marcelo Salvador.