The argument and submission of the text are usually the main elements of completing a master's or doctorate. However, if for most areas of knowledge this format constitutes the centrality of defense, for Visual Arts students artistic production is as important as textual discourse. Thus, at Unicamp, the conclusions of master's and doctoral students in the Visual Poetics and Creation Processes line take place alongside a joint exhibition, which is at the Gallery of the Institute of Arts (GAIA) until February 12th.
The coordinator of GAIA and professor of the Postgraduate Program in Visual Arts, Luise Weiss, highlights that this format has been adopted for a long time at Unicamp and other educational institutions. The model of defenses alongside the exhibition, she explains, is important to allow the evaluation panel a better view of the works, with adequate lighting and layout, bringing the connection between textual work and practice. “It’s a space for conversation, for reflection, it’s not just the artistic work at a vernissage. It’s to be able to look at the work, ask questions, bring reflections”, she points out.
Furthermore, the curation itself and the way the student displays their works allows for an experience closer to the artist's reality. For Ana Paula Rodrigues de Melo, who defended her dissertation “Between Images: Hybrid Diálogos” on Tuesday (28), putting together the exhibition also brings maturity to her own artistic production. “It is necessary to make a selection of the work, so at this point we are already maturing the look at what is most relevant. When you make the selection you need to have criteria, and then you will also think better about how production is going. It’s difficult, but very enriching.”
The assessment is shared by his colleague André Berger, whose master's work “This is the night: dry tip and black way” was defended on Wednesday (29). For him, the exhibition as part of the defense makes it possible to present the work in a way that is much more consistent with what the artist does. “It gives the chance to show the work as it is, without being in a classroom with it placed on a table in any way. You can create a curation, an interesting montage in which you can display in the way you think is most correct, in a better sequence”, he assesses. According to André, sharing the space with the colleagues he worked with during his postgraduate studies is also an interesting point.
Aligned theoretical and practical reflection
Artistic production and mastery of the theme and critical reflection on the techniques and methods used in the works are fundamental in the Visual Poetics line of the Postgraduate Program in Visual Arts. Therefore, it is necessary to align the creativity and sensitivity of artistic works with knowledge about the object, which must be expressed in the text.
“It is an academic production in which there is a theoretical reflection, with both theoretical and artistic elective affinities”, explains professor Ivanir Cozeniosque Silva, who supervised Ana Paula’s work. In textual production, there is a more intimate process. The exhibition, according to the teacher, belongs to the public. Uniting both elements and being able to present them to the evaluation panel thus allows a dialogue between what was thought in the text and the images brought.
Professor Sérgio Niculitcheff, who supervised André Berger, observes in a similar way. “The artistic work of the poetics line is not just the textual part, it involves the practical part. That's why the exhibition is held and the stall is in this format: so that you can see the result of production on site. This dynamic is essential. You need to look at the work to analyze the textual work.”
The satisfaction of seeing the students' defenses and exposure at GAIA, the teachers guarantee, is great. As Ivanir observes, the student creates their own path, which is impossible for the teacher to imagine when he starts to guide them. “The route is completely free. It creates a complexity, a density and it keeps happening. It's just the journey that determines the relationship, the trust. This moment is highly gratifying”, says the teacher.
Works on display
Five students - two doctoral students and three master's students - defend their dissertations and theses until Friday (31). Visitation at GAIA takes place from 9am to 17pm, Monday to Friday, except holidays. Entry is free. Check out the works on display:
ENTER| IMAGES: Hybrid Dialogues
Artist exhibition Ana Paula Rodrigues de Melo
Advisor: Prof. Dr. Ivanir Cozeniosque Silva
This is the night: dry tip and black way
Artist exhibition André Berger
Orientapain: Prof. Dr. Sérgio Niculitcheff.
Drawings to play
Artist exhibition Hélio Lima
Orientadora: Prof. Dr. Luise Weiss.
Artificial Series of Words
Artist exhibition Yuly Marty
Advisor: Prof. Dr. Lúcia Eustachio Fonseca Ribeiro.
Ruin and rest: Painting, gilding and oxidation
Artist exhibition Wesley Lopes Sanches
Orientapain: Prof. Dr. Sérgio Niculitcheff.
