XVII Congress of the Brazilian Studies Association

Art as a tool of self-discovery in the works of Greta Sarfaty

• In Event: Women artists in Brazil - Oscillating between democracy and dictatorship?

Abstract

This paper uses oral history and archival research to examine women artists' experiences during the Brazilian civil-military dictatorship (1964-85). In particular, it focuses on Brazilian artist Gretta Sarfaty, analysing her "Auto-Photos" series (1973) and her 1978 performance during the happening "Mitos Vadios." This study illustrates how, in the 1970s, Gretta pioneered experimental art by pushing art-making boundaries, blending performances, video, photography, and installations. Gretta's artistic exploration in new media merged with her self-discovery process as a woman and an artist during censorship and conservatism, which enforced rigid beauty standards and hindered women's political engagement.
During the dictatorship, women artists also lived the birth of a counter-cultural movement promoting individuality, non-conformity with the social order, and rejection of Western rationality. These liberal ideas inspired Brazilian artists to contest censorship and social-cultural norms through their art, integrating public participation and sensory experiences into their works and frequently including spiritual and therapeutic practices. Gretta produced the "Auto-Photos" series (1976) in this effervescent cultural milieu. Hence, the body is her expression of individuality via a non-traditional art medium (photography), while the humoristic tone contests social stereotypes of women's beauty standards and desired traits of sexiness with a certain innocence. In "Mitos Vadios," she performed the role of a palm reader predicting the audience's future, drawing inspiration from her mystical experiences in Candomblé and her Jewish heritage's Cabala. Both artworks demonstrate how Gretta incorporated her personal life and social-political concerns into her art, using her body as a tool for self-expression in innovative artistic forms.

Author

• Patricia Branco Cornish, Concordia University