Gestures of Love, Practices of Seduction is the second edition of the Contra-Flecha exhibition program. Co-designed by curator Germano Dushá and artist Rafael RG, and joined in this edition by guest curator Fabíola Rodrigues, the exhibition brings together a constellation of artists whose works explore the multiple forms through which love, desire, intimacy, and attraction manifest in art.
The show proposes unprecedented dialogues between historical and contemporary production: Antonio Henrique Amaral, Chico Tabibuia, Hudinilson Jr., Ismael Nery, José Leonilson, Lygia Pape, Maria Auxiliadora, Maria Lídia Magliani, Maria Martins, Movimento Negro Unificado, Pagu, Sidney Amaral, Teresinha Soares, Tunga, Wanda Pimentel; invited artists: Renato Noguera, Tatiana Chalhoub, Tayná Uràz, Val Souza, Xamânica; as well as ten artists selected through an open call: Bisoro, Daiely Gonçalves, Ferrerin, Geoneide Brandão, Gustavo Torres, Julia Gallo, Linga Acácio, , Marina Borges, Nazas, Rainha F. Across this diverse group, the exhibition spans the biology and atomic chemistry of libido; the magic of attraction; the abstractions of pleasure and sexual connection; and the affections found in friendship and family life. Desire appears here in its many registers: from immateriality to physicality, from the sacred to the profane, from explicit gestures to subtle suggestions, and from traditional expressions to renewed ways of relating.
This publication documents and expands upon the exhibition. In addition to an introduction presenting the program's vision and processes, and a curatorial text, the catalogue includes full photographic documentation of the exhibition and all participating works; individual presentations dedicated to each contemporary artist; and original essays by each member of the curatorial team, offering deeper engagement with the conceptual foundations of the show. Bringing together these multiple voices and perspectives, the catalogue serves as both an extension of the exhibition and a space for further reflection on the aesthetics, politics, and poetics of desire.