Emerging narratives: the history of Luciana Lealdina de Araújo in the production of urban art

Abstract

This article aims to reflect about the production of art as a discussion device for the problem of black invisibility in Rio Grande do Sul, its implication in (re) building an identity in the midst of contemporary political and social issues. We propose through contemporary art a more pluralized narrative that includes stories of the black population, often marginalized or recorded in a superficial way in the local historiography of the south cities of Brazil. In this sense, we propose to present as a first narrative the representation of Luciana Lealdina de Araújo, former slave in the city of Pelotas in the nineteenth century, whose history was marked by the trajectory linked to merit and religiosity. Her story makes it possible to raise questions about the social context in which she lived, about the difficulty as a black woman in getting support to create an institution for orphaned girls, and on the visibility of her memory today. We believe that urban art promotes the encounter of several cultures, awakens to the reflection between art and politics, since it acts as a factor that dialogues with the different cities existing in the same space and, in this way, in the becoming that accompanies each proposal of Art. This research, linked to the Master's thesis in Visual Arts of the Federal University of Pelotas, seeks to promote the multidisciplinary discussion between Art and Politics, with urban intervention as a circumstantial point for discussion on the proposed theme.