Today Is Always Yesterday: Contemporary Brazilian Art

Today Is Always Yesterday examines the historical constructs underlying contemporary art in Brazil, arguing that art can illustrate and activate history. The book's five chapters are structured by the colors of the flag, and it explores how artists have responded to cultural engagements and appropriations, unravelling Brazil's foundational myths and projected image as a racial melting pot.

Format: Hardback
Length: 320 pages
Publication date: 18 December 2023
Publisher: Reaktion Books

Today Is Always Yesterday delves into the historical frameworks that shape contemporary art in Brazil. Michael Asbury, through his examination of the nation's colonial and post-colonial history, posits that art possesses the ability to not only depict history but also to activate it. The colors of the flag, a national emblem steeped in symbolism and which has recently become a focal point in the culture wars, serve as thematic pillars to structure the five chapters of the book. Asbury explores how artists have responded to cultural engagements and appropriations, and examines the role of art in unraveling Brazil's foundational myths and its projected image as a racial melting pot. This book is lavishly illustrated, offering a compelling account of the ongoing debates in Brazilian art.

Weight: 1206g
Dimension: 200 x 258 x 30 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781789148008