Elza Lima (Belém PA 1952)
Photographer.
Elza Maria Sinimbú Lima graduated in history from the Universidade Federal do Pará - UFPA in 1979. In Belém, she took a photography course coordinated by Miguel Chikaoka (1950) at the Oficina Fotoativa in 1984. Between 1985 and 1987, she was part of the team of the project Ação Cultural e Pedagógica com Imagens [Cultural and Educational Action with Images], at the Centro de Recursos Audiovisuais da Amazônia. In 1989, she worked at the Fundação Cultural do Pará Tancredo Neves - Centur, where she built a photographic archive of the cultural expressions of the Amazon region and, under an agreement with the Fundação Nacional do Índio - Funai, began documenting Indigenous peoples of the Legal Amazon. She received the photographer of the year award from the Associação dos Artistas do Pará in 1990, and the José Medeiros Prize from the Museu de Arte Moderna do Rio de Janeiro - MAM/RJ in 1991. In 1995, she spent six months in Switzerland on a grant from the Kunstmuseum des Kantons Thurgau [Thurgau Cantonal Art Museum] and developed the project Vendo de Perto com Olhares de Fora [Seeing Up Close with Outside Eyes] with the Swiss photographer Barnabás Bosshart (1947). The following year, she received the Marc Ferrez Prize from the Fundação Nacional de Arte - Funarte and, in 1999, the Vitae Arts Grant. In the late 1990s, together with Antonio Augusto Fontes (1948), Ed Viggiani (1958), Celso Oliveira (1957) and Tiago Santana (1966), she developed the project Brasil sem Fronteiras [Brazil without Borders], documenting the border towns of western Brazil. The photo essays gave rise to the book of the same name, published in 2001.
Critical Commentary
Elza Lima's work focuses on the cultural traditions and daily life of the riverside communities of Pará. The artist records popular festivals, crafts, fishing, homes, children's games and the presence of icons of modernity, such as television and manufactured goods, in the communities' everyday life. Some images draw attention to people's affectionate relationship with their environment: children climbing trees, bathing in rivers or holding wild animals as if they were pets.
Her photo essays seek to combine documentation and subjectivity and are therefore historically linked to modern documentary photography, inaugurated by the French agency Magnum Photos, founded in 1947 by Robert Capa (1913 - 1954) and Henri Cartier-Bresson (1908 - 2004), among others. Elza Lima's work recalls above all that of Cartier-Bresson, being characterized by the freezing of fleeting instants and by careful composition. According to Cartier-Bresson, "inside movement there is one moment at which the moving elements are in balance. Photography must seize this moment and hold immobile its equilibrium".1
Elza Lima captures the dog leaping into the river while the naked boy looks absently out of the frame, the children jumping into the water, the girl dressed as an angel in a canoe at the edge of the lake. The bodies suspended in the air, the smiles, the wings and the nudity lend the scenes an aura of freedom and purity. Her photographs also answer the desire to preserve aspects of a culture and a way of life that are constantly changing.
Note
1 CARTIER-BRESSON, Henri. El instante decisivo (1952). In: FONTCUBERTA, Joan (ed.). Estética fotográfica. Una selección de textos. Barcelona: Editorial Gustavo Gili, SA., 2003, p. 229.
Critiques
"Elza Lima has strength and style. Her photography stands out for the boldness with which she moves through the spaces she chooses. Her gaze is oblique and seeks out interest in events and characters that inhabit the background, giving them a fundamental role in the visual plots she builds. A personal aesthetic, rich and surprising, never undermines the humanity of her subjects. The emotions of all remain intact, in their joy, suffering and resignation".
Luis Humberto
Luis Humberto - Elza Lima tem força e estilo [Elza Lima Has Strength and Style].
"Elza Lima contributes to the consolidation of an Amazonian gaze that is at once reflection and tenderness. The photographic sign is directed toward a specific process of signification. The apprehension of reality reinvents, through the potential of photography, the very visuality of the real. The political character of this process lies in the individualization of the caboclo as a subject.
If Elza Lima has a vast documentary portfolio of the cultural traditions of Pará, what matters now is to see how testimonies of opacity emerge from this body of work. The photographic language visually translates worthlessness: a blurred face, a body veiled by a fishing net, a distance, a death mask, an innocent and mischievous angel, or a body dematerialized by speed - everything connotes difference beneath appearance".
Paulo Herkenhoff
Paulo Herkenhoff - Elza Lima, a emergência do projeto [Elza Lima, the Emergence of the Project].
"Yes, because this woman synthesizes the dream and the profane in a unison, tense encounter; it is when the absurd emerges from the simple, its pieces floating in the current of Amazonian backyards, sweeping before our eyes old men with battery radios, angels riding on an eternal and strange journey, a woman with hope on her head in the shape of bananas on tracks that will lead nowhere, a girl protected by her father's portrait at the door of the house, television waves sprouting from peeling walls, the invitation to purity or to sin of the naked boy in the Edens of the igarapés, the girls and the sensual play of mirrors and fans; in short, the bells of Belém ringing over Elza's head, a true seedbed of apparitions, floating shadows, wings, white fabrics, wrinkled masks, naked children, a surreal, nuclear and infinite encounter".
Walter Firmo
Walter Firmo - Surreal encontro nuclear e infinito [A Surreal, Nuclear and Infinite Encounter].
Collections
Coleção Museu de Arte Moderna do Rio de Janeiro - MAM/RJ
Fundação Rômulo Maiorana - Belém PA
Fundação Cultural do Pará Tancredo Neves - Belém PA
Coleção Joaquim Paiva - Brasília DF
Coleção Cobras (Ford) - Belém PA
Coleção Centro Cultural Banco do Brasil - Rio de Janeiro RJ
Coleção Biblioteca Nacional - Rio de Janeiro RJ
Museu da Imagem e do Som - Belém PA
Kunstmuseum des Kantons Thurgau - Suíça
Museu de Arte de São Paulo Assis Chateaubriand - São Paulo SP
Fundação Finep - Rio de Janeiro RJ
Museu de Arte de Belém - Belém PA
Coleção Thomaz Farkas - São Paulo SP
NAFoto - São Paulo SP
Solo Exhibitions
1990 - Belém PA - Balata: Fotografias e Esculturas [Balata: Photographs and Sculptures], at Galeria Theodoro Braga
1992 - Belém PA - Índios Awa-Guajá [Awa-Guajá Indians], at Biblioteca Arthur Viana
1993 - Belém PA - Nunca Verás Nenhum País como Este [You Will Never See a Country Like This], at Galeria Rômulo Maiorana
1993 - São Luís MA - Nunca Verás Nenhum País como Este [You Will Never See a Country Like This], at Centro de Criatividade Odylo Costa Filho
1994 - Curitiba PR - Nunca Verás Nenhum País como Este [You Will Never See a Country Like This], at Instituto Goethe
1994 - Aachen (Germany) - Menschen in Amazonien - Elza Lima Fotografien aus Brasilien, at Bibliothek der Stadt Aachen
1994 - Albuquerque (United States) - Photographs by Elza Lima, at the Toys from the Amazon Region Opening festival
Group Exhibitions
1986 - Belém PA - O Meio Ambiente [The Environment], at Hall Ismael Nery
1987 - Ouro Preto MG - 1st Fotonorte, 6th National Photography Week - traveling
1988 - Belém PA - 2nd 24 Hours of Belém Photography Event, at Museu da UFPA
1988 - Belém PA - 7th Arte Pará Salon, at Fundação Rômulo Maiorana - acquisition prize
1988 - Belém PA - Dezembro [December], at Galeria Theodoro Braga
1989 - Belém PA - 8th Arte Pará Salon, Coletiva Cor [Color Group Show], at Galeria Rômulo Maiorana
1989 - Belém PA - A Amazônia, o Homem É a Natureza [The Amazon, Man Is Nature], at Espaço Cultural do Mercado de São Braz
1989 - Belém PA - Elza Lima and Octávio Cardoso, at Galeria Rômulo Maiorana
1989 - Rio de Janeiro RJ - 1st Fotonorte, at Galeria de Furnas
1990 - Belém PA - Chuva [Rain], at Fundação Rômulo Maiorana
1990 - Belém PA - Exhibition celebrating the 119th anniversary of the Biblioteca Pública Arthur Viana
1991 - Belém PA - 10th Arte Pará Salon, at Galeria Rômulo Maiorana - acquisition prize
1991 - Belém PA - A Cor da Imagem e a Imagem da Cor [The Color of the Image and the Image of Color], at MIS/PA
1991 - Belém PA - Waldemar Henrique, at MIS/PA
1992 - Belém PA - 11th Arte Pará Salon, at Galeria Rômulo Maiorana - acquisition prize
1992 - Belém PA - 3rd 24 Hours of Belém, at Fundação Rômulo Maiorana
1992 - Belém PA - Amazonarte, at Círculo Militar
1992 - Belém PA - Pra Ver o Círio Passar [To Watch the Círio Go By], at Núcleo de Arte da UFPA
1992 - Zurich (Switzerland) - Imagens do Brasil [Images of Brazil], at Fundação Suíça para Fotografia
1993 - Belém PA - 12th Arte Pará Salon, at Galeria Rômulo Maiorana
1993 - Belém PA - 2nd Pará Contemporary Art Salon
1993 - Belém PA - Água [Water], at Museu da UFPA
1993 - Belém PA - Direitos Humanos [Human Rights], at Museu da UFPA
1993 - Belém PA - Vida, Resistência e Luta pela Terra, Índios Tembé [Life, Resistance and Struggle for Land, Tembé Indians], at Núcleo de Arte da UFPA
1993 - Rio de Janeiro RJ - Pra Ver o Círio Passar [To Watch the Círio Go By], at Galeria da Funarte
1993 - São Paulo SP - 1st International Month of Photography, at Sesc Pompeia
1993 - São Paulo SP - Contemporary Brazilian Photography, at Sesc Pompeia
1994 - Augsburg (Germany) - Arte de Belém - Brasil [Art from Belém - Brazil], at Casa de Brecht
1994 - Belém PA - 1st Art Meeting, at Galeria do Centro Cultural Brasil-Estados Unidos
1994 - Belém PA - Caminhos Caminhões [Roads, Trucks], at Revendedora Ford do Pará - Cobrás
1994 - Belém PA - Fotoativa 10 Anos [Fotoativa 10 Years]
1994 - Belém PA - Tribute to Master Lucindo Preamar
1994 - Rio de Janeiro RJ - 18th Carioca Salon, at EAV/Parque Lage
1994 - Rio de Janeiro RJ - 1st Finep Photojournalism Salon - honorable mention
1994 - Rio de Janeiro RJ - Contemporary Brazilian Documentary Photographers, at CCBB
1994 - Salvador BA - 3rd National Photographic Arts Salon
1994 - San Francisco (United States) - Contemporary Brazilian Photography: A Selection of Photographs from the Collection of Joaquim Paiva, at Center for the Arts Yerba Buena Gardens
1995 - Germany - Das Bild Forum 3 Internationale Fototage Herten'95, Lichtbilder Junge Brasilianische Fotografie
1995 - Aracaju SE - As Fotógrafas [Women Photographers], at UFSE
1995 - Brasília DF - Fotógrafos Paraenses - Vitrine dos Estados [Photographers from Pará - Showcase of the States], at Senado Federal
1995 - João Pessoa PB - Paraíba Brasil Photographic Art Salon
1995 - Manaus AM - Exhibition celebrating the 90th anniversary of Waldemar Henrique, at Galeria de Arte da Universidade da Amazônia, Instituto da Cidade
1995 - Rio de Janeiro RJ - Fotoativa 10 Anos [Fotoativa 10 Years], at Galeria da Funarte
1995 - Rio de Janeiro RJ - Contemporary Brazilian Photography, at CCBB
1995 - Salvador BA - 4th Bahia Photographic Arts Salon
1995 - São Paulo SP - 5th Pirelli/Masp Photography Collection, at Masp
1995 - São Paulo SP - Coletiva Brasileira de Retratos Anos 80 e 90 [Brazilian Portraits of the 1980s and 1990s], International Month of Photography, at Faap
1995 - Switzerland - Vendo de Perto com Olhares de Fora [Seeing Up Close with Outside Eyes], Elza Lima and Barnabás Bosshart, Kunstmuseum des Kantons Thurgau
1996 - Belém PA - De Longe e de Perto [From Afar and Up Close], at Galeria Theodoro Braga
1996 - Bogotá (Colombia) - Imágenes de Brasil. Coleção Pirelli/Masp de Fotografias [Images of Brazil. Pirelli/Masp Photography Collection], at Casa do Brasil
1996 - Buenos Aires (Argentina) - Imágenes de Brasil. Coleção Pirelli/Masp de Fotografias [Images of Brazil. Pirelli/Masp Photography Collection], at MNBA
1996 - Caracas (Venezuela) - Imágenes de Brasil. Coleção Pirelli/Masp de Fotografias [Images of Brazil. Pirelli/Masp Photography Collection], Museo de Arte Contemporáneo de Caracas Sofía Imber
1996 - Cologne (Germany) - Lichtbilder - Junge Brasilianische Fotografie - 10. Internationale Photoszene Köln
1996 - Curitiba PR - Brasil Mostra Tua Cara [Brazil, Show Your Face] - 1st Photography Biennial, at Solar do Barão
1996 - England - Novas Travessias [New Crossings] - Recent Photographic Art from Brazil, at The Photographers Gallery
1996 - Rio de Janeiro RJ - LGC Galeria Arte Hoje
1997 - Belém PA - 24 Hours of Belém
1997 - Belém PA - Criança Violência [Child Violence], Fotoativa
1997 - Oriximiná PA - Rota d'Água [Water Route], at the 7th Encontro das Raízes Negras
1997 - Ouro Preto MG - Imagens da Amazônia [Images of the Amazon] - Projeto Arca de Noé/Museu do Estado do Pará, 29th UFMG Winter Festival
1997 - Santiago (Chile) - El Brasil de los Brasileros, at Contra Luz Galeria
1997 - São Paulo SP - Na Fronteira dos Sentidos [On the Border of the Senses], at the 3rd International Month of Photography, at CCSP
1998 - São Paulo SP - Amazônicas [Amazonian Women], at Itaú Cultural
1998 - São Paulo SP - Frontiers, at Itaú Cultural
1999 - Wolfsburg (Germany) - Brasilianische Fotografie 1946 bis, at Kunstmuseum Wolfsburg
2000 - Curitiba PR - Brazil without Borders, at Centro Cultural Solar do Barão
2000 - Recife PE - Border Images, at Observatório Cultural Malakoff
2001 - Houston (United States) - Brazil without Borders, at Houston Center for Photography
2001 - Pittsburgh (United States) - Brazil without Borders, at Silver Eye Center for Photography
2002 - Belém PA - Fotografia Contemporânea Paraense [Contemporary Photography from Pará], at MIS/PA
2002 - São Paulo SP - Visions and Illuminations: Contemporary Brazilian Photography from the Joaquim Paiva Collection, at Pavilhão Lucas Nogueira Garcez - Oca
Source: Itaú Cultural
