Synopsis: Rasga Mortalha comes from the legend of the owl “Suindara” – much told in the folklore of the North and Northeast of Brazil – to address the socio-political urgencies of the country. It is believed that the appearance of its white figure, followed by the wild cry – which resembles the sound of a cloth being torn in half – carries with it the sign of death. As a metaphorical vector for thinking, and also transcending, a fatalistic view of Brazilian history, the artist uses this popular tradition to cross centuries of public events with memories, references and personal imaginations, creating a charged and sharp narrative.
Submitter Statement: The references in Martins de Melo’s work come from his research into a variety of sources. From the poetry of Gonçalves Dias to the gestures of Tuíra Kayapó, from the messianism of Glauber Rocha to the concept of necropolitics coined by the Cameroonian thinker Achilles Mbembe, from Tupinambá mythology to the current struggle of the Gamela people in Maranhão, from cordel literature to armed guerrillas in the Latin American jungles, the artist constructs intricate and symbolic panoramas of contemporary Latin America..
Director: Thiago Martins de Melo
Writer: Thiago Martins de Melo
Producer: Samantha Moreira
Country of Origin: Brazil
Language:
Subtitles:
Runtime: 00:13:50
Project Website: https://www.thiagomartinsdemelo.com.br
Instagram: https://instagram.com/agotapreta
Student’s Project: No
