CCVM opens the ZIMAR exhibition at the National Museum of the Republic

Originally exhibited at the Vale Maranhão Cultural Center from August 2022 to February 2023, the ZIMAR exhibition enchanted the public of Maranhão for its irreverence, creativity and appreciation of the popular culture of the Baixada Maranhão. Now, the exhibition will take on new air, arriving at the annex of the National Museum of the Republic, in the city of Brasília.

Eusimar Meireles Gomes, Zimar, is a native of the city of Matinha (MA), and started making cazumba masks after hurting himself with a mask he had bought. He then decided to adapt the masks to the shape of his face, providing more comfort. “We can divide Zimar’s work into three phases: the first one where he worked well-elaborated chins and grimaces in papaúba wood; the second also in wood, but with smaller features; and the third in which he reappears using various materials. He is part of a group of good grimaces, who apply their personal brand as a signature to their works, either through the reuse of ordinary devices or the expression of the ready-made masks,” explains Jandir Gonçalves, a researcher of popular culture in Maranhão and who curates the exhibition together with Reinilda Oliveira and Sergileide Lima.

Altogether, there are 65 cazumba faces produced with the most diverse materials. Helmets, PVC pipes, motorcycle fenders, aluminum pans, fan parts, toothbrushes, bicycle tires are some of the artifacts used by the craftsman to create the pieces, which are already part of the Cazumba costume of various Bumba Meu Boi groups from the Baixada Maranhão region.

The exhibition also includes a documentary short film of the same name and unpublished, directed by the filmmaker Beto Matuck, especially for the exhibition. The film shows Zimar creating grimaces, as he tells about his story, inspirations, and addresses profound issues such as the relationship between life and death. “To expose an artist like Zimar is to recognize culture in its broad sense of origin. He is a great representative of popular artists from Maranhão and his work takes on universal dimensions when it evokes in us feelings common to humans, such as fear, desire, surprise, attraction and disgust. The freedom of creation is evident, as well as an entire expressive framework that connects to the spheres of ancestry and dreams”, highlights Gabriel Gutierrez, director and artistic coordinator of the Vale Maranhão Cultural Center.

“For the National Museum of the Republic, it is a joy to open space for popular culture in Maranhão and to form institutional partnerships that strengthen the arts and visual culture. We are a ‘National’ Museum in Brasilia that seeks to provide visibility for diverse artistic productions,” says Sara Seilert, director of the National Museum of the Republic

ZIMAR will be on display at the National Museum of the Republic until June 9, from Tuesday to Sunday, from 9 a.m. to 6:30 p.m., with free admission. The exhibition is made possible through the Cultural Incentive Law – Rouanet Law, through sponsorship from Vale and an initiative of the Vale Cultural Institute.