Numerous artists included in Axé Bahia work in a range of media. This program features short films by such artists as Caetano Dias and Ayrson Heráclito, and sheds light on the breadth of their practices beyond the works on view in the exhibition.

In Canto Doce: Pequeno Labirinto (Sweet Song: Small Labyrinth), Caetano Dias records the construction of a small labyrinth made of sugar in the Calçada train station in Salvador, as well as the reaction of passersby discovering it. In Ayrson Heráclito’s As mãos do Epô (The Hands of Epô), the camera follows a pair of hands dipping into a bowl of dendê (palm oil) and depicting the movements characteristic of orixás or deities in the Candomblé religion.

Axé Bahia Film Series

Curated by Randal Johnson, Distinguished Professor, UCLA Department of Spanish and Portuguese, this monthly series includes documentaries, feature films, and artist films showcasing Afro-Brazilian culture and identities.

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Parking available in UCLA Lot 4, 398 Westwood Plaza, directly off Sunset Blvd | $12/day

About the Exhibition

Axé Bahia: The Power of Art in an Afro-Brazilian Metropolis, explores the distinctive cultural role of the city of Salvador, the coastal capital of the Brazilian state of Bahia and an internationally renowned center of Afro-Brazilian culture. Featuring more than 100 works from the mid-20th century to the present, including a stunning array of sculpture, painting, photography, video, and installation art, the exhibition explores the complexities of race and cultural affiliation in Brazil, and the provoca­tive ways in which artists have experienced and responded creatively to prevailing realities of Afro-Brazilian identity in Bahia.