Northern Winds: Jonathas de Andrade’s Fascination with Jangadeiros
We interview artist Jonathas de Andrade for his Ammodo Docs debut. In the documentary short Northern Winds, de Andrade follows the worker community in his hometown of Maceió, Brazil, as he films their craft for a new artwork.
Focusing on local stories of identity and belonging, De Andrade challenges the skewed global power dynamics (of wealth, social mobility and representation) that affect communities on the margin in Brazil, and the world at large. In the new documentary short Northern Winds, we follow the artist in Maceió as he collaborates with the sea community to create a new artwork.
De Andrade has been fascinated by the Jangadeiros since his youth. Intrigued by their skilful way of rolling the sailboats up and down the beach, the artist tries to capture the sailors' ingenious choreography. While poetic in theory, the film aims to create a monument to their vulnerable existence in a country marked by inequality.
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About the artist
Jonathas de Andrade lives and works in Recife, in the Nordeste-region of Brazil. In 2013 he was selected as Foam Talent. In 2019-2021 his work O Peixe (The Fish) was part of the international travelling Foam exhibition On Earth – Imaging, Technology and the Natural World. In 2022 Foam presented his solo exhibition Staging Resistance as part of the Next Level supported by Ammodo: a series introducing innovative art by emerging artists who are making radical new work in photography.
De Andrade has had solo exhibitions in many prominent institutions, among them the Museu de Arte de São Paulo (2016-17); The Power Plant, Toronto (2017); New Museum, New York (2017); and the Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago (2019). His work will be presented at the Brazilian pavilion of the 2022 Venice Biennale.
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