Meet Renata Azevedo Moreira: Creating spaces for connection

CFC Members Spotlight is a bi-monthly interview series showcasing the work of our members on our blog and social media. Through this series, we highlight the diverse curatorial practices in our community and encourage new connections and exchange.

 

Meet CFC Member Renata Azevedo Moreira

 

Renata Azevedo Moreira (she/her) is a Brazilian curator, researcher, and cultural worker based in Toronto and São Paulo. Queer, feminist, and postcolonial gestures inspire her curatorial practice, which focuses on collaboration and inclusivity by striving to create space for connections between QBIPOC artists in different stages of their careers. Her experience has been built through independent projects and work within art institutions such as museums, artist-run centres, and universities in Montreal and Toronto.

We recently interviewed Renata Azevedo Moreira to learn more about her curatorial journey, inspirations, and insights into the art world.

 

Image credit: Exhibition Femynynytees, 2018, Arts Visuels Émergents Gallery, Montreal

 

CFC: What inspired you to pursue a career as a curator? Was there a particular moment or experience that sparked your interest?

RAM: I applied for a Ph.D. program in Communication Studies in 2016, and part of my research involved developing an experimental exhibition to explore audience engagement with contemporary art. Little did I know, at the time, that there was an entire field dedicated to studying how curatorial processes take shape. When I found that out, I understood that was what I needed to be doing!

 

CFC: What thread or idea ties your work together?

RAM: An intense desire to make room for QBIPOC artists who want to share their brilliant ideas with the world. For me, working together, getting to know their process, and being able to help them spread their work makes everything else worth it.

 

CFC: Name a project or exhibition that holds special significance for you. What made it stand out?

RAM: Mundos, by Teresa Margolles at the Musée d’Art Contemporain de Montréal, was a life changer for me – and that is not an exaggeration. It materialized so many of the intuitions I had as an emergent curator. It helped me see what a great show can do, the impact it may cause, and the responsibility involved in showing great art. A lot of Margolles works focused on femicide but did not shy away from playfulness and joy within their installations. That carried a somewhat disturbing simplicity that opened my eyes to the otherworldly power of understanding where the work is within contemporary art, so we can make it really visible.

 

Image credit: Exhibition Mi(s)(xed)communications, 2018, Ada X, Montreal.

 

CFC: What’s your favorite part about being a curator? And, if you don’t mind sharing, what’s the most challenging?

RAM: For me, the absolute best is seeing an exhibition come to life: installation days, followed by the first looks in the eyes of people who encounter the show for the first time. The most challenging is being able to actually make a living of it, especially as an independent curator.

 

CFC: Any hot takes on the current state of the curatorial field or the art world in general? What do we need more or less of?

RAM: I believe we need more joy. Not blind-folded, reckless joy, but resistance-oriented joy as a form of collective empowerment. We need to look at each other’s struggles as cultural workers and support one another. We need more compassion and help among pairs.

 

Image credit: Exhibition Her Flesh, 2022-23, Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto.

 

CFC: What advice would you give to aspiring curators just starting their careers?

RAM: Your intuitions matter. Believe them. Be kind hearted and open minded. Ask for help when you need it: find people you trust. No one can do this work alone!

 

Explore more of Renata Azevedo Moreira’s work on her website.

 

Profile photo credit: Alexandra Cousins

 

Are you interested in learning more about our CFC membership? Dive into how to become a CFC member here.