In 2015, the collections of the Institut Moreira Salles (IMS) were enriched by some 5,000 negatives, representing a total of over 10,000 images, often with multiple prints per negative, donated by the estate of the photographer Chichico Alkmim, still relatively unknown at the time. The early 20th-century studio photographer, native of the little town of Diamantina in the state of Minas Gerais in Brazil, spent years photographing local residents, building a portrait of Brazilian rural life of his time. The IMS presents a major exhibition that sheds light on the work of a photographer who, until now, has had very little exposure.
Eucanaã Ferraz, the curator of the exhibition, is a poet and often designs literary-themed exhibitions. He can guess, however, why he was asked to curate an exhibition of photography, an area in which he is working for the first time. Chichico Alkmim, says Ferraz, was not among the dominant photography figures of his era, and so it is fitting that the exhibition is curated by someone less “obvious” and less imposing in the world of photography and images. Rather than proposing a critical view of photography formulated by an expert, the idea, according to Ferraz, was to find someone who would be moved by the humanist aspect of the photographs and be able to showcase it accordingly.
The people photographed by Alkmim have a very strong presence, and Eucanaã Ferraz knew how to capture it and show it to the public. The curator, who even admits to having had dreams about the subjects portrayed by Alkmim in the months running up to the exhibition, chose to populate an entire room with life-size full-length portraits, thus bringing the audience face to face with human figures that gaze straight back at them.
The modest, artisanal aspect of Alkmim’s work is similarly foregrounded, for instance in the exhibition room named “Pocket Museum,” which features the equipment used by the photographer to print his images, as well as a few original prints made by the photographer himself, and a whole panel with negatives displayed under backlit glass. The frames used to mount the prints are also particular, made of unvarnished wood: this is an homage to Diamantina, a town which, “unlike other colonial towns in Minas Gerais decorated with Baroque ornaments carved in stone, is covered with wood carvings. However, the intention was also to evoke the ‘raw,’ artisanal aspect of Chichico Alkmim’s work,” explained Ferraz. In these panels, negative-based prints show chance combinations of images resulting from dividing the sheet into two, three, or even four to economize on paper.
While Ferraz skillfully bridged Alkmim’s work and literature, he has also decided to set it in the context of music. A small room cleverly named “The Music Box” showcases vintage music recordings, allowing the audience to take their time and listen, while looking at Chichico Alkmim’s photographs of musical bands and portraits of musicians.
Chichico Alkmim, Fotógrafo is an unquestionably beautiful and human exhibition thanks to its simplicity that is consonant with the work of this little-known photographer finally brought to light by the Institut Moreira Salles.
Elsa Leydier
Elsa Laydier is a photographer and writer. She splits her life between Lyon and Rio de Janeiro.
Chichico Alkmim, Fotógrafo
Until October 1, 2017
Institut Moreira Salles
Rua Marquês de São Vicente, 476
Gávea CEP 22451-040
Rio de Janeiro
Brazil
