In 2017, artists Elisabete Finger, Maikon K, Renata Carvalho and Wagner Schwartz were the subject of heated debates about freedom of expression, censorship and limits in art. In his performance La Bête, Wagner offers his naked body to be folded and unfolded by the public - revisiting the proposal of the sculptures in the work Bichos by Lygia Clark. In his presentation at the São Paulo Museum of Modern Art the performer was touched by a child, who was accompanied by her mother. A video clip of this moment was manipulated by conservative groups and went viral on social networks, giving the artist the title of "pedophile."
Elisabete, choreographer and mother of the child who participated in La Bête, has suffered an avalanche of accusations and threats amidst police inquiries and political interrogations that have questioned the role of women, mothers, audiences and artists in Brazil today.
In his performance DNA de DAN, Maikon stands naked and motionless inside a transparent bubble. In his presentation in front of the National Museum of the Republic in Brasília, his scenery was damaged and he was detained by the military police on charges of an obscene act.
Renata, an actress, had her play - The Gospel According to Jesus, Queen of Heaven - censored, and was prevented from performing for being a travesti and interpret Jesus Christ in the theatre.
In Public Domain, the four artists come together for a reflection based on the attacks they suffered. Choosing one of the icons of art history as a starting point, they reveal how a work of art can be used in different narratives throughout the ages, inciting the most diverse reactions, and mirroring the facts and absurdities of our societies.