Ca’ del Duca 3052, Corte del Duca Sforza
San Marco, 30124, Venezia, Italy
Tue – Sat 10am – 6pm
“Filipe’s work is very deep; it digs into the heart of the Mozambique culture, politics, ways of living, the country’s natural beauty, costumes, corruption, and its monstrosities.”
AKKA Project is pleased to present The Scandal, the solo exhibition by Filipe Branquinho, from 06.03 to 30.04.2022.
The exhibition The Scandal captures and explores social issues related to the contemporary reality of Mozambique, investigating its folkways, mythology, and urban dynamics.
Filipe uses Mapiko masks of the Maconde tradition, associating drawing and photography with a strong sense of satire to reflect the aspects and values of contemporary national affairs. These Mapiko masks can be, traditionally, caricatures of characters of a magical (imaginary) world or real known characters from the community or region. The works depict the overarching themes of worldwide greed and malaise. As an exhibition, it lays bare the socio-political void of Mozambique.
Filipe drew inspiration from the 2.7 billion dollar scandal circling the “tuna bond” debt crisis in Mozambique that led to international attention. The artworks depicting the sea and fish are a startling narration of how a tuna fishing fleet sunk Mozambique’s economy and rocked the country. The money which the government borrowed to set up a sophisticated tuna industry was allegedly diverted to corrupt officials. “Back in Mozambique, 19 individuals, including the son of former President Armando Guebuza, have gone on trial” (BBC).
The artwork series From the School of Thieves signifies a ‘’school of burglar fishes’’ and symbolizes the individuals’ actions when taking bribes. The message evoked is the social behaviour of the parties involved; how they follow each other blindly and coordinate in synchronization. “Since the crisis, Mozambique saw its currency lose a third of its value over the course of 2016, the year it defaulted” (Retuers).