When the Work Changes the Space: Image, Presence, and Intervention

Critical Regards

Transversal Dialogues

When the Work Changes the Space: Image, Presence, and Intervention

WITH Lilly Baniwa and Rafael Bacelar

MODERATED BY Tetembua Dandara

SYNOPSIS

Lilly Baniwa and Rafael Bacelar discuss creation as intervention: when the work does not “represent” a theme but alters the space and repositions the viewer. Drawing from procedures in visual arts and performance, the conversation brings together image, body, and gesture to examine how symbols are displaced, how presence produces meaning, and how a work can “hack” the way we see without turning into explanation or illustration.

BACKGROUND

Lilly Baniwa is an actress, performer, and master’s candidate in Performance Studies at Unicamp, researching contemporary Indigenous theater. She holds a BA in Performing Arts from Unicamp. An Indigenous artist from the Baniwa people, she articulates body, memory, and territory, understanding the body as a living archive. Her work crosses performance, visual arts, and authorial creation, and has been presented at festivals and residencies in Brazil and abroad.

Rafael Bacelar is an actor, director, and performer trained at UFMG. His work has toured throughout Brazil and internationally. In 2025, he was nominated for the country’s major acting awards (Shell, APTR, Bibi Ferreira, and APCA).

Tetembua Dandara is a performer, cultural producer, and photographer. She holds a BA in Performing Arts from Unicamp and a specialization in Contemporary Cultural Management from Instituto Singularidades and Itaú Cultural. She works in theater and contemporary dance and is dedicated to horizontal production formats. She collaborates with the collectives ciadasatrizes, Cia LCT, Pérfida Iguana, and Grupo do Trecho. With Dirce Poli, Neuza Poli, and Mafoane Odara, she created the photobook and performance I Have a Story That Resembles Mine.