Rolê-Holi Project Description

Let’s go for a rolê?

With this typical carioca expression and upon meeting the colors of India for the first time,  the idea for Rolê Holi was born. This (re)connection project was developed by artivist and art educator Suélen Brito, born and raised in the Maré favela in Rio de Janeiro, in her quest to break down the artistic barriers imposed by the Brazilian colonialist system. The essence of the rolês is to decolonize. The project worked with the abundance that emerges from the scarcity created and encouraged by our oppressive systems. This is an abundance that (re)exists in every favela dweller. Because to exist in this world is to wear the shirt of the Black Panthers every day.

The journey of this work is part of the desire to immerse oneself in the ancestry of each individual and research the cultural expressions and knowledge of the people.

Through meetings aimed to stimulate the search for and appreciation of these identities, this was a process of regenerating life and the space that each person occupies in the world. For example, Rolê Holi focused on the tales and legends, popular festivals, and local characters – among many other elements – found in traditional Brazilian peoples and in the favelas. The project’s methodology was based on going beyond the academic norms that can stiffen the research process. On this collective journey, it was necessary to learn to un-educate ourselves, to deconstruct learning patterns and also create cracks within this system.

The intention of Rolê Holi was to constantly value diverse ways of knowing, and foment connections with other perspectives and possibilities for artistic learning and developing sociocultural knowledge.

The sole curator of Rolê Holi was Suélen Brito.