Carnival, Brazil
Artist
Valdir Cruz
(Brazilian, born 1954)
Date2001 (printed 2002)
MediumGelatin silver print, selenium toned
DimensionsImage: 12 1/2 × 19 1/16 in. (31.8 × 48.4 cm)
Support: 15 3/4 × 19 3/4 in. (40 × 50.2 cm)
Support: 15 3/4 × 19 3/4 in. (40 × 50.2 cm)
ClassificationsPhotograph
Credit LineGift of Paulette and Kurt Olden in memory of Lily Kay, 2003
Object number2003.36.7
DescriptionCarnival series photographed in 2002 Salvador Bahia, Brazil; Group of Brazilian women wearing off the shoulder white lacey shirts and colorful headscarves, women also wear beaded and shell necklaces, people crowding the streets in the background.eMuseum Notes
Carnival is a festive celebration that has long preceded the Christian observance of Lent, a muted time of self-reflection and fasting. In the port city of Salvador in Bahia, Brazil, it has famously become a mobile street festival with exuberant drumming and elaborate costumes. Formerly a hub for the trading of human slaves, Salvador is now home to Brazil’s largest concentration of residents of African descent and is a vibrant center for Black culture, which is particularly evident in the carnival celebration. Valdir Cruz, born in Brazil but based in New York, devoted himself to capturing the energy and pageantry of this elaborate city-wide event for a decade, from 1995-2005.
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