AN ORGANIC DIALOGUE,
INTERVIEW WITH LUCIANA BRITO

PHOTOGRAPHY BY GABRIELA BRITO

There is an art to sustaining an intellectual project within the machinery of the market, a delicate alchemy that few gallerists master. Luciana Brito is one of them. Since founding her eponymous gallery in São Paulo in 1997, she has operated with the conviction that art is not merely to be exhibited or acquired, but to be lived with – woven into the spaces we inhabit, the conversations we engage in, the structures of thought that shape our time. Her approach is neither purely commercial nor strictly curatorial but somewhat more complex: a fluid, evolving dialogue between artist, space, and audience, where transactions are, first and foremost, conceptual. Brito’s sensibility was forged long before she opened her own space. A graduate of fine arts, she cut her teeth working with the São Paulo Biennial and other major institutions, experiences that honed her curatorial rigor and sharpened her instinct for fostering discourse. By the time she established her gallery, she had already cultivated relationships with artists like Regina Silveira and Nelson Leirner, whose work is less concerned with aesthetic comfort than with the provocations of perception. The gallery was never conceived as a neutral container but as an active participant in the artistic process: an incubator of ideas rather than a mere backdrop for them. In 2015, Brito moved her gallery into the Castor Delgado Perez House, a landmark of Brazilian modernism that allows art, architecture, and landscape to coalesce into a singular experience. The transition marked a shift, not just in setting, but in philosophy. Not confined to the stark neutrality of the white cube, her program embraces the friction and depth that emerge when art inhabits a living, breathing space. Here, the works are not presented in sterile isolation but in conversation with their surroundings, drawing the viewer into a more immersive, more intimate mode of engagement. Yet, for all her attentiveness to space and form, Brito remains most committed to the power of art to shape consciousness. She has long championed Latin American artists, not as a gesture of regional tokenism but as an insistence on the multiplicity of voices that define the contemporary moment. Whether introducing Argentine conceptualist Liliana Porter to Brazilian audiences or staging dialogues between artists from Mexico, Chile, and Guatemala, she resists the flattening impulse of categorization, allowing each artist to articulate their own relationship to history, politics, and place. In the conversation that follows, Brito speaks with the clarity of someone who has spent decades refining her vision, without ever allowing it to become rigid. Her answers are precise, almost succinct, yet they never foreclose the possibility of deeper inquiry. She does not indulge in excess but instead distils her perspective with the efficiency of someone who knows that true engagement with art is not about offering definitive conclusions but about opening new lines of thought. Moving seamlessly between curatorial intent and commercial pragmatism, between aesthetic ambition and cultural responsibility, she considers art not just as an object of contemplation but as an active force capable of shifting perspectives, of unsettling and reorienting the way we see the world.

MARTA FRANCESCHINI: Luciana, what drove you to open your gallery in 1997, and how did you envision your space contributing to the cultural landscape of that moment?

LUCIANA BRITO: The gallery came about as a result of a natural process and the desire to contribute to bringing contemporary art to an ever-wider audience. At the time, there were few galleries, and I had already been involved in the art scene for many years. So, I was able to count on some artists close to me to open the gallery, such as Regina Silveira and Nelson Leirner, who were my teachers, and my classmates Monica Nador and Ana Tavares. I graduated in Fine Arts and before opening the gallery I worked as a producer and curator at many institutions, such as the Museum of Contemporary Art and the São Paulo Biennial, as well as the Raquel Arnaud Gallery. This background gave me the opportunity to understand the context and meet many professionals in the field and artists as well.

Given your approach to unifying the roles of gallerist and curator, how do you navigate the delicate balance between managing the commercial aspects of the gallery and maintaining a curatorial vision that fosters meaningful engagement with art and artists?

I have experience with institutional work and curatorship, which adds a lot to my work with the gallery. In addition, we have to consider the quality of the artists we work with. All these make the commercial side happen naturally. How do you cultivate intellectual and creative dialogues with artists, and in what ways do these conversations inform and shape the curatorial narratives you construct, allowing for a more nuanced and collaborative exploration of their work?

I have a very close relationship with the artists and make sure to follow the evolution of each of their work. Each visit to the studio is an exchange, where one adds to the other’s work. This is crucial to developing any project we do together, whether in the gallery or not.

Do you view art more as a commentary on the present moment, offering insights and reflections on the issues and concerns of today, or do you believe it holds a prophetic role in anticipating what is to come?

Art is a reflection of the different contexts and repertoires of each artist, but at the same time, it aims to reflect and bring to light issues relevant to the current situation in our society. Art has the power to transform society.

You have consistently created immersive environments that invite viewers to engage with art as part of their everyday lives. How do you envision art as something that breathes within our daily existence, transforming the spaces we inhabit and reshaping our interactions with the world around us?

What would be the aim of art, if not this very one, to transform and produce thought?

In a landscape increasingly dominated by commercial interests and spectacle, how can galleries like yours maintain a sanctuary of contemplation and intimacy, ensuring that art is not just a commodity but a medium for genuine connection and reflection?

I think your question already provides the answer. Of course, commercial interest must exist in any commercial gallery, but never allow art to fulfil only that function. After so much involvement with art we do, sales end up happening naturally, as a consequence.

Your São Paulo gallery is known for its ability to provoke meaningful encounters with art. How do you design spaces that go beyond the conventional viewing experience, allowing the viewer and the artwork to merge in a shared moment of engagement and reflection?

Each project is different, with different challenges. We have always been concerned about how to present our work. I think we closed a cycle when we moved, in 2015, to the venue where we are now, an old modernist residence, Castor Delgado Perez House, now listed as a historical heritage site. Before that, the gallery was in a “white cube”, where we explored all possibilities, but then I realized we were ready for a more provocative space. Now, the gallery is in a place that offers a constant dialogue with architecture, landscaping and design. This also aligns with the artists we represent, whose work already has this interest in their DNA.

South American culture, with its rich complexities, plays a significant role in your curatorial work. How do you approach the complexities of identity in your exhibitions, ensuring that the art you showcase authentically represents the diverse narratives and histories of the region?

Throughout our history, we have always valued Latin American art. In addition to Brazilian artists, of course, from the beginning we have worked to promote the exchange of these artists in Brazil and internationally. For example, we introduced the Argentines Liliana Porter and Leandro Erlich to the Brazilian public. We also brought the Mexicans Hector Zamora and Bosco Sodi, as well as the Chilean Iván Navarro and the Cuban Jorge Pardo. More recently, we began representing the Guatemalan Antonio Pichilla. In 2023, we produced a beautiful exhibition with Latin artists at the gallery, curated by Alexia Tala. But it is important to emphasize that we always make sure that the artists have complete freedom to express their ideas through their production, whether the artists are Latin American or not. This, of course, allows the art of these artists to speak for itself.