Flávia Junqueira, visual artist from São Paulo, Brazil. Photography © Jesus Chacón

1.In your opinion what is the role of a museum?

For me, the museum has the main role of cultural, historical, social and educational formation for all people, regardless of their ages.

From the artist’s point of view, having a work that is part of a museum’s collection means reaching the possibility of showing the research and expanding the dialogues with the public, bringing new discussions to the exhibited work.

2.What are your favorite museums in the world? Why?

There are many, it is difficult to give that answer, but of the museums that I have been personally, I believe that in Brazil, MASP – Museu de Arte de São Paulo, which in addition to the undisputed architecture of Lina Bobardi, currently establishes a curatorial pole and creates very relevant discussions between art and current themes.

Other museu that I like is Palais Tokyo in Paris, for currently focusing its originality on contemporary production and fostering the research space for young artists and the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam, which when I first entered made me be appalled by so many iconic works that I had seen my whole life in books. There are many others, Guggenheim, Orsay Museum, etc…

3.How important are social networks in your business? And which platform do you prefer and why.

Currently, what I use most to publicize my work is Instagram and my website.

Instagram allows me to show work processes day by day through stories, and at the same time show the final images in the feed, it is also there that I show my references and a little of my personal life. I believe the public loves having this approach almost in real time, both of the work and the artist.

The fact that the images are recorded in chronological order is also great, as it allows you to control what I do and where I’ve been. Regarding my website, I objectively leave my complete portfolio online, curriculum and texts, I believe that the simpler the better, as it facilitates consultation.

In short, the importance of social networks as a means of expanding the fields of work extension, in my opinion, is fundamental. 

4.In particular, due to the coronavirus emergency, how have you changed your business on social networks?

At that moment, networks helped me even more, since cell phones and the internet were the only ways to have a window of communication with others.

I haven’t changed much thing, but I intensified the use and started making more videos with interviews about the research, something that I didn’t use much until then. The internet facilitated the whole approach in this moment of distancing, I have no doubt. 

5.To create greater engagement among museums, artists and professionals, do you have any advice for cultural projects such as #MuseumWeek?

I believe that intensifying the use of social networks and making them a great key to approach; it is important creating public notices that establish a direct relationship between the artist and the cultural institutions, also intensify more entertaining and educational works, to break museum as such an untouchable space.

Interview by Fabio Pariante, journalist

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Flávia Junqueira on social networks: Instagram − Website

Flávia Junqueira (São Paulo, 1985) has a PhD in Visual Arts from the Institute of Arts of the State University of Campinas (UNICAMP), a Masters in Visual Poetry from the University of São Paulo (USP), and graduated in photography and a Bachelor of Arts from the Armando Alvares Penteado Foundation (FAAP). She is part of Fidalga workshop under the direction of Sandra Cinto and Albano Afonso.

Participated in the project of the residency program of the Izolyatsia’s Platform for Cultural Initiatives in the city of Donestk in Ukraine curated by Boris Mikailov (2011), the residence of the Cité Internationale des Arts in Paris with support from FAAP (2011), integrated the PIESP Program São Paulo (2010) and worked as a scenography assistant at the São Paulo Scenario of JCSerroni.

Among the main projects and collective exhibitions she participated in Culture and Conflict, Izolyatsia in Exile; Palais de Tokyo, The World Bank Art Program; Kaunas Photo festival; Individual Exhibition “Tomorrow I will be born again” at Cité Dês Arts; collective “Una mirada latino Americana” from the Photo España project; Paço das Artes project season; Energies in Art Award at the Tomie Otahke Institute, New Photography Program at MIS; Itamaraty Competition; Residence RedBull House of Art; Atêlie Open House, among others.

Some of her works integrate museum collections and cultural spaces such as: MAR-RJ, MAM-SP, MIS-SP, MAB-FAAP, Itamaraty Museum, Figueiredo Ferraz Institute, RedBullStation and others. Flávia Junqueira is represented by the Zipper Gallery in São Paulo, Galeria Quadra in Rio de Janeiro, by Reiners Contemporary Art in Spain and Studio Arara in Paris And Lisbon. Flávia Junqueira lives and works in São Paulo.