Artista, gráfica, editora: o jogo de papéis enquanto prática artística

Abstract

This dissertation proposes a theoretical-practical investigation, essayistic in nature, which, to address the complexity of contemporary production in Graphic Arts, establishes a dynamic referred to as a jogo de papéis (role-playing game). This proposition stems from a polyvalent interpretation of contemporary artistic practice, unfolding the definition of “artist-etc” created by Ricardo Basbaum to address the specificities of the roles of visual and graphic artists who, at times, also take on the role of artist-editors. The concept of game is approached through a reading of Johan Huizinga’s Homo Ludens (1938), which understands it as an inherent element of culture and a “significant function.” The jogo de papéis (role-playing game) is articulated through the interwoven functions of the realms of art, graphics, and publishing. To demonstrate how such a dynamic can be established, the dissertation includes three initial essays dedicated to discussing aspects of the formation of the artist-researcher author of the study — presented in Formação e Paixão — which elaborate on work and research methodology that combines theory and practice — outlined in Conhecer pela Prática — and offers a brief theoretical discussion — also named Jogo de Papéis (role-playing game) — that discusses its formulation, drawing on selected trajectories of other artists: Gabi Bresola, Traplev, and Ulisses Carrión. A proposal for a Trajetória editada (Edited Trajectory) is presented following the initial texts. It consists of a selection of twelve projects developed by the artist and author in collaboration with other artists during her work at campanha — a graphic-editorial studio. Developed between the completion of her Bachelor’s degree in Visual Arts in 2012 and her Master’s in Visual Arts in 2024, the projects of the Trajetória editada (Edited Trajectory) are presented through first-person narratives, a series of stories based on Walter Benjamin’s notion of “communicable experiences.” The texts are combined with a set of images representing the projects that relate to art, graphics, and publishing at actual scale: Estado do real (2013), Ater-se à terra (2015), Sugestão de coleta para dias de sol (2015), Cru e transitório (2016), Rua (2016), perfura – ateliê de performance (2016/2017), Ocupação por projeto (2017), Trópico (2017), A Criatura (2018), A casa é o corpo (2022), Os Dentros (2022), and the collection cadernos, livros, which includes cadernos, livros #1 and #2 (2021) and cadernos, livros #3, initiated in 2024 and still in progress. The editing, design, and graphic production of the dissertation volume, created by the author, were developed to constitute a significant aspect of the research, adopting a metalinguistic approach to the jogo de papéis (role-playing game).