Colective Casagaleria: Resistence

From 13/12/2024 To 14/02/2025

Collective Exhibition Casagaleria: Resistance Loly Demercian, Bauru, 1962 The years separating Loly Demercian’s early artistic ventures from her current praxis at Casagaleria and Art Workshop, despite highlighting key moments of a long-standing career, are, in fact, part of a tapestry imbued with the experiences of this artist, educator, and curator. This backdrop, as in theater, serves as both inspiration and unfolding narrative. In the realm of visual arts, drawing parallels with theatrical staging (museography), text and direction (curatorship), and actors (artworks), the pursuit of this interaction is the joyous, technical, and creative “game” of constructing a “place” where all elements coexist without prioritizing one over the other. Throughout her career, Loly has sought this dialectical play, guided by the text of contemporary culture, inherently interdisciplinary. Twenty years after founding Casagaleria and Art Workshop Loly Demercian, this artist-curator situates her current work within a clear vision: a transformative and resistant force for Brazilian artistic culture, cultivated through the artists represented by her gallery. Loly Demercian was born in 1962 in Bauru and began her career as a visual artist in 2000. A graduate of the Fine Arts Faculty of São Paulo, she won first prize for her graduation project, Monolito. In 2004, this same work was part of the ABCA Panel collective exhibition at the Museum of Contemporary Art of USP – MAC USP. Subsequent exhibitions include the Space of Arts – USP and Itaú Cultural SP in 2005 and the Brazilian Museum of Sculpture and Ecology – MuBE SP in 2006. In 2004, she founded Casagaleria and Art Workshop Loly Demercian to combine exhibition spaces with studio and educational activities. These initiatives served as the foundation for her master’s research (2011) in Art, Education, and Cultural History (Mackenzie University) and her doctorate (2017) in Communication and Semiotics (Pontifical Catholic University of São Paulo). In 2024, Casagaleria celebrates 20 years of uninterrupted activity, offering its artists three key areas for reflection on visual arts: A comprehensive understanding of integrating artistic careers into the art market; The opportunity for a solo exhibition after a year of coordinated studies led by Loly; Access to medium-duration courses featuring discussions on artistic language theory and practice, art history, and curatorship led by specialists. To mark this milestone, Loly Demercian will inaugurate the exhibition Collective Casagaleria: Resistance on December 13, showcasing the work of her gallery’s artists. By Carmen S. G. Aranha