Exhibition
Jonathas de Andrade
Tropical hangover and other stories
From 20 June to 09 November 2025
Jeu de Paume – Tours
Over the past twenty years, Jonathas de Andrade (Maceió, Brazil 1982, resident in Recife) has created artistic projects that question the construction of Brazilian identity and point to the failure of the modernist utopia of the early 20th century. Through photography, video and installation, the artist explores his country’s collective memory and history, using strategies that blend fiction and reality.
In his projects, De Andrade revisits popular traditions, vernacular images, texts and references to recompose a personal narrative about the past that invites reflection on universal themes such as racism, class, work and the nature of oppression. At the same time, he articulates his critique from a local perspective, situating his work in the context of the Northeast, his native region. De Andrade helps us to better understand the persistence of social problems in Brazil and Latin America, where modernity tirelessly demonstrates the perpetuation of the colonial condition.
The exhibition at the Jeu de Paume – Château de Tours brings together a dozen projects in which the artist deconstructs visual archetypes linked to tropical exoticism, the eroticization of the male body, miscegenation and social and racial inequalities. Drawing on his research in anthropology, pedagogy and theater, he proposes projects that value the interactions between social groups brought together by the artist, who in this way regain power over their own traditions and imaginaries.
A new work will be designed and produced specifically for the exhibition, inspired by the research of filmmaker and ethnologist Jean Rouch.