Horizontalidade e autoria coletiva dentro do Coletivo Grupo EmpreZa

Abstract

How might collective authorship and horizontality be constituted within the artist collective Grupo EmpreZa in contemporary Brazil? This research departs from the premise that an inquiry into these two concepts can contribute to broader reflections on the viability of artistic collectives today, as well as on their potential political efficacy. In this dissertation, I examine the lived experiences of Grupo EmpreZa (GE), a collective based in Goiás, founded in 2001 that works mainly with performance art, of which I have been a member since 2008 of which I have been a member since 2008 and which is currently composed of nine artists. In the first part of the study, I outline the artistic context in which GE emerged, highlighting collective initiatives from that period. Subsequently, drawing on the voices of members, former members, and collaborators, I analyze selected works by GE, with particular emphasis on the group’s ongoing efforts to sustain horizontal structures of organization and to establish and enact collective authorship, along with the implications that unfold from such practices