Activation – Gê Viana – When sound kisses the sea: the crossroads of the Atlantic, reggae, and faith – Talk with Carlos Benedito, Célia Sampaio, and Thiago de Paula Souza and DJ set by Nahraujo

On December 6, the activation of the work A colheita de Dan by Gê Viana will take place, titled When sound kisses the sea: the crossroads of the Atlantic, reggae, and faith. It consists of a conversation featuring Carlos Benedito, Célia Sampaio, Gê Viana, and Thiago de Paula Souza, as well as a DJ set by Nahraujo. The event will be held from 5 pm to 7 pm in the Sertão Negro space, on the ground floor.

Célia Sampaio, Carlos Benedito, and Thiago de Paula Souza take part in the activation of A colheita de Dan, by Gê Viana. The action unfolds from the research of the three Maranhão-born participants—Sampaio, Benedito, and Viana—whose work intersects in the ritual dimensions of music and faith, leading us through different temporalities. In the 1970s, the history of reggae crossed the Atlantic crossroads, leaving Jamaica and reaching Maranhão, where it took on an almost unique identity within quilombola communities and the peripheral neighborhoods of the capital. Carlos Benedito presents his research on reggae on the Ilha do Amor as a Black identity; Célia Sampaio addresses the histories of reggae sound systems within popular culture and her experience in the first clubs; and Gê Viana shares the creative processes behind the work, informed by readings and observations of Afro-Maranhense philosophy, which grounds the terreiros of the so-called mina antiga tradition in Maranhão—a foundation that structures the core of her practice.

Célia Sampaio is a singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and one of the central figures of reggae in Maranhão. She began her career in the 1980s with the band Guethos, becoming known as the “Lady of Reggae.” Over the course of her career, she has released award-winning solo works, collaborated with important names in Brazilian music, and maintained a strong presence in Afro-Brazilian cultural movements. Her recent projects include performances dedicated to womanhood and African ancestry, as well as releases such as the album Célia Sampaio (2022), about “Brazilian Jamaica,” and an EP in homage to Iansã (2025).

Carlos Benedito is a Full Professor of Sociology and Anthropology at the Universidade Federal do Maranhão (UFMA), where he also teaches in the Graduate Program in Social Sciences and in the pioneering Bachelor’s Degree in African and Afro-Brazilian Studies, which he helped establish. He holds a BA and MA from Unicamp and a PhD from PUC-SP, and coordinates UFMA’s Núcleo de Estudos Afro-Brasileiros (NEAB). He has worked with institutions such as ABPN, the Caribbean Studies Center in Brazil, and CADARA at the Ministry of Education. His research focuses on Afro-Brazilian populations, with an emphasis on cultural diversity, ethnic-racial relations, and affirmative action. He is the author of key works such as Da terra das primaveras à Ilha do Amor, a pioneering study of reggae in Brazil, and Ritmos da identidade. In addition to his academic production, he participates in Maranhão’s cultural scene as a composer and singer.

Thiago de Paula Souza is a curator and educator. He was cocurator of the 38th Panorama of Brazilian Art at MAM São Paulo (2024), of the exhibition Some May Work as Symbols: Art Made in Brazil, 1950s–70s at Raven Row (London), of the Nomadic Program at Vleeshal Center for Contemporary Art (Middelburg) between 2022 and 2023, of While We Are Embattled at Para Site (Hong Kong), and of Atos de revolta at MAM Rio (2022). Between 2020 and 2021, he was part of the curatorial team of the 3rd edition of Frestas – Trienal de Artes (São Paulo). He was curatorial consultant for the 58th Carnegie International (2021–2022). Between 2018 and 2019, he curated the first solo exhibition of Tony Cokes at BAK (Utrecht). He was also part of the curatorial team of the 10th Berlin Biennale (2018). He currently serves on the Artistic Committee of the NESR Art Foundation in Angola and is a PhD candidate in the arts program at HDK Valand – University of Gothenburg.

Nahraujo is a DJ, music producer, and music researcher with a master’s degree in the History of the African Diaspora and Indigenous Peoples from UFRB. A member of the collective Braçalismo and currently based in Itabuna, on the southern coast of Bahia, she has performed at festivals such as Favela Sounds and Universo Paralello, accompanying singer Sued Nunes, and has produced remixes for bands such as Buena Onda Reggae Club and Samuca e a Selva, alongside individual productions and partnerships with local artists. She also designed the sound for the works Radiola de promessa, part of the exhibition Ancestral: Afro-Américas at MAB FAAP (2024), and Colheita de Dan, on view at the 36th Bienal de São Paulo (2025), both by artist Gê Viana. Her DJ sets draw from extensive research focusing on genres influenced by the Jamaican musical diaspora, such as Techno, House, Jungle, Drum and Bass, UK Garage, Drill, Dubwise, and Rap/Hip Hop.

Gê Viana (Santa Luzia, 1986; lives and works in São Luís) is a visual artist trained at the Universidade Federal do Maranhão. She works between domestic and urban spaces, using manual and digital collage, painting, and the lambe-lambe technique. Her practice draws from archival images and the oral memory of her family, articulating everyday Afro-diasporic narratives from Maranhão and confronting hegemonic culture. She has participated in the Bienal das Amazônias (Belém, 2023), the 38th Panorama of Brazilian Art (Museu de Arte Moderna de São Paulo, 2024), the exhibition Histórias brasileiras (MASP, São Paulo, 2022), and the Borås Art Biennial (2024). Her works are held in collections such as Pinacoteca de São Paulo and the Museu de Arte Moderna do Rio de Janeiro.

Service
Activation – Gê Viana – When sound kisses the sea: the crossroads of the Atlantic, reggae, and faith – Talk with Carlos Benedito, Célia Sampaio, and Thiago de Paula Souza, and DJ set by Nahraujo
36th Bienal de São Paulo – Not All Travellers Walk Roads – Of Humanity as Practice
December 6, 2025
Sat, 5 pm
Sertão Negro installation, ground floor
Pavilhão Ciccillo Matarazzo
Parque Ibirapuera, Gate 3
São Paulo, SP
free admission