Art Exhibition in Munich brings out the Brumadinho tragedy

The event opening was attended by the law firm PGMBM, which represents victims in proceedings against TÜV SÜD in German courts

Brumadinho and Munich are separated by a 9.390 km distance, but on the 25th of January, 2019, both cities became connected in a rather tragic way. On that day, at 12h28, the dam of Córrego Feijão mine broke, spilling 10 thousand cubic meters of mud that traveled at about 100 km per hour, leaving a trail of destruction that killed 272 people. The mine belonged to brazilian company Vale, and the dam that broke had been recently certified as “stable” by munich company TÜV SÜD. Such report is suspected of having been fraudulent.

This is the connection that served as inspiration to the brazilian artists Isadora Canela, Lis Haddad e Thaís Paiva Machado, to create the exhibition “Over (The) Mine”, which had its opening last saturday, June 25th, with the presence of lawyers of PGMBM, firm that represents victims proceedings against TÜV SÜD in German courts. It was to discuss the tragedy of Brumadinho that the artists developed works, in different languages ​​and platforms, that invite the public to reflect on the dark depths of mining, and open their minds to new possible realities.

The works of art were developed specifically for exhibition in Munich, where the trial of one of the most serious human and environmental crimes in recent history takes place. Two lawsuits by family members of victims of the dam collapse are in court in the city. The family members hope that the German court will punish the company and hold its executives accountable. There are also other actions, by family members of victims, awaiting hearings and a final decision in the German judiciary.

The NGO AVABRUM (Association of Families of Victims and Affected by the Tragedy of the Breach of the Mina Córrego Feijão Brumadinho Dam) was be present at the exhibition through the reading of a letter addressed to the artists and the public, reinforcing the importance of artistic manifestations that expose crimes and arouse indignation. “We are grateful and touched by the theme chosen for this exhibition that touches our hearts, celebrates memory and challenges us, together, to dismantle the structures of economic power and the predatory gear of mining companies”, says the text, signed by the board of directors of AVABRUM.

The association also claims that the exhibition encourages the realization of the Brumadinho Legacy Project*. “It is a movement that seeks to touch society as a whole, all those who listen to us throughout Brazil and around the world. The invitation we make is: listen to our voice and shout with us. Here in Munich, in this exhibition, we feel that our voices are present.”

The exhibition is an initiative of the Ebenböckhaus, an artists’ residence in Munich maintained with public resources of the city.

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*Project carried out with resources allocated by the Management Committee for Collective Moral Damage paid to title of social indemnity for the rupture of the dam in Brumadinho, on 01/25/2019, that claimed 272 lives.

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#acidentedetrabalho, #amanhapodesertarde, #avabrum, #brumadinho