Corpo livre: body and art as means of activism in Sao Paulo

Abstract

New forms of organizing social movements are debating the intersection of different social markers or axis of oppression, as gender, sexuality, class and race, problematizing sexual and gender norms. The collective A Revolta da Lâmpada, in São Paulo, Brazil, claims to be a platform with intersectional horizon, creating a common denominator – the free body – among different identity groups without the hierarchization of agendas and delegitimization of its exclusive spaces. Through the celebration of their bodies occupying public spaces, it uses diverse artistic expressions to do activism, what is being called artivism. The study highlights how the collective goes beyond the debate on identity politics and uses the intersectional inspiration together with the body – and its emotions – as site of resistance, celebration and means of exploring artistic forms of doing activism.