IMAGES IN CONFLICT: BELIEFS AND RELIGIONS IN CONTEMPORARY ART

Abstract

Th e article analyses the way the confl ict over visual hegemony takes place
in contemporary art, specifi cally concerning marginalized beliefs and religions. To do
this, the series “Divinidades” by Argentine artist Mirta Toledo, consisting of paintings,
sculptures, and collages, and “Aceita?” by Brazilian artist Moisés Patrício, composed of
photographs, are studied. Th e analysis focuses on how the contemporary artistic practices
of Moisés Patrício and Mirta Toledo elaborate on the confl ict and contribute to
the visibility and vindication of images of beliefs and religions historically persecuted
and denied by Western cultural dominance. From a decolonial perspective, the article
explores the strategies both artists used to challenge visual hegemony and how these
strategies relate to their personal, familial, and collective experiences. It concludes that both series are part of a “battle for images” in which, through different strategies, they
seek to generate alternative significations of the world and contribute to the production
of collective memories by rescuing gods and popular religious entities.