Censorship(s): More Than a Single Meaning

Acts of censorship have taken on different nuances, both in the past and in contemporary societies. During this exhibition, the term ‘censorship(s)’ is being used to embrace the range of its meanings.

Regardless of the motivation for censorship, it will always address moral, ideological, and political issues; being an act of power to dominate the ‘different’.
 
It can be said that 'censorship(s)' are acts that seek to silence others.

In the Roman Republic, ´censorship(s)’ were associated with the acts of a public agent, Cato the Censor. He defended the value of simplicity against the overt luxury of the Hellenistic culture. At the time, censorship(s)' consisted of taxing nobles and even casting out senators.

A classic masterpiece, Susanna and the Elders - from the baroque artist Artemisia Gentileschi - could also appear with a tag on her breasts on the media, illustrating contemporary and digital acts of ‘censorship(s)’.

Once more, a neoclassical painting from the French artist William-Adolphe Bouguereau, The Oreads (1902), has black targets, a practice seen nowadays.

In Brazil, as in other territories colonized by the Portuguese, prior and institutionalized 'censorship(s)' were widely applied. Being mainly imposed on artworks during Estado Novo (Portugal) and the military dictatorship (Brazil).

As it was shown, currently 'censorship(s)' can be applied by social networks and their algorithms.