Fernando Hermógenes

Born in Contagem, Minas Gerais, Fernando Hermógenes is a Brazilian social educator, transmedia artist, writer, performer and independent researcher.  Being a resident of São Joaquim de Bicas in Brazil, he has been developing new processes in art education in the schools of his city and in São José do Vale do Rio Preto-RJ since 2008.

Fernando has participated in numerous festivals and exhibitions with performances, installations, videos and happenings throughout Brazil, Argentina, Colombia, Bangladesh, India, Germany, Greece, Netherlands, Paraguay and Venezuela. He has also participated in a number of residency programs since 2014 and is the curator of MMX Residency, a project started in 2015 with seven residency issues in art education. Fernando has published the book-work newspaper HéBarro and two other books of poetry.

Work Title: Make me shine

Make me shine is an invitation to shine together, to abandon the importance of self as a proud and self-centered image and shine in unity, pouring light from one to another so that we can decentralize access, opportunities and chances. I believe the ingredients for the recipe to shine together are people, sandalwood and water.

First I invite people to leave their hands open. I take wet sandalwood and spend a little on the palm of their hands. I repeat this action with everyone who wants to shine. Then I invite everyone to get closer forming a circle with outstretched hands, as if blessing. Sandalwood is then lathered on the entire body leaving no part of the body uncovered. I then invite people to clap their hands together and walk, spreading light through the Universe.