New Babylon, film 

French director Jean-Luc Godard once distinguished between making political films and making films politically, emphasizing that the latter requires analyzing specific, concrete situations. His perspective challenges traditional narrative forms, as capitalism itself defies clear beginnings or endings.

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The video New Babylon (2024), created during a NIAS fellowship, explores the artist's social role by comparing the Situationist International, organization of social revolutionaries made up of artists and intellectuals (1957-1972) and Provo, a Dutch counterculture movement in the mid-1960s that focused on provoking violent responses from authorities using non-violent bait.

It highlights how their concepts and methods remain relevant for representing contemporary reality and invites debate on the intersections of art, politics, and activism.

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Part of a series developed during COVID-19 lockdowns—including Corpus Politicum (2021) and Aesthetics and Politics (2023)—New Babylon is a collage of text and images that critically examines the legacy of political art. The title pays homage to Dutch artist Constant Nieuwenhuys's project and alludes to the “construction” of the Brazilian State.

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Bio
Dora Longo Bahia, born in São Paulo in 1961, has been in painting, photography, video, sound, installations, and performances since the mid-1980s, focusing on contemporary violence. She holds a PhD in Visual Arts and a post-doate in Philosophy from the University of São Paulo. Currently a professor at ECA – USP, she leads the Depois do Fim da Arte Research Group, exploring the artist's social role today. Longo Bahia frequently exhibits nationally and internationally, including the 31st MIXBRASIL Festival in 2023 and the Contar o tempo exhibition in 2022.

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