BLOCKBUSTER EXHIBITIONS AND THE SINGULARITY OF THE BRAZILIAN CASE
Sociology of culture. Blockbuster exhibitions. Culture. Cultural consumption.
The thesis investigates the impact generated by exhibitions that registered extraordinary numbers of visitors, held in Brazil since 2010. Such events are called blockbusters because of the similarity with the film industry, although they represent a different logic of planning, realization and reception by the public. Characterized by the diversity of content, the use of technological resources and the creation of interactive spaces, in addition to wide dissemination in the media and social networks, the exhibitions reach audiences that do not usually visit museums or cultural centers, amplifying the repercussion of these mostly free events. The research adopts the international attendance numbers published by The Art Newspaper to identify national cases and to understand the position occupied by Brazil in the global scenario. The exhibitions are analyzed as singular cultural products (KARPIK, 2007), by breaking with the logic that traditionally organizes this space, creating its own economy marked by uncertainty, multidimensionality and incommensurability. Theoretical, documentary and empirical research, through interviews and observation in the main cities, support the study of this set of events, while also allowing the investigation of broader aspects of the national artistic and cultural scene, carrying out a broad reading on the impacts caused on cultural institutions and cultural consumption patterns in the last decade.