Eshu, the Yoruba Trickster

The monumental representation of a school of samba, which occupied an entire wall struck me as I entered the exhibition room of “Sweat” at the Haus der Kunst in Munich in 2022. The exhibition explored bodies the presence of bodies acting collectively with sweat representing liberation from the control of the human body. Together with my Brazilian friend, who was visiting the exhibition with me, I found myself drawn to the various characters of this expansive painting assemblage titled G.R.E.S. G.R.E.S. is the acronym for Gremio Recreativo Escola de Samba. Most of these samba associations in Rio de Janeiro have these as part of their names. Their story began in the 1920s when the carnival associations sought official recognition amid the repression of Black cultural expressions. The acronym emphasizes the recreational, pedagogical, and communal role these institutions play.