Marcelo Schellini (born 1979) is an art practitioner and an assistant professor specialising in photography and film studies at Curtin University, Malaysia. His research and creative practice explore the intersections of identity, photography, political imagination, and the pervasive influence of photography in contemporary life. He earned a PhD in Visual Poetics from the University of São Paulo and a Master's Degree in Visual Culture Studies from the University of Barcelona. Marcelo Schellini is an associate fellow at the Center for Conservation of Sustainable Ethnic Heritage at the Museum of Malacca, Malaysia.
Notable work.
In 2019, Marcelo Schellini was selected in the open call "Nova Fotografia” (New Photography) of the MIS (São Paulo Museum of Image and Sound) to display the photographic essay Tarikh al-Brasil. The work, incorporated into the museum's collection in 2020, has been exhibited and published in various places and media since then. Consequently, it became one of the artist's most notable works.
The title "Tarikh al-Brasil", translated from Arabic as “History of Brazil”, represents a visual exploration of the visibility and invisibility of Muslims of African descent within Brazilian history and society. African Muslims first arrived in the Americas over four centuries ago via the Atlantic slave trade. Despite their enslavement, they played a pivotal socio-cultural role, sparking numerous freedom uprisings, most notably the "Levante dos Malês" (Malê Revolt) of 1835, a defining chapter of the African diaspora history.
According to the author, "Tarikh al-Brasil" explores the potential of photography to navigate the boundary between documentation and invention, inviting reflection on how we see and reinterpret history.
References.