Resonance Installation / PPAA

Eliane Robert Moraes, considered the greatest pornographer in Brazil, has over four decades of contributions to studies on the subject. Her first book on the topic, in partnership with Sandra Lapeiz, was published by Brasiliense in 1984, presenting an erudite and objective approach that mixed encyclopedic knowledge with the discussion of complex themes.

Her professional career includes appearances in scientific magazines, newspapers, and literary fairs. She taught philosophy and journalism at PUC-SP and translated works such as Marquis de Sade and Georges Bataille. Her literary production expands with publications like the Anthology of Brazilian Erotic Poetry (Ateliê Editorial), the double volume The Unveiled Body, Anthology of Brazilian Erotic Short Stories (1852-2022), and the recent essay The Cursed Part of Brazil (Tinta-da-china), with three new titles planned.

In a conversation held at her home in Perdizes, the professor of Brazilian literature, aged 74 and about to retire from USP but maintaining great vitality, addresses the challenges and pleasures of studying literary eroticism, emphasizing the total freedom of imagination as her main asset.

Known as Nani among friends, Eliane is married to the poet and editor Fernando Paixão. She discusses the most sensual themes with great elegance and good humor.

When asked about Reinaldo Moraes, Eliane reported that they met in 2010 during the Mantiqueira Festival, after he published Pornopopeia. Initially, there was mutual apprehension—she feared being seen as outdated by him, a pornographer, and he feared saying nonsense—but they quickly became friends. They began living on the same street and meet regularly at the Wednesday fair. She praises Reinaldo for his generosity, charm, and ability to turn everything into literary creation.

Eliane shared an experience where she asked Reinaldo for a short text for a magazine called Alfa about the Flip, but he delivered an extensive material of 70 thousand characters instead of the requested 8 thousand. After asking for a reduction, he replied by email, extending the message over four pages, refusing to cut anything.

She also mentioned a request made to Reinaldo for an anthology of Brazilian erotic short stories, where he sent a sensational but very long story that ended up incorporating a passage from Pornopopeia.

When discussing the concept of excess, Eliane pondered whether it refers to Baroqueism or Brazilian eroticism. She argued that although Baroqueism involves formal exaggerations such as hyperbole, the excess in the erotic context resides in the content. Literary eroticism does not follow a single structure, potentially varying from a haiku to extensive works like 900-page erotic novels.

For Eliane, excess functions as a paradigm of transgression: it occurs when an established norm is broken or displaced. She cited Hilda Hilst as an example, whose pornographic works, despite being short novels, create an impression of great explosion. Citing Roland Barthes, she exemplified how excess manifests when a rule is broken, such as in the case of André Gide, where the unbearable odor in a house leads the commissioner to release the smoke, violating professional norms.

Regarding Amara Moira's view, which suggests that sex is viewed as psychological threat and that literature should be read with caution, Eliane disagreed with the idea of current repression. She observed that while repression was greater in the 70s/80s, today there is a very strong censoring gaze on eroticism, especially when linked to social denunciations.

Eliane highlighted that for those who work with eroticism, claiming it is merely fantasy can be interpreted as censorship. She commented on the book The Pink Notebook by Lori Lamby (1990), mentioning the shock it generated and how critics frequently accuse Hilda of defending pedophilia, a fact she finds shocking. She stressed that while a man would have been massacred for praising such a work, a woman like Hilda has a different authorization.

Concerning violence and eroticism, she compared the controversial rape scene in Sam Peckinpah's The King of Comedy to the story of Juliet in Sade, where a orgy of 400 people takes place. She reinforced that excess in literature does not need to be realistic; if it is too realistic, it ceases to be eroticism. She mentioned Tatiana Salem Levy and Clarice Lispector, and cited testimonies from Mara, who indicated that about 90% of transsexuals and homosexuals were initiated through abuse, a difficult topic to address artistically due to the risk of being accused of supporting rape.

Finally, Eliane concluded that, while eroticism belongs to the world of what does not happen, it is dangerous and fascinating, and the dividing line between fiction and reality is complex.

Turkish actor Kerem Bürsin is preparing to lead a new major digital project—'Grand Maison Istanbul,' which is a Turkish adaptation of the well-known Japanese series 'Grand Maison Tokyo.' According to information from Turkish media, this eight-episode project will be produced by Dass Yapım and will be released exclusively on the Prime Video platform, presenting a culinary drama that gained recognition in Japan but features a local plot and setting for the Turkish audience.

Bürsin has already begun preparations for this role while simultaneously filming a commercial campaign for a mobile operator he represents. As soon as the commercial shoots are completed, his focus will shift entirely to the new series, where he will play Ateş Leventoğlu—a talented and charismatic chef whose passion for haute cuisine drives the plot.

The original Japanese series 'Grand Maison Tokyo,' which premiered in 2019 with Takuya Kimura, was both a critical and commercial success. It tells the story of a capable chef striving to rebuild his career after a professional setback by opening a world-class restaurant capable of achieving Michelin recognition. The Turkish version aims to preserve the culinary spirit of the original while adapting the characters, locations, and cultural elements for Turkish viewers.

According to Turkish media reports, 'Grand Maison Istanbul' will consist of eight episodes, and the script is being developed by an in-house writing team at Dass Yapım. Although the production follows the original concept, the Turkish version will tell its own story through local characters and scenery.

One significant decision in the production was the selection of Urla, located in the province of Izmir, as the main filming location. This area is known for its vineyards, olive groves, boutique restaurants, and growing reputation as one of Turkey's main gastronomic centers. Urla provides an ideal natural backdrop for a series focused on exquisite cuisine and is becoming increasingly popular among chefs and food lovers.

Casting for the leading female role, which will be played by Defne, is still ongoing. Turkish entertainment news sources report that negotiations with actresses are underway, although no official casting announcement has been made yet. Furthermore, the crew has not yet determined the director, and according to available information, discussions on this matter continue until filming begins.

This project marks another collaboration for Kerem Bürsin with a major streaming platform, as he continues to balance work in theater, film, and the commercial sector. Over the last decade, Bürsin has established himself as one of Turkey's most recognizable actors internationally through works such as 'Güneşi Beklerken,' 'Şeref Meselesi,' 'Bu Şehir Arkandan Gelecek,' and the globally successful romantic comedy 'Sen Çal Kapımı.'

Turkish media also reported that the filming of the upcoming feature film about volleyball, 'Outside the Line,' starring Kerem Bürsin and Alina Boz, has been postponed. This delay is presumably to allow Bürsin to complete his work on 'Grand Maison Istanbul' before starting the film.

Since pre-production has already begun, 'Grand Maison Istanbul' looks like one of the most anticipated original projects from Prime Video Türkiye. The combination of an internationally recognized format, a culinary storyline, and Kerem Bürsin's participation in the leading role should generate significant interest among both Turkish and international audiences at the time of the premiere.

A recent excavation in Egypt revealed hundreds of ushabtis, small statuettes intended to substitute the deceased in their obligations in the afterlife. Ancient Egypt is known for its complex funerary rituals, which included mummification and the burial of goods, amulets, and food, all with the expectation that they would be useful in the hereafter.

The most famous necropolises of this period are those reserved for royalty, where pharaohs and members of the elite were buried in sumptuous monuments, accompanied by sarcophagi, jewelry, and sacred texts, as seen in the Giza and Saqqara complexes.

However, Egyptians who did not belong to the royal class also followed detailed funeral ceremonies, often being buried in large community cemeteries, such as Tell Athar Quesna, one of the most significant non-royal sites in the Nile Delta.

This site was identified in 1991 and continues to be investigated by archaeologists, who are gradually reconstructing the funerary customs of the time, as well as the cultural and commercial connections of the region.

During a new excavation campaign, conducted by the Supreme Council of Antiquities of Egypt, researchers located an unprecedented funerary unit. This location contained dozens of burials, 560 funerary statuettes, and several other artifacts. These findings were communicated by the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities in July.

The funerary structure, which maintained good architectural preservation, consists of a central hall connected to several chambers with arched openings. Archaeologists speculate that the ceilings also had an arched shape, although this part of the construction did not survive over time.

Inside the rooms, numerous human bodies were found. Some individuals were arranged in the soarian position, a posture inspired by the representation of the god Osiris. Notably, one of the deceased was found with ceramic plates under the arms and thighs, a disposition considered atypical.

The burials were accompanied by a vast collection of funerary items, including bowls, plates, vases, and oil lamps. One of the containers held traces of substances used both in mummification and in other rituals.

Protective, strength, and resurrection amulets were also recovered. Some of these amulets represent the Eye of Horus, while others depict figures related to Egyptian deities.

One chamber caught the attention of archaeologists because it contained 560 funerary statuettes, known as ushabtis. According to Egyptian belief, these figures accompanied the deceased to perform, in their place, the tasks required in the afterlife, thereby exempting the person from arduous labor in the underworld, such as field cleaning.

According to the National Museum of UFRJ, the quantity of ushabtis can serve as an indicator of the social status of the buried person: the greater the number of ushabtis, the greater the wealth and the less the expected work in the afterlife.

The statuettes found in Tell Athar Quesna exhibit variations in size, style, and color, but they were made of Egyptian faience, a type of ceramic. Some of them carry inscriptions from the Book of the Dead, a compendium of spells and magical formulas intended to guide the soul on its journey.

Researchers continue to analyze the collected material, seeking to understand the meaning of certain body postures and the quantity of artifacts. So far, they have determined that some of the ceramics were imported from the island of Rhodes, Greece, which confirms the trade routes connecting Egypt to the Mediterranean during the Late and Greco-Roman periods.