The Kite Ballet by Thaís Muniz is a multidisciplinary series comprising the eponymous film, alongside textiles, photography, and sculpture. The work reflects on the relationship between territoriality and community, while advocating for play in adulthood as a revolutionary act.
Abaeté, an enchanted bioregion of Afro-Indigenous resistance in Salvador, Bahia, Brazil, faces growing threats from economic agents in the real estate and greenwashing markets. Its protected areas are under siege by religious and legislative initiatives seeking to reduce them. Traditional communities have been systematically displaced from the forests and coastal edges, while so-called “protected” areas face increasing allowance for invasions. For years, communal mobilisations have fought to safeguard this land.
The Kite Ballet intertwines poetic and mythical elements with these political, historical, and symbolic themes. The film portrays a group of local kite runners in their weekly communal ritual, highlighting the threat of private development and ecological displacement from a sacred territory, where joy and spiritual practices have thrived for centuries.
For press images, interviews or further information, please contact Communications Officer Aaron Dobson at aaron.dobson@leitrimcoco.ie.
Events
Saturday 20 June, 2—4pm: Opening reception with local bites and music from DJ Ortega. Admission is free, no booking required.
Saturday 4 July, 12—1pm: Thaís Muniz in conversation with Maeve Connolly. Admission is free, booking is required. Read more and book here.
Saturday 11 July, 2—5pm: Kite-making workshop with Thaís Muniz and Lucas Paranhos. Admission is €10, booking is required. Read more and book here.
For tours and access queries, please contact Curator Erika Mei Chua Holum at erika.holum@leitrimcoco.ie. For press queries, please contact Communications Officer Aaron Dobson at aaron.dobson@leitrimcoco.ie.
About Thaís Muniz
Thaís Muniz is a Brazilian-Irish visual artist and researcher working across multiple mediums to explore the intersections of inherited and acquired identities, memory, transit, and inward love. Her community-oriented practice unfolds through intimate communal learning processes, including workshop, performance, installation, sculpture, and film. Her work also spans photography, celebrations, and activations, often incorporating archives, personal memorabilia, and symbology.
Muniz’s practice engages with the reimagination of realities through mechanisms of refusal, dreaming, and personal magic, challenging and expanding canonical systems of representation, building connections, and opening conversations. A central aspect of her work involves activating spaces through presence and critically engaging with the geopolitics of place.
